ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Cleveland Guardians rallied from an early two-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.
Nathaniel Lowe delivered the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning after Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey homered, handing the Rays their first loss of the postseason.
What we know:
Tampa Bay jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles from Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca before a crowd of 35,361 at Tropicana Field.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen kept Cleveland scoreless until the sixth, when DeLauter led off with an opposite-field homer to left-center. Bailey tied the game in the seventh with a 436-foot solo homer to center, ending Rasmussen's night.
Cleveland took control in the eighth. José Ramírez opened with an infield single off Tyler Wells before DeLauter doubled to right. Ian Seymour replaced Wells after one out, and Lowe lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle for a two-run single and a 4-2 lead.
Cedric Mullins answered with a solo homer for Tampa Bay in the bottom of the eighth, but Cleveland added three runs in the ninth. Ramírez drove in one with a single before Jo Adell added a two-run double.
The Guardians finished with 14 hits after the Rays allowed only 12 total during their three-game AL Division Series sweep of the New York Yankees.
How Cleveland's bullpen shut down Tampa Bay
Five Cleveland relievers combined to allow one run and two hits over five innings.
Cade Smith, who appeared in all five games of Cleveland's ALDS against the Chicago White Sox, pitched a perfect ninth inning to finish the victory.
Guardians starter Foster Griffin allowed two runs and five hits over four innings.
Rasmussen worked six-plus innings for Tampa Bay, allowing two runs and eight hits while striking out seven.
What they're saying:
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tampa Bay will have to quickly move past its first postseason defeat.
"It's been a while since we lost, so I think that's a good thing, and I know the guys will come back and respond tomorrow," Cash said.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt praised his team for recovering after falling behind early, particularly after the Guardians needed five games to advance through the ALDS.
"Obviously we came off an emotional series, had a quick turnaround. But these guys come ready to play every day," Vogt said.
"We got punched early," he added. "And our pitching staff, credit to them, for stopping it and keeping us in the game as long as they did. And the offense came alive."
The backstory:
The Rays entered the ALCS after sweeping the Yankees in three games in the AL Division Series. Tampa Bay never trailed during that series and allowed only 12 hits.
Rasmussen nearly threw a no-hitter in Game 1 against New York, carrying the bid into the eighth inning of Tampa Bay's 1-0 victory.
Cleveland took a much more difficult route to the ALCS. The Guardians became only the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five postseason series when they eliminated the White Sox on Saturday.
Ramírez provided the decisive blow in that series with a two-run homer in Cleveland's 2-0 Game 5 victory.
Rays' defense limits early damage
Tampa Bay's defense helped Rasmussen keep Cleveland off the scoreboard early.
Catcher Nick Fortes threw out Ramírez attempting to steal second in the first inning, while Caminero made a difficult backhanded play at third to retire Adell.
Second baseman Ben Williamson, who was not on Tampa Bay's ALDS roster, made a diving stop on DeLauter's hard grounder in the third and threw him out at first, preventing Cleveland from putting runners at the corners.
Missed opportunities hurt Rays
Tampa Bay had opportunities to extend its early lead but struggled to capitalize with runners on base.
Shortstop Taylor Walls went 0 for 3 and stranded six runners. He struck out with the bases loaded to end the first, lined out with a runner aboard in the fourth and grounded out with runners on first and second to end the sixth.
Cleveland's pitching staff kept the Rays to one run after the first inning, with Mullins' eighth-inning homer accounting for Tampa Bay's only other run.
What's next:
Game 2 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
Rookie left-hander Parker Messick is scheduled to start for Cleveland against Tampa Bay right-hander Freddy Peralta.
Messick went 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA during the regular season. He made two appearances against Chicago in the ALDS, including a Game 1 start, and struck out 11 over 6 2/3 postseason innings.
Peralta allowed one run and three hits over 4 2/3 innings against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS. He went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts for Tampa Bay after joining the Rays at the trade deadline.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by the Associated Press.