CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians are heading back to Florida with their season on the line after falling 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday evening at Progressive Field. The loss gives Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series, leaving Cleveland needing to win the final two games to advance to the World Series.
For the second consecutive game, the Guardians struggled to generate much offense, although Tampa Bay's pitching staff deserves plenty of credit. Starter Drew Rasmussen was outstanding, keeping Cleveland off balance throughout his outing, and the Rays' bullpen finished the job.
Cleveland managed just one run, coming in the sixth inning, and never seriously threatened to complete a comeback.
Rays Jump Out Early
Tampa Bay wasted little time getting on the scoreboard against Cleveland starter Parker Messick. The Rays loaded the bases in the first inning before Jonny DeLuca drew a walk to force home the game's opening run.
The Rays added another run in the second when Jonathan Aranda delivered an RBI single, scoring Ben Williamson. Chandler Simpson doubled in the third and eventually scored on a single by Liam Hicks, extending Tampa Bay's lead to 3-0.
Messick's early struggles forced Cleveland to turn to its bullpen, which kept the Rays off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
Tim Herrin, Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith combined to keep Tampa Bay from adding to its lead. Unfortunately for the Guardians, their offense couldn't take advantage.
Rasmussen Shuts Down Cleveland
While the Guardians' pitching staff settled down after the third inning, Rasmussen was in control for most of the evening.
Cleveland had few answers for the Tampa Bay right-hander, who consistently worked through the lineup without allowing the Guardians to put together a sustained offensive attack.
The Guardians finally broke through in the sixth inning when Steven Kwan singled and José Ramírez followed with another single, moving Kwan to third. Chase DeLauter then grounded out to first, bringing Kwan home and cutting Tampa Bay's lead to 3-1.
That was all the offense Cleveland could manage.
The Rays turned to their bullpen in the eighth inning, with Cam Booser and Tyler Wells helping preserve the lead before Bryan Baker finished the game in the ninth.
Cleveland put a runner aboard in its final opportunity when DeLauter drew a walk, but the Guardians couldn't bring him around. Travis Bazzana grounded out to end the game, sending Tampa Bay home with a chance to clinch the American League pennant.
Offense Running Out of Time
The Guardians have now scored just four runs over their last two games, both losses, after taking a 2-1 series lead Thursday.
Cleveland's pitching has generally given the team opportunities to win throughout the postseason, but the offense has struggled to provide consistent support. Sunday's game was another example, as the Guardians' bullpen kept Tampa Bay within reach for six innings without receiving enough help from the lineup.
Many fans will have plenty to say about the lack of offense, but good pitching beats good hitting and the Rays have pitched very, very well.
The Rays, meanwhile, have won consecutive games by taking advantage of early scoring opportunities and getting outstanding work from their pitching staff.
What's Next
The series returns to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg for Game 6 on Monday at 8:08 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay needs just one more victory to advance to the World Series, while Cleveland must win both Monday and Tuesday to keep its championship hopes alive.
The Guardians have already shown they can overcome a series deficit this postseason, rallying from two games down to eliminate the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series.
They'll need another comeback now, this time on the road against a Tampa Bay team that has held Cleveland to one run in two of the five ALCS games.
