The Cleveland Guardians are one loss from the end of their season. The Tampa Bay Rays beat Cleveland 3-1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday at Progressive Field, taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and moving within one win of their third World Series appearance.
Tampa Bay scored one run in each of the first three innings and made it stand up behind starter Drew Rasmussen, who allowed one run on four hits over seven innings with six strikeouts and one walk. It was Rasmussen’s second win of the series, and he has surrendered just three earned runs across 13 innings in his two ALCS starts.
Cleveland starter Parker Messick was chased after two innings, a career low, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks. Jonny DeLuca drew a bases-loaded walk in the first to bring in Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda singled in Ben Williamson in the second, and Liam Hicks added an RBI single off reliever Tim Herrin in the third.
The Guardians managed only five hits all night. Steven Kwan had two of them and put on a defensive show in center field, throwing out Taylor Walls at the plate on Aranda’s fourth-inning single and making a leaping catch at the wall in the eighth on Victor Mesa Jr.’s drive that saved another run.
Cam Booser and Tyler Wells worked the eighth for Tampa Bay, with Wells striking out Jose Ramirez to strand a runner, and Bryan Baker pitched the ninth for his fifth save in five postseason chances. Baker walked Chase DeLauter to open the ninth but retired Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe and Travis Bazzana with the tying run at the plate.
The series now shifts to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Game 6 is set for 8 p.m. Monday. If Cleveland wins, a winner-take-all Game 7 follows on Tuesday. The National League champion Milwaukee Brewers await the winner in the World Series.
Cleveland has never won an ALCS after trailing 3-2, and the Guardians have not scored more than three runs in a game since their Game 1 win. To keep their season alive, they will have to solve that offensive problem on the road, starting Monday night.