ST. PETERSBURG Tytus Howard Jersey , Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays continue to win games they perhaps shouldn’t, and they’ll have an opportunity for more of that Saturday against Houston’s Justin Verlander.

The Rays (40-41) hit the midway point of their 2018 season with a 3-2 win over Houston, giving them six wins in their last seven games. Their pitching has led the way — three times in the last four games, they have held their opponent to three hits or less, this after doing so only three times in the first 77 games of this season.

“If we are going to win a lot of game and we are going to string a bunch together, we have to have good pitching,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “The timely hitting is great, but we have to stay in the ballgame. For us to have allowed three runs in 18 innings against arguably the best team in baseball, we should find a way to win one.”

Houston will send Verlander, who has been dominant (9-3, 1.82 ERA) but has gotten surprisingly little run support from a potent Astros lineup.

Houston is just 11-7 in games he starts, and the Astros have scored a total of two runs in five of those losses.

So Saturday could look like Thursday’s 1-0 Astros win, or could look like Friday’s 3-2 loss, which saw two errors factor in Tampa Bay’s scoring.

Verlander faced the Rays just 11 days ago in Houston, again pitching well, allowing one run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings, but ultimately taking a no-decision in a 2-1 loss. He has 136 strikeouts in 113 innings this season and a ridiculous 0.81 WHIP.

Against the Rays for his career, Verlander is 8-3 with a 3.18 ERA Nick Bosa Jersey , but since 2010, he’s just 4-3, despite a 1.72 ERA in his last five starts against the Rays. At Tropicana Field, he’s 5-2 all-time with a 2.53 ERA, including a 1.20 ERA in his last two outings.

The Rays counter with reliever-turned-starter Ryne Stanek, who has thrived in the “opener” role that Tampa Bay has essentially created in the past six weeks. He’s starting for the second time in three days against the Astros having thrown 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball Thursday night. For the month of June, he’s pitched in 11 games and 14 2/3 innings without allowing a run.

He’s held opponents to just four hits, lowering his season ERA to 1.85, just barely above Verlander’s.

The Astros know they have to be careful with the white ceiling of Tropicana Field — the Rays’ three-run fourth inning got a spark Friday when center fielder Jake Marisnick couldn’t hold onto a pop at the warning track, allowing a run to score.

“When you play here, you try to not take your eye off the ball,” Marisnick said. “With the ceiling, I kind of glanced quickly at the ball, then looked back up and lost track. I wasn’t able to come up with it. That’s a play I need to make 10 out of 10 times.”

Father’s Day was the crowning touch on rookie catcher Jose Trevino’s wild week.

Trevino blooped a two-run single to left-center field, capping a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning that sent the Texas Rangers over the Colorado Rockies 13-12 on Sunday.

He has been a father for only a week, and a major leaguer for three days.

”It has been one of the craziest weeks of my life,” a teary-eyed Trevino said in a television interview. ”I can’t wait to tell (my son) about it.”

Rockies closer Wade Davis (0-2) retired only one batter while walking four and allowing singles to Rougned Odor and Trevino. He entered his third major league game in the top of the ninth after starting catcher Robinson Chirinos was hit on a foot by a foul ball.

Trevino is 2 for 8 for Texas D.K. Metcalf Jersey , including a game-tying single in Saturday’s 5-2 victory.

It was the fourth blown save in 24 opportunities for Davis, who threw 23 balls and 15 strikes while tying his season-high 38 pitches. As a result, Colorado lost for a National League-high 21st time after holding a lead.

”It looks as though his release point was way off,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. ”We’ll address that.”

Trevino took advantage.

”It’s everything a kid dreams about, except for there was one out instead of two,” he said.

Trevino has impressed manager Jeff Banister.

”Pretty incredible week for the young man. I think he’ll look back on these first few days in the big leagues and think about how special they really are.”

Colorado took a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning of the seesaw game. The Rangers scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead in the sixth, including Jurickson Profar’s three-run homer off starter Jon Gray.

The Rockies responded with a five-run seventh to go ahead 10-6. Colorado’s Gerardo Parra drove in four runs, three on a bases-clearing double in the seventh.

Texas pulled within 10-9 with three runs in the seventh. Trevor Story hit a two-run homer in the Colorado ninth against Jesse Chavez (3-1).

Yovani Gallardo, pitching for his hometown Rangers for the first time since 2015, allowed the Rockies’ first five runs in five-plus innings.

Nomar Mazara drove in three Texas runs with two singles and a groundout.

Story, the National League leader with 54 RBIs, drove in two runs with his 15th homer.

Gray retired the Rangers’ first 10 batters, striking out seven, before Delino DeShields singled, stole second base and scored on a single by Mazara.

Gray’s only walk of the game led to the five-run sixth.

”You’d like to have your starting pitcher be a good front-runner and attack,” Black said. ”That inning, Jon got behind guys, 2-0 to the first hitter Jamel Dean Jersey , 2-0 to the second hitter.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: LHP Mike Dunn (rhomboid strain) and RHP Scott Oberg threw bullpen sessions before the game. ”Both successful,” Black said. ”No timetable on their returns. I suspect that they’ll throw another bullpen during the next couple days.”

Rangers: RF Mazara (sore left wrist) and C Robinson Chirinos (body soreness) returned to the lineup after missing two games. Chirinos now may miss more time with a foot injury. ”Pretty sore, pretty numb in the area where he got hit,” manager Jeff Banister said. … SS Elvis Andrus (fractured right elbow) moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Round Rock, where he was 0 for 2 with two walks leading off as the DH. Banister said he expected Andrus to make the trip to Kansas City for a series beginning on Monday.

LEADING OFF

Rockies 2B DJ LeMahieu hit his second leadoff homer this season and of his career. The Rangers’ leadoff batter, DH Shin-Soo Choo, extended his on-base streak to 31 games with a sixth-inning single.

MAY JUNE BE WITH YOU

SS Jurickson Profar leads the Rangers with 33 RBIs since May 1. For the season, he has 41 RBIs after totaling only 53 in his first four injury-riddled seasons.

Profar has five of his career-high eight home runs in his last 11 games. He has four homers in four starts batting fourth in Texas’ lineup this season.

UP NEXT

Rockies: They return home, where they have lost seven in a row, to play the Mets on Monday. LHP Tyler Anderson (4-1, 4.48) will start for Colorado against New York RHP Jacob deGrom (4-2, 1.55).

Rangers: RHP Bartolo Colon (3-4, 4.94) will start the series opener on Monday at Kansas City against RHP Ian Kennedy (1-6, 5.13). … Trevino will be making his first major league road trip. He said, ”It should be some fun.”