Tampa Bay Rays Level ALCS With Game 4 Victory Over Cleveland

Rays Level Series in Cleveland

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Saturday night to tie the American League Championship Series at 2-2. Cleveland defensive mistakes helped Tampa Bay build a lead in the late innings.

Cleveland took an early lead in the first inning when Chase DeLauter drove in a run with a single. However, Tampa Bay pulled ahead 2-1 in the sixth inning when Junior Caminero hit a double to the left field wall off pitcher Daniel Espino.

Costly Errors Open the Game

The seventh inning proved decisive for Tampa Bay. Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls both reached base with hits. They then executed a double steal to move into scoring position.

Jonathan Aranda hit a single past diving second baseman Travis Bazzana, allowing Palacios to score. The ball then went under the glove of right fielder DeLauter, which allowed Walls to score all the way from second base.

Aranda reached third base on the error and scored shortly after on a sacrifice fly by Chandler Simpson. Aranda finished the night with three hits and two RBIs after going hitless in his first ten at bats of the series. Bazzana also suffered a fielding error at second base during a difficult night for the home defense.

Pitching and What Comes Next

Pitcher Nick Martinez delivered a strong performance for Tampa Bay on a cold 46-degree night. He allowed one run and two hits over 5⅓ innings to earn his first career postseason victory. At one point in the game, Martinez retired 10 straight batters before walking Bazzana in the fifth.

Yandy Diaz added insurance for Tampa Bay with a two-run home run in the ninth inning off Matt Festa. Diaz ended the game with two hits and two RBIs. Bazzana hit his first postseason home run for Cleveland, but it was not enough to start a late comeback.

Game 5 takes place on Sunday in Cleveland. The series then moves back to St. Petersburg, Florida on Monday. There is no travel rest day between games because rain forced Friday's scheduled match to be postponed.