By Field Level Media
Oct 13 (Field Level Media) – ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Cleveland Guardians made up for a slow start by racing to a strong finish in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.
Nathaniel Lowe ripped a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning, lifting the Guardians to a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
The Guardians scored seven runs over the final four innings and finished with 14 hits in the series opener.
Cleveland has erupted for 25 runs in three road contests in the playoffs heading into Game 2 on Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
With the game tied at 2-2, Jose Ramirez reached on an infield single to lead off the eighth against Tyler Wells (0-1). Ramirez advanced to third base on a double from rookie Chase DeLauter. One out later, Lowe plated both with a line-drive single to center field on an 0-2 pitch from Ian Seymour.
Ramirez drove in a run in the ninth inning, giving him four straight playoff games with an RBI — tied for the longest postseason streak in franchise history with Sandy Alomar (1997) and Jim Thome (1998-99).
“Cleveland is everything to me,” Ramirez told TNT Sports through an interpreter. “When nobody wanted to give me a chance, they gave me a chance. This is the place I love, and they love me back.”
Ramirez joined DeLauter in collecting three hits apiece. Both players scored on Jo Adell’s two-run double in the ninth, helping Cleveland hand Tampa Bay its first loss since a 7-3 setback to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 27.
“It’s been a while since we’ve lost,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “That’s a good thing. I know the guys will come back and respond tomorrow.”
The late uprising made a winner out of Hunter Gaddis (1-0), who allowed one hit over one scoreless inning. The Cleveland bullpen delivered five innings of one-run ball.
DeLauter homered to lead off the sixth inning and Patrick Bailey did the same in the seventh for the Guardians, who have won four in a row since facing an 0-2 deficit against the Chicago White Sox in the AL Division Series.
“I think we have a ton of momentum right now. I think we’re playing good baseball,” Cade Smith, who retired the side in order in the ninth inning on Monday, told SiriusXM. “I just hope we carry that into tomorrow.”
Cedric Mullins belted a solo homer in the eighth inning and Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca each had an RBI single for Tampa Bay.
Wells permitted two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning while pitching in a game for the first time since Sept. 12.
Tampa Bay got off to a fast start against Guardians starter Foster Griffin, recording four hits in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.
Yandy Diaz doubled to lead off the inning. He advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Caminero’s RBI single to left-center field.
Caminero moved to second base on a two-out single by Victor Mesa Jr. and scored on DeLuca’s single to center field.
In the sixth, DeLauter halved the deficit by depositing a first-pitch fastball from Drew Rasmussen over the wall in left-center field. The homer was the first of DeLauter’s postseason career.
Bailey forged a 2-2 tie after sending a first-pitch cutter from Rasmussen over the wall in center field. Bailey’s second homer in his last three games sent Rasmussen to the showers.
Rasmussen allowed two runs on eight hits and no walks in six-plus innings. He struck out seven.
Griffin yielded two runs on five hits in four innings. He fanned three without issuing a walk.
(–Field Level Media)
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