ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay evened the American League Championship Series on Tuesday night, beating Cleveland 3-1 in Game 2 at Tropicana Field after a costly fourth inning undid the Guardians.
Cleveland starter Parker Messick and Tampa Bay’s Freddy Peralta kept the game scoreless into the fourth, when a misplayed grounder by third baseman Jose Ramirez allowed the first run to score with two outs. Liam Hicks followed on the next pitch with a two-run single, giving the Rays a 3-0 lead that Cleveland never recovered from.
Peralta held the Guardians to four hits over six scoreless innings, striking out six. Cleveland’s only run came in the seventh, when rookie Chase DeLauter doubled home a run to cut the lead to 3-1. The rally stopped there, as reliever Ian Seymour struck out Jo Adell with runners on second and third to end the inning.
Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth for Tampa Bay to close out the win. The loss snapped a run of four straight postseason victories for Cleveland, which had taken Game 1 on Monday, 7-3, and eliminated the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series.
The best-of-seven series is now tied at one game apiece and shifts to Progressive Field in Cleveland for Game 3 on Thursday, Oct. 15, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. Game 4 follows Friday in Cleveland, and a Game 5, if needed, would be played Saturday.