Rays even ALCS with 3-1 triumph over Cleveland
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Freddy Peralta threw six innings of four-hit ball, Liam Hicks lined a two-run single after a fielding error by Jose Ramirez and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 Tuesday night to even the AL Championship Series at 1-1.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Cleveland.
Ramirez, whose two-run homer in Game 5 of their AL Division Series against Chicago helped the Guardians become the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series, misplayed a grounder in the fourth inning that led to three unearned runs against rookie lefty Parker Messick.
Junior Caminero walked to start that inning and Victor Mesa Jr. grounded into a forceout originally ruled a double play. The Rays challenged the calls at both first and second and Mesa was ruled safe when a video review overturned the out decision by first base umpire Mark Ripperger.
After Jonny DeLuca struck out, Chandler Simpson beat out a high chopper to shortstop, and the Mesa reached third standing up when Ramirez failed to cover the bag.
Ben Williamson followed with a grounder that scooted underneath Ramirez's glove and between his legs after the ball hit the edge where the artificial turf met the infield dirt. The third baseman played back rather than charging.
Williamson reached second and Simpson went to third. Hicks drove the next pitch to right-center for a 3-0 lead, electrifying the towel-waving, cowbell-ringing crowd of 32,125 fans at Tropicana Field.
Peralta and three relievers didn't need any more support.
With fans chanting "Freddy! Freddy! Freddy!" Peralta struck out six to earn the win. He was fired up walking off the mound in the sixth after fanning Petey Halpin swinging at a 3-2 changeup.
Kevin Kelly got two outs in the seventh, retiring Ramirez on a fly ball to center with two runners on.
Lefty Ian Seymour replaced him and Chase DeLauter lined an RBI double to the right-field corner.
Seymour struck out Jo Adell swinging at a changeup, leaving runners at second and third. Seymour pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Bryan Baker finished with a perfect ninth for his fourth postseason save.
Acquired by the Rays from the Mets at the trade deadline, Peralta turned around his season in Tampa Bay going 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts after posting a 4.99 ERA for New York.
Messick, who grew up going to Rays games at the Trop, took the loss after giving up six hits and the three unearned runs in five innings.
Cleveland had won four straight in the postseason for the first time since winning their first six playoff games in 2016 on the way to a World Series berth.
The 98-win Rays swept the New York Yankees before a 7-3 loss in Game 1 on Monday.
Ohtani will play
LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani will be in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight.
Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani will bat anywhere from second to sixth with the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers losing the first two games of the best-of-seven series.
"He was very convicted that he is onto something mechanically (with his swing)," Roberts said. "He was adamant that he can help us. He's well enough to help us win a baseball game, so that's all I needed to hear."
Ohtani is hitting .150 (3 for 20) over six postseason games. He has seven strikeouts, three walks and one stolen base with no home runs, no RBIs and an OPS of .411.
He hasn't homered since Aug. 18 at Colorado.
Ohtani admitted before the NLDS against Atlanta that he's not 100% healthy from right biceps and left knee issues that bothered him the last the last few months of the regular season. He has appeared visibly uncomfortable at the plate while flailing at pitches.
"The symptoms have subdued a lot," Ohtani said Tuesday through a translator while making an unscheduled appearance in the off-day interview room. "The symptoms shouldn't be the reason why I can't hit, and even if the injuries happen by accident, I take full responsibility."
Roberts spoke to Ohtani before the team worked out at Dodger Stadium, where Ohtani took on-field batting practice, something he rarely does during the regular season.
Roberts said their conversation wasn't about benching the Japanese superstar, but rather offering him time off similar to Freddie Freeman during the postseason in 2024. Freeman had a sprained ankle and bone bruise, and took three days off spanning the NL Division Series and NLCS before earning World Series MVP honors.
"Over the course of this long season, there's only really a short period of time when my mechanics is completely in sync," Ohtani said. "So it's just really kind of just going back and forth, finding the right parts of the swing and managing just the different parts of the swing. It's a constant, ongoing process that's headed in the right direction."
Ohtani led the Dodgers to a four-game NLCS sweep of Milwaukee last year, when the Brewers hit a measly .118 against LA's pitching.
He was 5 for 14 (.357) with three home runs, four walks and five strikeouts as NLCS MVP -- all three homers came in a memorable Game 4 clinch in which he also struck out 10 as a pitcher. He had a 1.643 OPS and 1.143 slugging percentage.