ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 14 (UPI) -- Chris Archer hurled a five-hit shutout Sunday and the Tampa Bay Rays went into the All-Star Game break on a roll with a 5-0 win over Houston.
Archer (4-3) posted his first career shutout in his 13th major-league start with a 112-pitch gem. The right-hander didn't allow a walk and struck out eight in the dominating performance.
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Desmond Jennings bashed a two-run homer and Kelly Johnson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the second-place Rays, who won for the 10th time in 11 games.
They came into the contest trailing American League East-leading Boston by 3 1/2 games.
Houston's Erik Bedard (3-6) took the loss, yielding three runs (two earned) on eight hits over five full innings.