Guardians beat Rays 3-2 to take lead in American League Championship Series — The Guardian

The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the third game of the American League Championship Series to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Petey Halpin hit the decisive two-run home run in the fifth inning, The Guardian reports.

Halpin’s two-run home run

The Guardians opened the scoring in the second inning after a double by Nathaniel Lowe brought home a run. In the fourth inning, Chandler Simpson put the Rays ahead with a two-run triple.

In the fifth inning, Patrick Bailey reached base after hitting the ball toward pitcher Griffin Jax, who was unable to field it cleanly. Halpin then, with a 2-2 count, hit a 95.9 mph sinker 385 feet into the right-center stands. The hit set the final score at 3-2.

It was Halpin’s first postseason home run and his fifth over two MLB seasons. Before that, Jax had not allowed a home run since September 9, a stretch of five games.

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Williams strikes out nine opponents

Cleveland starting pitcher Gavin Williams pitched five innings, allowed two runs, issued one walk and struck out nine opponents. In the current postseason, he has two wins, a 2.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings over four games, including three starts.

The Guardians bullpen — Daniel Espino, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith — allowed only one Rays player to reach base over the final four innings. Overall, Cleveland retired 16 of the Rays’ final 17 batters. In the eighth inning, Smith stranded a runner at third base by striking out Yandy Díaz after 10 pitches, and in the ninth he did not allow the opponents to reach base.

The fourth game of the series is scheduled for Friday, although rain is forecast.