Newz(AP) — For six innings, the Tampa Bay Rays were in complete control again.Then they unraveled in a hurry.Drew Rasmussen squandered a two-run lead on the mound, Tampa Bay's bullpen let the game get away and the Rays stumbled to a 7-3 loss against the Cleveland Guardians in their American League Championship Series opener Monday night.Staked to a 2-0 advantage, Rasmussen gave up a leadoff homer to rookie Chase DeLauter in the sixth inning but retired the next three batters.With two relievers ready and the bottom of the Guardians order due up, manager Kevin Cash sent out Rasmussen for the seventh. His first pitch was launched 436 feet to center field by light-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey for a tying home run.“Cashy checked in with me and I told him I was good,” said Rasmussen, who had permitted just one run over 27 2/3 innings until DeLauter connected. “Unfortunately, it just didn’t unfold the way we wanted.”Nothing went right for the Rays after that.José Ramírez reached on an infield single to start the eighth and DeLauter drilled a double off Tyler Wells, putting runners at second and third.
One out later, left-hander Ian Seymour entered to face left-handed hitter Nathaniel Lowe and allowed a two-run single on an 0-2 fastball as the Guardians grabbed a 4-2 lead.It was the first deficit this postseason for the AL East champion Rays, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in their Division Series.In the opener of that matchup, Rasmussen carried a no-hitter for 7 2/3 innings on the way to a 1-0 victory.This time, Tampa Bay fell apart late.After a home run by Cedric Mullins trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the eighth, Cole Sulser yielded a leadoff single to slumping Angel Martínez in the ninth and balked him to second. Two outs later, Ramírez's soft RBI single made it 5-3.But the Guardians weren't done.Ramírez advanced on a wild pitch by Sulser, who then walked DeLauter. Rays sinkerballer Kevin Kelly entered to face Jo Adell, and Ramírez took off from second on a 1-2 pitch.Third baseman Junior Caminero left his position to cover the bag, and Adell’s hard-hit grounder through the spot vacated by Caminero turned into a two-run double that put Tampa Bay in a 7-3 hole.“You know what?
We were throwing behind,” Cash said. “We were going to throw to second base. (AP) — Nathaniel Lowe snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-run single after Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey homered off Drew Rasmussen, and the Cleveland Guardians rallied past the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca had RBI singles in the first and Cedric Mullins hit a solo homer for the Rays, who never trailed in a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in their AL Division Series.Game 2 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
Rookie left-hander Parker Messick starts for Cleveland, and right-hander Freddy Peralta takes the mound for the Rays.Five relievers combined for five innings of one-run, two-hit ball for the Guardians, who became only the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series with a victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.Cade Smith, who pitched in all five games against Chicago, tossed a perfect ninth.Rasmussen took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before DeLauter led off with an opposite-field homer to left-center. Bailey started the seventh with a towering shot to center that went a projected 436 feet, ending Rasmussen’s night.Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees.José Ramírez opened the eighth with an infield single off Tyler Wells, and DeLauter ripped a double to right. After Wells retired Jo Adell on a grounder to second, Ian Seymour entered.
Lowe lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle to drive in two, giving Cleveland a 4-2 lead.Mullins connected off Erik Sabrowski for a solo shot in the bottom half.Ramírez, whose two-run homer lifted Cleveland to a 2-0 win in Game 5 vs. Chicago, provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth off Cole Sulser. Ramírez helped the Guardians get two more by breaking for third with two outs and two strikes on Adell.
Caminero ran to cover the bag and was out of position when Adell hit a sharp grounder toward third. The ball rolled into left field for a two-run double.A crowd of 35,361 fans waved yellow rally towels and rang cowbells at Tropicana Field in the Rays’ third appearance in the ALCS in the franchise’s 29 season-history.They were fired up when the 98-win Rays jumped ahead 2-0 in the first and Rasmussen battled to keep it there until the sixth.Coming off that dominant performance against the Yankees, Rasmussen …
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