CLEVELAND — The Guardians entered Saturday night with a chance to move within one victory of the World Series. Instead, a costly seventh inning and a late Tampa Bay home run turned a close game into a 7-3 loss at Progressive Field.
The Rays scored three times in the seventh inning to break open a one-run game. Yandy Díaz added a two-run homer in the ninth, evening the best-of-seven American League Championship Series at two games apiece.
Cleveland struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. Steven Kwan singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored when Chase DeLauter lined an RBI single to right field. DeLauter was thrown out trying to advance to second, ending the inning with the Guardians ahead 1-0.
The Rays answered in the third when Díaz doubled and Jonathan Aranda brought him home with a single to center, tying the game at one.
Cleveland's bullpen approach worked through the early innings. Shawn Armstrong opened the game before Foster Griffin took over, and the Guardians kept Tampa Bay from breaking through despite several scoring opportunities.
The trouble began in the sixth inning when Daniel Espino walked Aranda and Chandler Simpson. Junior Caminero followed with an RBI double to left field, giving Tampa Bay its first lead of the night at 2-1.
The Guardians escaped further damage that inning, but the seventh proved far more costly.
After Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls reached with consecutive singles, both runners advanced on a double steal. Aranda then delivered a single to right field that scored both runners, with a fielding error by DeLauter allowing Aranda to advance to third.
Chandler Simpson followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Aranda home, extending Tampa Bay's lead to 5-1.
Cleveland finally showed signs of life in the bottom of the seventh. Rookie Travis Bazzana opened the inning with a solo home run to right field, his first of the postseason, cutting the deficit to three runs.
Patrick Bailey and pinch-hitter Angel Martínez followed with singles before Brayan Rocchio drove home Bailey with another single, bringing the Guardians within 5-3. But Steven Kwan grounded out to end the threat, leaving two runners stranded.
The Guardians had another opportunity in the eighth when Jo Adell singled with two outs, but pinch-hitter David Fry struck out to end the inning.
Tampa Bay then put the game out of reach in the ninth. Palacios singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Walls, and scored when Díaz launched a two-run homer to right field off Matt Festa.
Cleveland's final opportunity disappeared quickly. Bazzana led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, but Bailey grounded into a double play. Martínez then struck out to end the game, securing Tampa Bay's 7-3 victory.
For the Guardians, the loss was especially frustrating because they had kept the game within reach for much of the evening. But the pitching staff struggled with control in the middle innings, and the defense contributed to Tampa Bay's decisive rally.
Cleveland also failed to capitalize on several offensive opportunities. Despite getting a spark from Bazzana's home run and Rocchio's RBI single, the Guardians couldn't sustain enough offense to overcome Tampa Bay's late scoring.
The series is now a best-of-three, with Cleveland needing to win two more games to advance to its first World Series since 2016.
What's Next
The Guardians and Rays return to Progressive Field on Sunday, October 18, for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. ET, with the game televised on TBS and truTV and streaming on HBO Max.
With the series tied 2-2, Sunday's winner will move within one victory of the American League pennant before the series returns to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Monday.
