The Cleveland Guardians did not land the clean sweep they wanted in Tampa Bay, but they got the kind of road trip that usually keeps a postseason series right where you want it. After a 7-3 win in Game 1 and a 3-1 loss in Game 2, the American League Championship Series is tied 1-1, and Cleveland now gets the next three games at Progressive Field.
Longtime Cleveland broadcaster Tony Rizzo focused on the simple math of the trip on The Tony Rizzo Show on ESPN Cleveland.
“Mission accomplished, you got 1 out of 2,” Rizzo said.
That’s the standard road assignment in a playoff series, and the Guardians finished it. The Rays opened the ALCS with home field advantage after winning 98 games and the American League East, but the split flipped the setup and turned the series into a best-of-five with three games coming in Cleveland.
The result looks even stronger when you zoom out to what happened between these teams during the regular season. Tampa Bay took five of six meetings, including a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field in late July. And before this series began, Las Vegas oddsmakers had Cleveland at +150 to win the pennant.
Game 1 gave a clear snapshot of what the Guardians can do when their offense starts landing punches. They trailed 2-0 in the first inning, then answered with home runs from Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey to tie it up.
Nathaniel Lowe delivered a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth, and Cleveland piled on three more runs in the ninth. Foster Griffin recovered after a shaky opening frame, and the bullpen gave up only one run across the final five innings.
Game 2 brought a much different script, though not without a few encouraging signs for Cleveland. Parker Messick worked five innings, allowed six hits and was charged with three runs, all unearned after a grounder went through José Ramírez’s legs with two outs in the fourth.
The offense never solved Freddy Peralta, but DeLauter stayed productive with an RBI double and two walks. Shawn Armstrong, Tim Herrin and Slade Cecconi handled the last three innings, which let Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski rest before Game 3.
The history sheet gives Tampa Bay a slight edge from here. Teams with home field advantage that split the first two games have gone on to win the series 53.9 percent of the time. But the Guardians have already shown they can ignore the numbers this month, erasing a 2-0 deficit against the White Sox and then winning three straight elimination games.
Now the series shifts to Cleveland, where the Guardians can keep it from ever returning to Tampa Bay.
In Other News...
Guardians' Most Painful Trade Looks Even Worse After New Report
The 2021 swap that sent Junior Caminero from Cleveland to Tampa Bay has long lingered as one of the organizations toughest second guesses, and fresh reporting only adds another layer to the regret. The Guardians moved the then-rising prospect for pitcher Tobias Myers, a deal made with the hope of solving a pitching need while parting with a young hitter who was still far from the majors.
Now the sting is not just what Cleveland gave up, but how close the Rays came to asking for something else from the system before settling on Caminero. Xzavion Curry was among the minor leaguers Tampa Bay initially sought, and the fact that Caminero has developed into a top prospect while Myers and Curry have had quieter big league careers makes the trade look even harder to defend in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Schedule Change Created An Unusual MLB Playoff Ripple
MLBs postseason calendar picked up an odd little domino effect Wednesday, with the league moving Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers up an hour to 8 p.m. ET. The change did not come out of nowhere. It followed the earlier decision to shift ALCS Game 3 between the Guardians and Rays from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET because of expected inclement weather, a reminder of how one playoff adjustment can ripple across the rest of the bracket.
For Cleveland fans, the practical part is simple: the team confirmed that tickets and parking passes will still work for the new start time. The bigger picture is a postseason schedule that can still bend quickly around weather, TV and the rest of the leagues needs, even as the Guardians try to stay focused on the field rather than the clock. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Is Giving Guardians Fans Another Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams has already done his share to fuel Clevelands October run, and now he is looking to add something else to the mix as the Guardians head into the next round. The young starting pitcher said he wants to be a more vocal leader as the club prepares for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, a sign of how quickly he has grown from power arm to one of the voices in the room.
Williams backed up that confidence with his latest outing, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the series-clinching win over the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland now turns to a Game 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, set for 1 PM ET Thursday after a weather-related delay from the original 6 PM start, and the Guardians will be hoping their emerging starter brings the same edge both on the mound and in the clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]