RAYS vs. ASTROS: Official Full Game Highlights (July 3) | 2026 MLB Season

Ray's team that is right now the hottest in baseball, winners of eight in a row, standing in their way. Spencer Arreguetti, pitcher of the month in the American League in May, Spilly, but he's hit the skids as of late. Diaz strokes this up the middle, and it'll fall for a leadoff single, and that's just what he's done all year. 73rd single for Diaz, which also leaves the American League. Aranda, ground ball, right side. Altuve to second for one. On the first, double play. Beautifully turned by this Astros infield. Well, not only is this a good double play for the Astros, it's good for Spencer Arreguetti's heart. Caminero swinging on the first pitch, gobbled up by Isak Paredes. And the inning is over. Nicky smiles, Nick Martinez. What a season he's put together. 35 years of age, Spilly, and he may be headed to his first career All-Star game. That would be something. The Tampa Bay Rays, they got the biggest steal of the offseason, a free agent sign in early February. Altuve strikes out of the pitch in the dirt, and the out will be recorded at first, though a little bit haphazardly. Alvarez, who leads the American League with 26 homers, no hitter in baseball, has an OPS above 1,000 this year, other than Jordan Alvarez. Alvarez, hard ground ball, sliding stop made at second by Ben Williamson. So he hits a batter like he hardly ever does, and he throws a wild pitch that he'd only done one other time. And Nick trying to get out of this thing with Baird at second and two out. Fly ball straightaway center, shallow. Here comes Cedric Mullins gliding to his left. Nick, an elegant-looking catcher, retired this time. For the Rays, who are second in all of baseball in team batting average, six through nine hitters over this eight-game winning streak are hitting .284. And to your point, they're getting on by way of infield hits, bunts, what have you. And DeLuca is aboard. It's a small-ball approach that Tampa Bay has been using all season long. High contact rates, getting guys on however they can, stealing bases. DeLuca has seven steals. There goes the runner. Throw down, hit the target, and he's back. Well, DeLuca gets a good job, not a great job, but the throw, oh, my gosh. The iron couldn't run it down and put it in a better spot. The transfer, the throw, the tag, perfect baseball symmetry. That is a beautiful play. Spitzer Arreguetti finishing his warm-up pitches. He's faced the minimum so far, gave up a leadoff single in the first, but that was a race on a double play. Fly ball here from Ben Williamson curling towards the seats. Reaches into the seats. Cam Smith all the way to his tricep is able to reach into the seats and make a phenomenal catch. And so the Astros do, though, get a man-destroying position with one out at the top of their order up. Here is Jose Altuve. That is ball four. And we're going to have a challenge here from the catcher, and this might turn around and become a strikeout. I have a feeling it does, because just by the way Altuve was walking, I don't know if he knew it. Yep. He knew. ABS challenge powered by T-Mobile. And Martinez gets one his way. They're probably going to put Yordan on, aren't they? You would think. All right, now do you just walk Yordan or just pitch around him? Yordan stands in with his 59 runs batted in. See what Martinez wants to do with him. Got him to the ground a second his first time up. Swing and a miss. He struck him out. A changeup takes care of Alvarez. And the Astros are finished off here in the third. Nick Martinez is cruising in a great pitcher's duel here in Houston. One-two pitch. Got him. Strike three. Second strikeout for Arreguetti. That big sweeping breaking ball gets Diaz to chase. Well, we always talk about it with Arreguetti, right? If he's able to get ahead, he has the stuff to put hitters away, even the best hitters in the world. As Cameron Arrow skies this, another one that might scrape the roof. It stays in play. And the catch is made by Aesop Paradis to retire the side. A one-two-three inning for Arreguetti. Still scoreless. Outside and low. Ball four. And a guy who's had a lot of success against Martinez, Christian Walker, draws a four-pitch walk with one out. We're in the fourth inning. And that will set the table for Cam Smith. This is right for the right field. That's a hit. One hopper to the right fielder. Walker prances into second. And