Petey Halpin has gone from postseason afterthought to the guy carrying Cleveland when it matters most.
The Guardians rode Halpin’s two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the ALCS, taking a 2-1 lead in the series. His blast to right center, complete with a bat flip, flipped the game back in Cleveland’s favor after Tampa Bay had briefly moved in front.
Cleveland opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. Jo Adell drew a walk and came around on a Nathaniel Lowe double to make it 1-0, with the ball ricocheting in a way that let Adell go first to home. The Rays answered right back, though, and Chandler Simpson’s two-run triple to right gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 edge.
That lead didn’t last long. Halpin, now giving the Guardians a real jolt in center field, launched the homer that decided the night.
He’s been in the lineup over Angel Martinez, who had been stuck in a postseason slump at 1-for-18 with 10 strikeouts. Halpin entered Game 3 hitting 3-for-9 with two extra-base hits, and he only added to that line with the biggest swing of the game.
The 24-year-old didn’t exactly light up the regular season, either, hitting .225/.268/.326 with four home runs, four doubles, a triple, 14 RBIs, 27 runs and a .594 OPS. But none of that mattered once the playoffs started to tilt his way. For Cleveland, he’s become a timely spark at exactly the right moment.
The Guardians’ bullpen did the rest. Tampa Bay threatened in the top of the eighth when Richie Palacios doubled off Hunter Gaddis and moved to third on a Taylor Walls groundout. Stephen Vogt turned to Cade Smith, and the closer outlasted Yandy Díaz in a 10-pitch battle before striking him out.
Smith wasn’t done. In the ninth, he sent Jonathan Aranda and Victor Mesa Jr. into fly balls and struck out Junior Caminero to finish it off.
Cleveland didn’t need a lot of help beyond Halpin’s homer because Gavin Williams set the tone early. He worked five innings, allowed two hits, walked one and gave up two earned runs while striking out nine. It was another strong postseason outing from Williams, who keeps giving the Guardians exactly what they need.
Game 4 is Friday in Cleveland, where the Guardians will try to push the series to 3-1.
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 🡒]