TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s bats had been waiting all October for a break, and on Tuesday night it came off José Ramírez’s glove.
The Rays beat the Guardians 3-1 in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field to level it at one game apiece. All three runs came in the fourth inning, and all three were unearned, CBS Sports reported.
Freddy Peralta did the rest. He pitched six shutout innings on 99 pitches, allowing four singles and two walks and striking out six, after Cleveland took the series opener, ALCS Game 1, 7-3. “The velocity really stood out today,” manager Kevin Cash said.
The fourth began with a walk to Junior Caminero. Victor Mesa Jr. bounced to second and the Guardians appeared to turn a double play, but replay showed Mesa safe at first. Chandler Simpson then chopped one in front of the plate that shortstop Brayan Rocchio could not get in time. Ben Williamson’s grounder next hit the lip of the infield, tipped off Ramírez’s glove and rolled into left, MLB.com reported, and Mesa scored. CBS Sports described the ball going through Ramírez’s legs. Liam Hicks, batting eighth, followed with a single to right-center that drove in two more.
“Once you catch the break, it’s kind of what you do with it,” Cash said. Hicks put it this way: “Any time the defense is on their heels, we’re able to take advantage.” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt was blunter. “When they smell blood, they take it and run.”
Cleveland’s trouble was the other half of the game. The Guardians went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and stranded runners in most innings, according to CBS Sports. Their only run came on Chase DeLauter’s two-out RBI double off lefty Ian Seymour in the seventh, a ball hit too hard to score Steven Kwan from first. Rocchio is 2 for 22 this postseason with seven strikeouts.
Kevin Kelly, Seymour and Bryan Baker finished it, Baker retiring the side in order in the ninth.
Game 3 is Thursday at Progressive Field after Wednesday’s off day. Every run that mattered in Game 2 was unearned, which spares Parker Messick’s postseason ERA and gives the Guardians a day to think about a game in which their pitchers gave up no earned runs.
