In test against AL's best team, Astros fall short

ST. PETERSBURG -- If the Astros consider themselves a team that could make some noise in the playoffs, a three-game sweep at the hands of the best team in the American League served as a sobering reminder of a difficult path ahead.

The Rays scored early and often, including four times in the third inning following a two-out error by shortstop Jeremy Peña, en route to a 14-4 shellacking of the Astros on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field that exposed the gap between a pair of first-place clubs in the AL.

The Astros’ anemic offense didn’t get a hit until Isaac Paredes clubbed a two-run homer in the sixth, but it was already 11-0 by that time. The Astros welcomed back slugger Yordan Alvarez to the lineup after he missed two games with a sore ankle, but he went 0-for-1 with a walk before manager Joe Espada emptied his bench.

Astros starter Hayden Wesneski (5-2) lasted only three innings, giving up seven runs (three earned), including three in the first inning. Peña’s dropped popup with two outs in the third allowed Victor Mesa Jr. to score from second, and Richie Palacios followed with a three-run homer to make it 7-0.

All three of Houston’s first three hits were homers -- Paredes in the sixth and back-to-back shots by Nick Allen and Nelson Velázquez in the eighth.

The Astros, losers of six of their last eight games, have fallen back to the .500 mark (75-75) heading to Houston for the final homestand of the season, which begins Tuesday against the Royals. The good news for the Astros is their schedule gets easier in the final 12 games, with the Braves the only team remaining with a winning record.