Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, right, celebrates with Christian Walker, left, after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez tosses his bat after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays’ Nick Fortes (40) is congratulated by Jonathan Aranda after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays’ Nick Fortes runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins catches a fly ball hit by Houston Astros’ Taylor Trammell before throwing out Christian Walker at second base during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls fields a ground ball hit by Houston Astros’ Nick Allen during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros shortstop Nick Allen, left, catches Tampa Bay Rays’ Jonny DeLuca (21) who was trying to steal second base as second base umpire Cory Blaser, top, looks to make the call during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Williamson fields a ground ball hit by Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez winds up to deliver during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros shortstop Nick Allen, left, turns a double play after forcing out Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz, right, at second base during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. signs autographs before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Griffin Jax throws a football in the outfield before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve signs autographs before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve signs autographs before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz works out before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz works out before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz signs autographs before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada hits drills before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier works out before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier works out before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña participates in a fielding drill before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier looks on before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Danger loomed between two left-handed hitters. Spencer Arrighetti had been strong for six economical innings, a bounce-back outing after a brutal June. In a tied game, though, with the middle of the Tampa Bay Rays lineup due up a third time, the Houston Astros turned to their bullpen for the seventh.
Manager Joe Espada summoned Steven Okert, the left-hander unscored upon in all but one of his last 17 appearances. Left-handed Jonathan Aranda struck out, bringing up maybe baseball’s hottest hitter. Okert spun a sweeper. Junior Caminero gave it a jolt that untied the score.
Caminero’s home run, the 10th in 10 games for the Rays third baseman, proved the decisive swing in a 3-1 loss for the Astros, who could not answer in the late innings or capitalize on Arrighetti’s rebound. They were held to three hits Friday against the Rays, owners of the American League’s best record.
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Houston’s record dipped to 43-47 in the opener of a three-game series at Daikin Park against Tampa Bay, which has won nine games in a row to grow its lead atop the AL East. A solo home run by Yordan Alvarez comprised the Astros’ offense in a taut game governed by pitching.
A scoreless tie reached the sixth inning. Both teams mustered one hit through the first five, with starters Arrighetti and Nick Martinez trading zeroes. Each right-hander paid for one pitch in the sixth.
Nick Fortes drove a sinker from Arrighetti off the signage in left-center field for a two-out home run that gave the Rays a short-lived lead. Alvarez erased it a half-inning later, arcing his AL-leading 27th home run of the season on a sinker from Martinez.
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Arrighetti stood at 73 pitches after the sixth but did not return. Camerino crushed Okert’s sweeper over the Crawford Boxes to put the Rays ahead. Fortes added a two-out RBI double in the eighth inning off of Enyel De Los Santos, who had allowed a one-out single to Ben Williamson.
It was big insurance for the Rays, ensuring that Alvarez, due up third in the bottom of the eighth, would not hit as the tying run unless a hitter in front of him reached base. Neither did, and Alvarez scorched a 118.5 mph groundout to end the inning.
After Martinez’s exit, Rays relievers Kevin Kelly, Casey Legumina and Bryan Baker combined to retire the Astros’ final 11 hitters in order.
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Rebound from Arrighetti
Arrighetti posted a 9.00 ERA in five starts in June. Friday, he closer resembled the form that garnered him American League pitcher of the month recognition in May.
For five innings, Arrighetti faced the minimum. Yandy Diaz singled to open the first. Arrighetti erased him with a double-play grounder. A seven-pitch first inning set the tone for an efficient outing. Jonny DeLuca drew a one-out walk in the second. It was the only three-ball count all night for Arrighetti, who set down his next 12 batters in a row.
Fortes broke the streak with two outs in the sixth. In a 2-1 count, Arrighetti threw a sinker in the middle of the zone to the Rays catcher and No. 9 hitter. Fortes sent it 391 feet to left-center field for his second home run of the season. Arrighetti broke Diaz’s bat on a soft lineout to end the inning. He finished it at 73 pitches and did not return.
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Arrighetti induced 10 whiffs from a Rays team with the lowest whiff rate in the majors, striking out four and walking one. He induced a 34% chase rate. Of the 14 batted balls the Rays put into play against him, just two had an exit velocity above 95 mph, the Statcast hard-hit threshold. Arrighetti threw more four-seamers and fewer curveballs than in previous outings, to effect.
Some sharp defense backed Arrighetti. Cam Smith reached over the wall in foul ground to snare a fly ball from Ben Williamson in the third inning. Nick Allen made a neat backhand charging Cedric Mullins’ slow chopper in the fifth. It helped Arrighetti pare his ERA to 3.81 through 78 innings. The quality start was his sixth in 14 outings.
Tough matchup in Martinez
Martinez entered with a 2.86 ERA in 16 starts, third-lowest among qualified AL pitchers. Like Arrighetti, he carried a shutout bid into the sixth inning. Like Arrighetti, he lost it on one swing.
Houston did not manage a hit against Martinez until the fourth. Martinez retired 10 of 12 batters faced to begin his outing, the exceptions a hit batsman and an error. Astros hitters put 16 balls in play against him on the night that averaged just an 86.9 mph exit velocity.
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Martinez issued his lone walk to Christian Walker in the fourth. Smith followed by lining a one-out single, then committed a miscue. Taylor Trammell flied out to medium-deep right-center. Smith tagged and was thrown out at second base by Mullins to end the inning.
Walker would have stood at third with two outs. Instead, no Astro reached that territory until the sixth, when Alvarez blasted a sinker into the Houston bullpen. His 27th home run of the season forged a short-lived tie. Isaac Paredes’ infield single then chased Martinez at 85 pitches.
Kevin Kelly replaced Martinez and induced a soft lineout by Walker and a grounder from Smith to strand Paredes and secure his starter’s line.
Caminero crushing
Caminero this week became the first player to officially commit to this year’s Home Run Derby. The 23-year-old did so in the midst of a torrid stretch, going 14-for-36 with nine home runs across a nine-game stretch entering Friday.
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His blast off Okert was the 25th of the season for Caminero. It tied Caminero with Byron Buxton of the Twins for second among AL hitters, trailing only Alvarez.