Rays even ALCS 1-1 on three unearned runs
Freddy Peralta threw six scoreless innings as Tampa Bay won Game 2, 3-1; Game 3 is Thursday in Cleveland.
Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 3-1 on Tuesday at Tropicana Field and tied the American League Championship Series at one win apiece, according to MLB.com. Cleveland had won Game 1 and came in with four straight victories this postseason.
The score held at 0-0 until the fourth inning. A defensive play ended in an error by José Ramírez, Cleveland's third baseman, and the inning stayed alive. Three runs followed, all unearned, against rookie left-hander Parker Messick. Two of them came on a single by Liam Hicks, according to ESPN.
Freddy Peralta took it from there. He pitched six innings without allowing a run, with four hits and six strikeouts, and got the win; his postseason ERA is now 0.84. Messick took the loss (0-2, 3.09 ERA): he allowed six hits over five innings, but none of the three runs was earned.
Cleveland scored its only run in the seventh, on a double by Chase DeLauter. Kevin Kelly, Ian Seymour and Bryan Baker covered the rest of the game for Tampa Bay, and Baker picked up his fourth save of these playoffs. The Rays had seven hits and the Guardians six; the only error of the game was Ramírez's.
Cleveland won Game 1 by 7-3 at the same ballpark. The series now moves to Cleveland, where Game 3 is on Thursday. The start time and the starting pitchers were not confirmed when this article was published.
