Rays break another Major League record with 14th win

Rookie Taj Bradley earned his third straight victory to start his major league career and the Tampa Bay Rays set a modern-era major league record with their 14th straight home win to start a season with an 8-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday.

Tampa Bay shared the Los Angeles Dodgers’ mark from 2009 and dating back to 1901.

The modern record was thought to be 15, held by the 1907 New York Giants. An Elias Sports Bureau investigation found that the Giants lost their first home game, on April 11, 1907, by forfeit (0-3) to the Philadelphia Phillies, which officially counted as a loss, prior to the 15-game home winning streak.

The longest streak in MLB history was 21 in a row, set by the 1880 Chicago White Stockings, who became the Chicago Cubs, according to Elias.

Tampa Bay’s MLB record for home runs in each of its first 22 games of a season ended when it was blanked in the game.

The Rays have a 20-3 record. Only the 1911 Detroit Tigers and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers have had a better 21-2 start since 1901.

Bradley (3-0) allowed three runs on four hits, with six strikeouts and no walks in five episodes. In 15 1/3 innings this season the right-hander has struck out 23 with two walks.

Alex Bregman and Jeremy Pena hit home runs for the Astros, who saw their streak of four consecutive wins snapped. Honduras’ Mauricio Dubón extended his hitless streak to 18 games.

For the Astros, the Honduran Dubón went 4-1 with a run scored. Dominicans Pena 4-1 with a run scored and an RBI, Yainer Diaz 4-0. Cuban José Abreu 4-1. Puerto Rico’s Martín Maldonado 3-0.

For the Rays, Cubans Yandy Diaz 5-2 with a run scored, Randy Arozarena 3-2 with two runs scored and two driven in. Dominican Wander Franco is 5-4 with two runs scored and one run batted in. Colombian Harold Ramírez 3-1 with one run scored and one run batted in. Mexico’s Isaac Paredes is 3-2 with one run scored and one run batted in.