HOUSTON -- Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon has talked often about how Yunel Escobar deserves All-Star consideration for his stellar play at shortstop this season. The defensive standout showed on Thursday that he also can be a force on offence. Escobar tied a season high by driving in three runs, including a tiebreaking double in the 11th inning that sent the Rays to a 7-5 victory over the Houston Astros. Escobar and Desmond Jennings each doubled twice and singled, helping Tampa Bay win for the fifth time in six games. "Im just going out there trying to play the game and have fun," he said. "This is the first time in my career that I really feel like Im having fun and I can be myself. Im enjoying playing the game." Brett Wallace homered twice for the Astros. Jose Lobaton walked to start the 11th and moved to second on a passed ball by Jason Castro. Escobar then doubled into the right-field corner off Josh Fields (0-1). Escobar advanced on Desmond Jennings fly ball to right and came home on a wild pitch by Wesley Wright. Jamey Wright (2-1) pitched a scoreless 10th for the win and Fernando Rodney finished for his 18th save. Wallace hit a three-run shot in the eighth inning, tying it at 5 with his second homer of the game. The Rays had just grabbed the lead with three runs in the top half, including a two-run double by Escobar. "(It) was an emotional roller coaster," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "To give up the three and fall behind and then come back the next inning and have (Wallace) hit the big three-run homer, you really just want to build off that momentum and end it right there if you can." Evan Longoria had a run-scoring groundout in the first for Tampa Bay, and Escobar came on home on Jordan Lyles wild pitch in the seventh, tying it at 2. Wallace hit a solo homer in the fourth, and Jake Elmore had a sacrifice fly in the fifth for the Astros. Elmore sparked Houstons rally in the eighth with a leadoff walk. Jose Altuve then singled before Wallace drove a 1-2 pitch from Joel Peralta over the wall in right for his third homer since he rejoined the Astros from Triple-A last week. Escobar had the big blow in the top half of the inning, a long two-run double that landed on Tals Hill in straightaway centre field. Brandon Barnes appeared to have a shot to bring it in, but tripped and fell running up the hill. "How about Escobar? How far was that ball hit to centre field?" Maddon said. "You dont see that play anywhere else in baseball, but their centre fielder did a nice job. He went after that ball really, really well. I thought he had a chance and the hill got him." Tampa Bay rookie starter Chris Archer yielded two hits and two runs in six innings. "I felt like all things were clicking, the defence was making outstanding plays, we scored runs in a timely fashion and overall todays game was kind of like the definition of the Rays," he said. "We pitched pretty well, we scored runs when we needed to, and we played defence." Lyles allowed six hits and walked three in 6 2-3 innings. It was a much better performance than his previous two starts, when he allowed 12 runs and 15 hits combined. Longoria was Tampa Bays designated hitter for the third straight game after missing the previous three games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. James Loney had a single in the Tampa Bay fourth to extend his hitting streak to a career-high-tying 15 games. The other time he achieved the feat was in 2008. NOTES: Rays RF Wil Myers, a rookie who is considered one of best prospects in baseball, had a nifty diving catch to rob Castro of a hit in the first. ... Tampa Bay returns home on Friday to start a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, with Jeremy Hellickson on the mound for the Rays against Dylan Axelrod. ... The Astros travel to Arlington to take on the Rangers on Friday. Houstons Lucas Harrell opposes Nick Tepesch. ... RHP Mark Appel, the first overall selection in the draft by Houston, is scheduled to make his professional debut on Friday for Single-A Tri City. Cheap Custom Ravens Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Ravens Jerseys China . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. http://www.customravensjersey.com/ . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Custom Ravens Jersey China . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Marquise Brown Jersey Large . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. CINCINNATI -- The Reds have finally started winning as trading time approaches.Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer and barely missed another during one of Cincinnatis final home games before the non-waiver trade deadline, and the Reds beat the fading Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Saturday night for a modest breakthrough.The last-place Reds have won three consecutive series for the first time, finding success against other struggling teams.I think were starting to see some cohesiveness in the pitching, manager Bryan Price said. Were just playing better baseball. Thats good coming out of the break.Bruces 20th homer off Robbie Ray (5-9) gave him the team lead with 69 RBI. He also doubled off the top of the wall in left field and thought he might have gotten another homer, but the call of a double was upheld after a video review.The Reds tried to trade Bruce in the offseason, but the deal fell through. Hes Cincinnatis most attractive player for a deal before the Aug. 1 deadline. Cincinnati hits the road after concluding the series on Sunday. Bruce wasnt made available to talk to reporters after the game.The Diamondbacks have lost 17 of 21, falling from third place into the basement of the NL West.Michael Lorenzen (1-0) took over in the fourth inning for Keyvius Sampson, who made his first start of the season after seven relief appearances. A starter last year, Sampson hadnt gone more than four innings this season. He gave up four hits in 4 1/3 innings, throwing 88 pitches.I wanted to go on, but I got tired, Sampson said. I hit a wall.Arizonas Chris Owings was activated off the disabled list and singled home a run in the first inning. Owings had been sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his left foot.The Reds got three unearned runs in the first, two of them on third baseman Jake Lambs throwing error. Brandon Phillips doubled home a run to complete the inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. The Diamondbacks had a chance to get out of the inning when they got Billy Hamilton involved in a rundown, but they botched the play and allowed him to return safely to third.In the first inning, those three runs were on our defense, Arizona manager Chip Hale said.dddddddddddd We had him in a rundown. Those are plays that have got to be made at this level.The Diamondbacks were still fuming over leadoff hitter Jean Segura getting hit in the lower back by Dan Straily on Friday night. The plunking came on the first pitch of his next at-bat after a solo homer. Hale thought Straily hit him on purpose, and warned that theres going to be some retribution at some point.There were no issues on Saturday. Rays first pitch to Joey Votto in the first inning was an 82 mph breaking ball that sailed over his head for a wild pitch. Nobody from either team got hit.SLOW STARTThe first inning lasted 38 minutes and featured 61 combined pitches.STATSRay fanned a career-high 10 batters in five innings. Hes the second pitcher in team history to strike out at least 10 in five innings, joining Max Scherzer (Sept. 7, 2008 against the Dodgers). ... The Reds will try for their first three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks in Cincinnati since 2007. ... Joey Votto has hit safely in all eight games since the All-Star break.YOU SHOULD BE DANCINGJohn Travolta and Kelly Preston watched the game from a suite. Travolta was shown on the videoboard while Night Fever played in the middle of the eighth.TRAINERS ROOMDiamondbacks: Placed INF Nick Ahmed on the 15-day DL with a sore right hip. He started at shortstop on Friday and went 0 for 2 with a walk during Cincinnatis 6-2 win. Hale said his hip has been bothering him and was especially sore during the game Friday.UP NEXTDiamondbacks: RHP Zack Godley (2-1) gave up four runs in five innings of a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays on July 19. Hell make his first career start against the Reds.Reds: LHP Brandon Finnegan (5-7) got the win by going five innings in an 8-2 win over Atlanta on Monday. He hasnt gone more than five innings in any of his last three starts.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay ' ' '