ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Nathaniel Lowe’s two-run single in the eighth inning broke a tie and carried the Cleveland Guardians past the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night, according to the Associated Press report carried by NBC Los Angeles.
Cleveland had to come from behind on the road. The Guardians overcame a two-run deficit, and Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey both homered off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen before Lowe delivered the go-ahead hit. Cleveland added three insurance runs in the ninth inning, The Athletic’s live blog reported.
The Guardians finished with 14 hits, a pointed contrast with the Rays’ recent form. Tampa Bay had allowed just 12 hits in three games against the Yankees in its division series sweep. Five Cleveland relievers combined for five innings of one-run, two-hit ball, AP said.
The win extends a run that began against the White Sox. Cleveland became only the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series when it beat Chicago on Saturday night, and the Guardians now carry a four-game postseason winning streak into Game 2, the Akron Beacon Journal noted.
Few expected it. Tampa Bay was the top team in the American League all season, according to The Athletic’s series preview, and 27 of 30 MLB.com voters picked the Rays to win the series. The Rays won 13 more regular-season games than Cleveland and took five of six head-to-head matchups, the Beacon Journal reported. Tampa Bay was a -164 moneyline favorite for Game 1, according to Yahoo Sports odds.
Game 2 is Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Both Beacon Journal staff predictions for the game picked the Rays, 3-2 and 5-3, though the paper acknowledged it would be hard to see Tampa Bay dropping the first two games at home.
