Jonathan Aranda's Three-Hit Night Powers Rays Past Guardians, Ties ALCS at 2-2
Key Takeaways
- •The Tampa Bay Rays' 7-3 Game 4 win over the Cleveland Guardians tied the ALCS at two games apiece, guaranteeing the series returns to St. Petersburg for Game 6 on Monday.
- •Jonathan Aranda led Tampa Bay with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored, including crossing the plate on Junior Caminero's go-ahead double in the sixth inning.
- •Nick Martinez earned the win for the Rays, limiting Cleveland to one run on two hits over 5 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and two walks.
- •Cleveland's two-run seventh inning, featuring a solo homer by Travis Bazzana and an RBI single by Brayan Rocchio, cut the deficit to 5-3 but could not spark a full comeback.
- •Jose Ramirez went 0-for-3 with a walk, extending his postseason on-base streak to 16 consecutive games to tie the Cleveland franchise record, which he can break outright in Game 5.
CLEVELAND — Jonathan Aranda collected three hits, drove in two runs and scored the go-ahead run on Junior Caminero's sixth-inning double as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 4 on Saturday, evening the American League Championship Series (ALCS) at two games apiece.
With the best-of-seven series now level, the matchup is guaranteed to return to St. Petersburg, Florida, for Game 6 on Monday. Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday in Cleveland, where the winner will stand one victory from the American League pennant and a World Series berth.
Caminero put Tampa Bay in front in the sixth, lining a sharp double to score Aranda for a 2-1 advantage against Daniel Espino (0-1). The Rays then pulled away with a three-run seventh, two of the runs crossing on Aranda's single to right field that Chase DeLauter misplayed for an error. Aranda later came around for his second run of the night on Chandler Simpson's sacrifice fly off Slade Cecconi, extending the lead to 5-1. Yandy Diaz added a two-run homer off Matt Festa in the ninth to make it 7-3.
Nick Martinez (1-0) earned the win for AL East champion Tampa Bay, holding Cleveland to one run on two hits across 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three, walked two and retired 11 consecutive batters spanning the first and fifth innings.
AL Central champion Cleveland responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Ian Seymour, trimming the deficit to 5-3. Travis Bazzana hit a solo homer and Brayan Rocchio later singled home Patrick Bailey, all with two outs.
DeLauter had given the Guardians the early edge, singling home Steven Kwan in the first inning. Cleveland had managed no in 13 innings against Martinez during the regular season, losing twice in as many games.
The Rays drew even at 1-1 in the third on Aranda's two-out single off Foster Griffin that scored Diaz. Tampa Bay went hitless in its first trip through the order, but leadoff hitter Diaz doubled in his second at-bat to ignite the attack.
Guardians star Jose Ramirez went 0-for-3 with a walk, extending his postseason on-base streak to 16 consecutive games and tying the Cleveland franchise record. Reaching base in Sunday's Game 5 would give him the mark outright.
The first pitch came with the temperature at 46 degrees. One night earlier, Cleveland experienced its first-ever postseason home rainout.
— Reuters
Source: BusinessWorld
