Tampa Bay punished sloppy Guardians defense and powered to a 7-3 win, turning the ALCS into a true best-of-three sprint.
The ALCS is all square. The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Saturday night, making the most of defensive mistakes to even the series at two games apiece.
The game turned in the seventh inning. Jonathan Aranda's single skipped past right fielder Chase DeLauter, and two runs scored on the play. Tampa Bay had been waiting for a break, and Cleveland gave it one.
Nick Martinez set the tone on the mound, working five and one-third innings and earning his first career postseason win. Díaz then put the game out of reach with a ninth-inning home run.
There is no time to breathe. Game 5 is Sunday in Cleveland, and the series then moves back to St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday. With Friday's game postponed by rain, there is no travel day, so both teams head into a best-of-three scramble on short rest.
