The Tampa Bay Rays are now one win from the World Series after putting together a clean, timely showing in Game 5.
After dropping two of the first three games while the bats stayed quiet, Tampa Bay finally found some life in Game 4 and carried that momentum right into the next night. With the series knotted at two games apiece, the Rays opened Game 5 by setting the tone early and never really let it slip.
Jonny DeLuca got things going in the first inning by drawing a walk that brought home the game’s first run for Tampa Bay. In the second, Jonathan Aranda added an RBI single to push the lead further. Then in the third, Liam Hicks singled to score Chandler Simpson and make it 3-0 Rays.
The Guardians did not get on the board until the bottom of the sixth, when Chase DeLauter grounded out to score their first run of the game.
The bigger story, though, was Drew Rasmussen. In a spot this important, he delivered exactly what Tampa Bay needed, working seven innings and allowing just one run. With the series hanging in the balance, the right-hander gave the Rays the kind of outing that can settle everything down.
From there, Tampa Bay handled the late innings without much drama. Cam Booser retired the first two batters he faced, then Tyler Wells was brought in to finish the eighth. Bryan Baker took over in the ninth with a 3-1 lead and closed it out to secure the save.
Now the Rays head home for a quick turnaround and Game 6 on Monday night. A win there sends Tampa Bay to the World Series.
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 🡒]