Rays set modern-era mark, win 14th straight at home to start year

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rookie Taj Bradley won his third consecutive start to begin his big league career, and the Tampa Bay Rays set a modern-era MLB record with their 14th consecutive home win to begin a season, beating the Houston Astros 8-3 on Monday night.

Tampa Bay had shared the mark dating to 1901 with the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers.

It had been first thought that the modern record was 15, held by the 1907 New York Giants. Research by the Elias Sports Bureau found that the Giants forfeited their first home game before the 15-game streak. The forfeit officially counted as a loss.

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

The Rays are 20-3 overall. Only the 1911 Detroit Tigers and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers had better starts at 21-2 since 1901.

The Rays have won 14 straight home games, the longest streak to start a season since the 1886 Detroit Wolverines.

«You look on the scoreboard, it seems like there's a new record broke everyday,» Bradley said. «It means a lot. So, it's like, what's tomorrow?»

The 22-year-old Bradley (3-0) allowed three runs and four hits with six strikeouts and no walks in five innings. In 15⅓ innings this season, the right-hander has struck out 23 and waked two.

Rays shortstop Wander Franco had four hits and made an outstanding recovery catch on Martin Maldonado's fifth-inning foul ball down the left-field line when he overran the ball but was able to make the grab with his bare hand.

«The last time I'd seen it, it was when Kevin Mitchell did it when I was in San Francisco,» Astros manager Dusty Baker said. «That was a real tough play even to catch it and get out to it. And then when he overran it, I guess that's