The Tampa Bay Rays have evened the series against the Cleveland Guardians.
After Cleveland came back to win Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, the Rays delivered at home in Game 2, riding a three-run fourth inning to victory and tying the series 1-1. The ALCS will shift to Cleveland now, with Game 3 on Thursday.
We have postgame analysis and all the game action from St. Petersburg.
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Tampa Bay Rays 3, Cleveland Guardians 1
It was over when …Tampa Bay had runners at first and third and two outs in the fourth inning, the game scoreless, and Ben Williamson chopped a grounder toward third baseman Jose Ramirez. The Guardians’ All-Star third baseman anticipated a short-hop — but the ball appeared to hit the edge of the artificial surface and rolled between his legs, an error. Ramirez bent over with frustration. That was the first run, and two more scored when Liam Hicks singled in the following at-bat. — Buster Olney
Game 2 star:Freddy Peralta was filling up the zone from the word ‘go.’ He threw first-pitch strikes to the first seven batters, finishing with a whopping 68 strikes out of the 99 total pitches he threw (69%). — Jesse Rogers
The stat that defined the game: The strikes just kept coming for Peralta, who threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 24 batters he faced. Over his six innings, his ability to consistently get ahead in the count allowed him to do what he does best: Climb the strike zone with his fastball and coax opponents to chase. — Olney
What it means for the rest of the series:The win gives the Rays a little cushion back, knowing that as long as they don’t get swept in Cleveland in Games 3-5, they’ll have Peralta right back on the mound at Tropicana Field in an elimination game. Whether that’s to win the series or to stay alive will be determined later this week. Either way, Tampa Bay has an ace up its sleeve — the guy that just pitched like one in Game 2. — Rogers
Highlights from Tampa Bay’s win
https://x.com/MLB/status/2110202568945049971
Guardians get on the board in the 7th
https://x.com/MLB/status/2110193192893088187
Peralta’s night is over after 6 scoreless innings
https://x.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/2110189694373753122
https://x.com/MLB/status/2110180185551106237
Rays break through in 4th inning
https://x.com/RaysBaseball/status/2110179970035110337
https://x.com/MLB/status/2110167589653545401
Source: www.espn.com
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