Guardians take 2-1 ALCS lead as Rays strike out 13 times in Game 3
Cleveland won 3-2 after Petey Halpin’s two-run homer overturned a Tampa Bay lead. Junior Caminero struck out four times in the Rays’ 13-strikeout game.
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Cleveland on Thursday, October 15, to take a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series. Tampa Bay struck out 13 times in Game 3, including four strikeouts by Junior Caminero.
The result moves Cleveland two wins from taking the best-of-seven series. The teams had been tied 1-1 after Game 2, as NewsJaws reported in its account of the Rays’ Game 2 win.
How Cleveland took Game 3
Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI double gave Cleveland an early lead, according to Flashscore. Chandler Simpson then hit a two-run triple to put the Rays ahead 2-1. Petey Halpin’s two-run homer in the fifth gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead; Flashscore described it as his first career postseason home run.
Cleveland starter Gavin Williams allowed two runs on two hits and a walk over five innings while striking out nine, Flashscore reported. Rays starter Griffin Jax gave up three earned runs on five hits and two walks in 4⅓ innings. He struck out two.
Cleveland retired 15 of the final 16 Tampa Bay batters, according to Flashscore. Cade Smith earned a four-out save, striking out Yandy Díaz after a 10-pitch at-bat in the eighth inning with Jorge Mateo at third base and two outs.
Why the Rays’ strikeouts stood out
Tampa Bay had struck out fewer times than any other major league team during the regular season, with 1,145, the Associated Press reported. Game 3 was only the second time the Rays had reached 13 strikeouts in a game this year; they struck out 14 times in a March 30 win at Milwaukee.
Caminero went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. NBC Sports reported that Williams, Daniel Espino and Smith each struck him out. Speaking through interpreter Kevin Vera, Caminero said Cleveland had pitched well and that the Rays needed to make adjustments, according to the Associated Press.
The Rays finished with three hits and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, the Associated Press reported. Across their six postseason games through Game 3, they were 6-for-35 in those situations. Simpson, whose triple accounted for both Tampa Bay runs, described Cleveland’s pitchers as effective at mixing pitches and keeping them over the plate, according to the AP account.
Game 4 is scheduled for Friday, October 16, in Cleveland, according to Flashscore. Tampa Bay will enter it trailing 2-1 in the series.
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Sources and context
- Rays strike out 13 times in loss Guardians, dropped to 1-2 in ALCSAssociated Press, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Caminero strikes out four times in Game 3 lossNBC Sports
- Guardians rally against Rays in a pitchers duel to take Game 3 of ALCSFlashscore (Eric Himmelheber)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.