Kevin Cash leaned into one of the biggest calls of the series, and it helped the Tampa Bay Rays reset the ALCS.
Tampa Bay’s 7-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday at Progressive Field evened the American League Championship Series at 2-2, and the most important move might have come before the game could fully tilt one way or the other. Cash stayed with Nick Martinez, and the veteran right-hander rewarded that trust with 5.1 strong innings, giving up only one earned run while quieting Cleveland’s offense.
That kind of stability mattered after Cash’s choice to start Griffin Jax in Game 3 didn’t go the Rays’ way. This time, the manager got the payoff.
He also reached into a different part of the pitching plan by turning to Freddy Peralta in relief. Peralta had been one of Tampa Bay’s most reliable starters over the last month of the regular season and into October, but he wasn’t supposed to be used in that role in this spot. With the Rays trying to even the series, Cash went with one of his best available arms anyway.
Tampa Bay also got the offense it had been waiting for, but the pitching choices shaped the game.
There are still real questions in the bullpen, though. Ian Seymour gave up a home run on Saturday, and Bryan Baker’s velocity was reportedly down from his usual numbers. Cam Booser came through with a key strikeout, but the Rays can’t count on every reliever to keep bailing them out.
That puts even more pressure on Sunday’s Game 5, when Drew Rasmussen gets the ball again after his quality start in Game 1. Tampa Bay didn’t finish that game the way it wanted and wound up losing 7-3, and it can’t afford to let another Rasmussen outing go to waste.
With the series tied and one win away from sending the Rays back to Tropicana Field in a position to reach the World Series, Rasmussen’s workload could be huge. If he can deliver six or seven innings, it would ease the burden on a bullpen that has already been asked to carry plenty.
Cash still has decisions ahead of him, but Saturday made one thing clear: he’s willing to get creative with his pitching staff when the moment demands it.
In Other News...
Kevin Cashs Game 4 Pitching Move Changed The Rays ALCS Stakes
The Rays found a way to change the tone of the American League Championship Series in Game 4, and part of it came from a move that gave Kevin Cash a little more flexibility than usual. Freddy Peralta, who had already started and won Game 2, was available out of the bullpen for the 7-3 win over Cleveland, and Cash said the right-hander was eager to help in whatever role the team needed. Peralta handled a brief outing well, giving Tampa Bay another arm when the game tightened and helping the Rays even the series at two games apiece.
The bigger picture now shifts to Game 5, where the pitching plan becomes even more important with the ALCS hanging in the balance. Cash confirmed Drew Rasmussen will get the start, and the Rays enter the next game with a chance to take control after surviving a pivotal swing game on the road. For a club that has leaned into creative usage all October, the question is no longer just who starts, but how far Cash is willing to push his options as the series moves into its most pressure-packed stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Finally Found What They Needed With Season On The Line
With their season hanging in the balance, the Rays found the steadiness they had been searching for and forced the Guardians to keep playing under pressure. Tampa Bay mixed timely offense with crisp work in the field and enough pitching to keep Cleveland from ever fully settling in, a combination that was missing when the series tilted toward the brink.
Victor Mesa Jr. helped set the tone with a standout defensive sequence, while Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero supplied the kind of offense the Rays needed to stay alive. Nick Martinez and Foster Griffin handled the mound duties as Tampa Bay extended its lead late, taking advantage when Cleveland's defense slipped and turning a tight postseason game into one the Rays could finally control. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Turn To An Unusual Rallying Cry In Must-Win Game 4
Down 2-1 in the ALCS against the Guardians, the Rays are looking for any edge they can find as they head into a must-win Game 4, and Richie Palacios has turned to an unlikely source for motivation. He framed Tampa Bays spot against Cleveland through the lens of an NBA playoff team that faced a similar hole, using that comeback as a reminder that a series can swing fast when a club finds the right urgency at the right time.
Palacios went a step further by mapping some of the Rays own personalities onto the kind of roles that tend to drive those postseason runs, suggesting there are players in the clubhouse who fit the tough, relentless mold those teams lean on. It is the sort of clubhouse mindset that can sound like a rallying cry or a stretch depending on how the game goes, but for the Rays, the bigger point is simple enough: they need Game 4 to feel like the start of something, not the end. [Read more 🡒]