Bregman and Peña homer as the AL West-leading Astros beat the Rays 3-2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bregman and Jeremy Peña homered, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros won their seventh consecutive game by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Yusel Kikuchi (6-9) allowed one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings to go 2-0 in three starts with the Astros since being acquired from Toronto on July 29.

Josh Hader got three outs for his 26th save in 27 chances for the Astros, who increased their division lead to 1 1/2 games over Seattle. The Mariners lost 15-1 at Detroit.

“Just urgency, there’s fire,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “This a team that loves winning. They know how to win. They stay together. We fight through up and downs, and that’s the character and makeup of this team. It’s what makes this group so special.”

Hader has converted a franchise-record 26 consecutive saves.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with one out in the eighth against struggling reliever Ryan Pressly. Brandon Lowe made it 3-2 on a one-hop fielder's choice before Christopher More hit a grounder to end the inning. Pressly has allowed a run in four straight appearances.

“He's good physically,” Espada said. “He got out of that inning. He's making his pitches, and they're putting some swings on pitches that he's executing."

Junior Caminero, the majors' No. 2 prospect, was recalled from Triple-A Durham by the Rays and had an infield hit and struck out three times. The 21-year-old got his right leg tangled with catcher Victor Caratini on a first-inning foul at the plate and favored it again after a swinging strike three.

“I felt very good,” Caminero said through a translator. “I tried to keep my focus. I think that was the main important part.”

Caminero, who appeared in seven games with Tampa Bay last season, made a couple strong defensive plays at third base.

Tampa Bay (59-60) dropped under .500 after losing for the sixth time in eight games.

Bregman set a career high with a homer in his fourth consecutive game, a solo shot in the fifth. Peña's solo drive off Shane Baz (0-2) put the Astros ahead 3-1. Bregman had three hits.

Baz gave up three runs and seven hits over a career-high seven innings in his seventh start since returning from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander hasn't recorded a win since July 3, 2022.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the second due to the hustling of José Caballero, who turned a two-out ground single into a double when he saw left fielder Chas McCormick not charging in on the ball. Caballero then scored on a single by Josh Lowe.

“A little more urgency out of Chas,” Espada said.

Houston tied it at 1 on Yainer Diaz's third-inning RBI single.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (neck) will throw 70 to 75 pitches in his second minor league rehab start on Thursday, and could be back next week.

UP NEXT

Astros RHP Ronel Blanco (9-6, 3.02 ERA) will face Rays RHP Zack Littell (5-8, 4.11 ERA) on Wednesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Houston Astros' Alex Bregman lines a double off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena celebrates his home run off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Houston Astros center fielder Jake Meyers (6) makes a sliding catch on a fly out by Tampa Bay Rays' Christopher Morel during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

**CORRECTS PLAYERS LEFT AND RIGHT**Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Caballero, center, celebrates with Christopher Morel, left, and Richie Palacios, right, after scoring on an RBI single by Josh Lowe off Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero drops his bat after hitting a single off Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Houston Astros' Alex Bregman (2) celebrates with third base coach Gary Pettis after hitting a solo home run offTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman makes a leaping catch on a pop foul by Tampa Bay Rays' Josh Lowe during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Caballero, center, celebrates with Christopher Morel, right, and Richie Palacios, left, after scoring on an RBI single by Josh Lowe off Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, of Japan, delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz delivers to the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Newly called up Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, left, works on drills with Brady Williams before a baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were arrested Saturday after Venezuelan officials accused them of coming to the South American country to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.

The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the nation's powerful interior minister. Cabello said the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. In the television program, Cabello showed images of rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the plotters of the alleged plan.

The arrest of the American citizens included a member of the Navy, who Cabello identified as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez. Cabello said that Gomez was a former navy seal who had served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia. Spain's embassy in Venezuela did not reply to a request for comment on the arrests of its citizens.

The U.S. State Department late Saturday confirmed the detention of a U.S. military member and said it was aware of “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.”

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” the statement said.

The announcement of the arrests comes just two days after the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 16 allies of Maduro who were accused by the U.S. government of obstructing voting during the disputed July 28 Venezuelan presidential election, and carrying out human rights abuses.

Earlier this week, Spain's parliament recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election, angering Maduro allies who called on the Venezuelan government to suspend commercial and diplomatic relations with Spain.

Tensions between Venezuela's government and the U.S. have increased as well following the election, whose result sparked protests within Venezuela in which hundreds of opposition activists were arrested.

Venezuela's Electoral Council, which is closely aligned with the Maduro administration, said Maduro won the election with 52% of the vote, but did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.

Opposition activists, however, surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80% of the nation's voting machines. The tally sheets collected by the opposition were published online, and they indicate that Gonzalez won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

Despite international condemnation over the election's lack of transparency, Venezuela's supreme court, which has long backed Maduro, confirmed his victory in August. Venezuela's attorney general then filed conspiracy charges against Gonzalez, who fled to Spain last week after it became clear he would be arrested.

Maduro has dismissed requests from several countries, including the leftist governments of Colombia and Brazil, to provide tally sheets that prove he won the election. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has long claimed the U.S. is trying to overthrow him through sanctions and covert operations.

The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government. In a deal conducted last year with the Biden administration, Maduro released 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to secure a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally who was held in Florida on money laundering charges. According to U.S. prosecutors, Saab had also helped Maduro to avoid U.S. Treasury sanctions through a complex network of shell companies.

FILE - Socialist Party President Diosdado Cabello gives his weekly press conference, in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, Aug. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro addresses government loyalists gathered at the presidential palace in support of his reelection one month after the presidential vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)