Junior Caminero homers again, leads Rays past Astros for 9th win in a row

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Jul 3, 2026

Published in Baseball

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HOUSTON — Maybe Junior Caminero just needed a quick break.

After his torrid streak of hitting homers in six straight games — and nine over his last eight — ended on a quiet Thursday, he delivered again on Friday.

Caminero’s seventh-inning homer put the Rays ahead and they went on to a 3-1 victory over the Astros that was their ninth straight.

Caminero’s homer was his 25th of the season, and his 10th in his last 10 games.

The Rays improved their American League-best record to 52-33 and maintained a four-game East division lead over the Yankees, who defeated the Twins, 5-2, Friday night. The streak is the Rays’ longest since opening the 2023 season 13-0.

Friday’s game was scoreless through five innings, then the teams started hitting homers.

Rays catcher Nick Fortes went first with a solo shot with two outs in the sixth off Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti.

Astros DH Yordan Alvarez tied it in the home sixth with a 427-foot rocket to right-center off Nick Martinez.

Then the Rays went back ahead in the top of the seventh when Caminero drove a pitch from reliever Steven Okert over the left-field wall.

Caminero has been on a sizzling run. He homered in a franchise-record-matching six straight games (hitting eight total) and was the first Ray to go deep nine times in eight games, before an 0-for-5 night Thursday.

The Rays extended the lead to 3-1 in the eighth when Fortes tomahawked a high pitch for a double that scored Taylor Walls. The rally started with Ben Williamson singled with one out. Walls reached on a fielder’s-choice grounder that forced Williamson out at second. Walls then forced the action, moving to second on an errant pickoff throw by Enyel De Los Santos, then stealing third. Fortes followed with the double to center.

Martinez gave the Rays his usual strong outing, working into the sixth, allowing just two other hits (one on a grounder Caminero couldn’t make a play and throw on) besides the homer, walking one and striking out three.

Kevin Kelly, Casey Legumina and Bryan Baker took it from there. Baker converted his 23rd save in 26 chances.