The Tampa Bay Rays finally woke up with the bats on Saturday night, hammering the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field to level the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. Jonathan Aranda produced a three-hit night, driving in two runs and scoring the go-ahead run, as the Rays’ long-quiet bats finally produced a late-innings rout. The victory came less than a week after the Rays swept the Yankees to reach the ALCS, and it guarantees the series will return to St. Petersburg for Game 6 on Monday.
Sixth and seventh innings break Cleveland
Cleveland struck first in the bottom of the opening frame when Chase DeLauter singled home Steven Kwan. But from there, Rays starter Nick Martinez settled into a groove, allowing just one run on two hits across five and a third innings. Tampa Bay drew level in the third on Aranda’s two-out single off Foster Griffin, then seized the lead for good in the sixth when Junior Caminero doubled home Aranda.
The seventh brought the decisive blow. After reliever Daniel Espino issued two walks, Aranda singled to right and DeLauter let the ball roll past him for an error, bringing home two more. Aranda then crossed the plate on Chandler Simpson’s sacrifice fly to make it 5-1, and the Guardians never recovered. In the bottom half, rookie Travis Bazzana launched a solo home run – his first of the postseason – and Brayan Rocchio added a two-out RBI single to drag Cleveland back to 5-3, but Yandy Diaz put the result beyond doubt with a two-run home run in the ninth, his first long ball of these playoffs.
Rookie mistakes haunt the hosts
“A couple of unfortunate plays for us tonight that we usually complete, and just weren’t able to do it,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt after the game. The defensive lapses – a rocky relief outing from Espino and DeLauter’s seventh-inning error – fit a pattern that has troubled Cleveland all season, according to reports. Tampa Bay, by contrast, got contributions right through the order: Aranda, Diaz and Caminero combined for five RBIs.
The series now swings on Game 5 on Sunday at 5:08 pm Eastern back at Progressive Field, with Tampa Bay sending right-hander Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 1.29 ERA) against Cleveland rookie left-hander Parker Messick (0-2, 3.09), according to published reports. Game 6 is guaranteed in St. Petersburg on Monday. It has been a crowded weekend across American sport, with the NBA preseason in full swing, but in Cleveland the focus is on one thing: a home win that would put the Guardians within touching distance of the World Series.
