The Tampa Bay Rays fell behind 2-0 in the fifth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS on Friday when postseason stud Jose Altuve blasted a two-run homer, and they then proceeded to make things worse for themselves with a brutal error.
The Houston Astros had runners on second and third with two outs in the inning, and it appeared Tampa was going to escape the frame without further damage. Yuli Gurriel lifted a lazy fly ball to shallow right field that should have been a routine play for Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, but he misplayed it and allowed it to drop.
IT DROPS!
The @astros take advantage of a Rays miscue and 2 more runs come in! pic.twitter.com/pK3vPRAvF5
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 4, 2019
Two runs came around to score to give the Astros a 4-0 lead. In a five-game series, those types of mistakes can have massive consequences.
We already saw a fielding error help decide which team advanced beyond the NL Wild Card Game, and that miscue from Lowe will surely be a play the Rays look back on if they’re unable to pull off the upset against Houston.
