By ROB MAADDI AP Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nathaniel Lowe hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth inning, Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey hit solo homers off Drew Rasmussen, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3, in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.
Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca had RBI singles in the first off Foster Griffin and Cedric Mullins hit a solo homer for the Rays, who never trailed in a sweep of the New York Yankees in their AL Division Series.
Game 2 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Rookie lefty Parker Messick will start for Cleveland, and right-hander Freddy Peralta will take the mound for the Rays.
Five relievers combined for five innings of one-run, two-hit ball for the Guardians, who became only the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series with a victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Cade Smith, who pitched in all five games against Chicago, tossed a perfect ninth.
Rasmussen took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before DeLauter led off with an opposite-field homer to left-center. Bailey started the seventh with a towering shot to center that went an estimated 436 feet, ending Rasmussen’s night.
Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
José Ramírez led off the eighth with an infield single off Tyler Wells, and DeLauter ripped a double to right. After Wells retired former Angel Jo Adell on a grounder to second, Ian Seymour entered. Lowe lined an 0-and-2 pitch up the middle to drive in two, giving Cleveland a 4-2 lead.
Mullins connected off Erik Sabrowski in the bottom half.
Ramirez, whose two-run homer lifted Cleveland to a 2-0 win in Game 5 vs. Chicago, provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth off Cole Sulser. He helped the Guardians get two more by breaking for third with two outs and two strikes on Adell. Caminero ran to cover the bag and was out of position when Adell hit a sharp grounder toward third. The ball rolled into left field for a two-run double.
A crowd of 35,361 fans waved yellow rally towels and rang cowbells at Tropicana Field in the Rays’ third appearance in the ALCS in the franchise’s 29 season-history.
They were fired up when the 98-win Rays jumped ahead 2-0 in the first and Rasmussen battled to keep it there until the sixth.
Coming off that dominant performance against the Yankees, Rasmussen went six-plus tough innings. The two-time All-Star right-hander, who was four outs from a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory against New York, allowed a hit to the second batter he faced and eight total, striking out seven.
Griffin allowed two runs and five hits in four innings.
The Rays allowed just 12 hits in three games against the Yankees but the Guardians got 14 in the series opener, including three apiece from Ramírez and DeLauter.
GLOVE WORK
The Rays helped Rasmussen with outstanding defense.
Nick Fortes threw out Ramirez trying to steal second in the first. Caminero made an excellent play to retire Adell on a hard bouncer to third. Caminero short-hopped the ball with his backhand and fired a strong throw to first.
The Guardians had a runner on first with one out in the third when second baseman Ben Williamson robbed DeLauter of a hit that prevented a first-and-third jam. Williamson, who wasn’t on the ALDS roster, made a diving grab on DeLauter’s sharp grounder, got up and threw him out.
STRANDED RUNNERS
Rays slick-fielding shortstop Taylor Walls was 0 for 3 and left six runners on base. He struck out with the bases loaded to end the first, lined out with a runner on in the fourth and grounded out with runners on first and second to end the sixth.
UP NEXT
Messick took the loss in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, allowing two runs in 4⅓ innings. He threw 2⅓ innings in relief in a Game 4 victory, giving up two runs. Messick had 11 strikeouts in the two appearances. He was 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA in the regular season.
Peralta allowed one run and three hits over 4⅔ innings in Game 2 of the AL Division Series vs. the Yankees. He was 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts after joining Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. Peralta was 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA for the Mets this season.
More to come on this story.