the Astros have something cooking. Up to second goes Walker, and that's the first hit for Houston. An opposite field single for righty Cam Smith. Houston now has the first really true threat of this ballgame. Two on and one out. And Trammell with a fly ball. Deep right center. Mullins in front of the warning track. Makes the catch. Tagging from second is Walker. He'll get to third and the throw on target at second base with Smith trying to get an extra bag. The trail runner, Cam Smith, is thrown out by Cedric Mullins, who is way out there. That was about 150 feet on the throw. And he throws out Cam Smith trying to get into scoring position. And it's a double play. And that's out number three. So, we're scoreless after four raves at Astros. To begin the month of June, Arrighetti had the second-best ERA in baseball behind only Shohei Otani. 18 earned runs over his last three starts. Wow. DeLuca tied up in a knot. Third punch out for Spencer. It comes on the curveball. That's his best pitch. I mean, he can really spin it. It's like his blankie. The thing he knows he can always come to for comfort is that curveball. Good morning, good afternoon, good night. Mesa down on strikes. Back-to-back Ks for Arrighetti, who hasn't allowed a hit since the first. Still just one hit on each side and no runs. But that's now, what, 11 in a row retired for Arrighetti? Or is it a dozen? Yeah, it's a dozen even. And there's two out in the sixth. Here's Nick Fortes, the race catcher. There's a fly ball from Fortes. Left field pretty deep. That ball is gone. Nick Fortes, at the bottom of the Tampa Bay order, breaks the ice here in Houston. Nick, it's a fastball, and that's been the problem pitch for Spencer is the four-seam heater just getting past guys. It's a two-seamer. That's the pitch that gives him the least swing and miss. And a flat two-seamer goes a long way. Spencer Arrighetti had retired 12 in a row. A young Astros fan has a souvenir, but not one hit by the boys in orange. All right, now can he get the all-important shutdown inning with the top third of the order coming up? Altuve Alvarez in for Reddick's. Altuve, a fly ball to the left, looking for the Crawford boxes. That ball is caught up against the wall by Mesa. Altuve making a bid, but he is the first out. He certainly did. Dick Martinez, the pitcher, was using every bit of his body language to keep that one in here. Eric Jordan is an aircraft carrier. 26 long balls. He is on pace to threaten Jeff Bagwell's club record of 47. Alvarez, and he's tied the game with one swing. Number 27. I mean, watching this guy hit, it makes you consider, why do you even throw to him? Even with nobody on base, you don't want to challenge him. He's too good. Just a matter of time, you keep challenging him with that fastball. There's no margin for error. And he continues to carry this offense. Both pitchers, strong outings. Both have given weight to their respective bullpens. And, of course, we've been talking about Jordan and Junior Caminero. Wouldn't it be fitting? And if there is ever a ballpark in this league, this side of Fenway Park, for Junior to get the ball up in the air too, it is this one, especially to the pull side. Caminero, deep left field, answers the home run from Alvarez with a shot of his own. Junior Caminero gives the Rays the lead once again. Number 25 for Caminero, La Maxima. Well, you knew he was going to get involved. He saw Jordan. These are like two heavyweights where you see one guy you want to match up. It's the first time the Rays have had an at-bat with a runner in scoring position tonight. And nobody covering third base as Taylor Walls takes off. And this is line to left field, pretty deep and off the wall. Fortes digging for two, an RBI two-out double for Nick Fortes. And the Rays tack on their third run of the night. There was an open question at the beginning of the season for Tampa Bay, who would handle these type of late-inning situations, be it closing or against the most threatening parts of opposing orders, but Brian Baker has been the guy. And now the Rays are right at the brink of a nine-game winning streak, one more man to get. Off the hands, little bloop to short, and that'll do it. The Tampa Bay Rays have won nine in a row. The hottest team in baseball keeps on rolling. They're undefeated on the road trip, and they get to a season-high 19 games above .500. A calm and casual 1-2-3 ninth for Brian Baker.