HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer off Casey Legumina with no outs in the ninth inning to cap a big night and give the Houston Astros a 10-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
The Rays had won nine in a row, the longest winning streak in the American League this season.
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Tampa Bay Rays' Jonny DeLuca (21) celebrates with Junior Caminero, center left, after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros' Taylor Trammell, right, beats a tag by Tampa Bay Rays catcher Hunter Feduccia, left, to score on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Yordan Alvarez during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, left, celebrates with teammates at home after hitting a two-run walkoff home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros' Christian Vázquez dumps an ice chest on Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez after he hit a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Named to his fourth All-Star team before the game, Alvarez homered twice and drove in six runs. He leads the AL with 29 homers and has four multi-homer games this season.
Jose Altuve drew a walk to open the ninth against Legumina (2-2). Altuve was 2 for 3 with two walks and three runs.
After Hunter Brown allowed a season-high seven runs over four innings, Houston’s bullpen combined to hold the Rays to a run over the final innings, with Josh Hader (3-0) earning the win.
Named to his second All-Star team on Saturday, Junior Caminero went deep with one out in the first inning to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. He has hit 11 home runs over his last 11 games and has 26 overall.
The Rays regained the lead when Richie Palacios hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and they scored three runs in the third and one in fourth to make it 7-2 before Yainer Diaz hit a two-run home run of his own in the bottom of the fourth.
Jonny DeLuca answered Alvarez’s fifth inning RBI single with a solo homer in the seventh, but Houston tied it with a three run seventh inning, capped by Zach Dezenzo’s pinch-hit, two-out RBI single off Craig Kimbrel.
RHP Peter Lambert (6-5, 3.51 ERA) was set to start for the Astros on Sunday in the series finale. The Rays had not announced a starter.
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Tampa Bay Rays' Jonny DeLuca (21) celebrates with Junior Caminero, center left, after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros' Taylor Trammell, right, beats a tag by Tampa Bay Rays catcher Hunter Feduccia, left, to score on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Yordan Alvarez during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, left, celebrates with teammates at home after hitting a two-run walkoff home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
Houston Astros' Christian Vázquez dumps an ice chest on Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez after he hit a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)
President Donald Trump’s plans to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary of independence with a rally on the National Mall have been complicated by severe storms that have gathered near Washington, which forced event organizers to order a temporary evacuation. People in other cities, including Chicago and New York, celebrated with fireworks and music.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
People take cover in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building after evacuating the National Mall due to weather while attending Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
A bolt of lighting strikes as fireworks are set off of the Brooklyn Bridge, as seen from Bayonne, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Mother Ukraine Monument is illuminated in the colors of the U.S. flag in honor of the American 250th Independence Day, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a projection of the American flag on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, July 5, 2026, displayed in honor of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A participant wearing a period dress draped in a U.S. flag attends the annual Festa Americana, where descendants of American immigrants in Brazil celebrate their U.S. heritage and mark Independence Day, in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)
People participate in a Limbo contest as they wait for the National Mall to reopen after being evacuated due to weather during Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Leandro Braga watches a drone exhibition at celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
New U.S. citizen and twice-deployed U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare, from Guinea, poses for a portrait following the naturalization ceremony on Independence Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
People raise their hats while dancing during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
People evacuate the National Mall due to weather while attending Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
An attendee asks questions to U.S. Park Police officers as they evacuate attendees due to severe weather during a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The Salute to America stage is empty after the area was evacuated because of incoming storms at the Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Visitors experiencing excessive heat sit on the ground at the national mall during Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
People arrive for a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Joey Chestnut wins the 2026 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
Competitive eaters consume hot dogs during the 2026 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
Competitive eater Domenica Dee consumes hot dogs during the 2026 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
People watch as a truck blows red, white and blue confetti during an Independence Day parade, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Deforest, Wis. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Runners draped in American flags participate in a run on Independence Day in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A person rides a scooter past a large "USA" installation on Independence Day in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
People wave flags during an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Runners in patriotic-colored tutus participate in a run on Independence Day in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Madyson White wearing an inflatable Uncle Sam costume waves while watching an Independence Day parade in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Members of the National Guard direct a person riding a bicycle with various flags attached to a cart before an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Members of the National Guard patrol near the Washington Monument before Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Dean LeCrone waves to people during an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Children cool off from the hundred-degree heat at a spray park on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Members of the Young Marines stand at attention before an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
New U.S. citizen U.S. Air Force senior airman Stephen Kissi, from Ghana, poses for a portrait following a naturalization ceremony on Independence Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Children line up to watch an Independence Day parade, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Deforest, Wis. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
People take cover from the heat under umbrellas as they wait for a parade of tall ships and flyovers in Weehawken, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A red, white and blue haze hangs over the Manhattan skyline after military planes perform a flyover of the Hudson River, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People watch as the French Air Force acrobatic squad Patrouille de France perform a flyover during the International Aerial Review, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Sydney Schaefer)
The French Air Force acrobatic squad Patrouille de France perform a flyover during the International Aerial Review, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Sydney Schaefer)
Brian White, dressed in a bald eagle costume and patriotic U.S. flag-based clothing, stands along the route of an Independence Day parade in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Vice President JD Vance speaks on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in the New York harbor during The International Naval Review honoring America's 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Military personnel salute from the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in the New York harbor during The International Naval Review, ahead of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships honoring America's 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Navy sailor Mykalya Jones dances with a flag as she waits for the start of an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A New York Fire Department vessel sprays its water cannons in the New York harbor during ahead of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships honoring America's 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
People look on during an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Tall ships parade under flyovers during the International Parade of Sail, part of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
