Rays beat Guardians 7-3 to tie ALCS at two games apiece

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 4 on Saturday, October 17, tying the American League Championship Series at two wins apiece. The best-of-seven series is guaranteed to return to St. Petersburg for Game 6 after Game 5, scheduled for Sunday, October 18, in Cleveland. Tampa Bay broke open a close game with three runs in the seventh inning. Jonathan Aranda’s single to right field brought home Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls, who had reached base and advanced into scoring position on a double steal. Cleveland right fielder Chase DeLauter misplayed the ball, allowing Walls to score and Aranda to reach third. Chandler Simpson’s sacrifice fly then brought Aranda home for a 5-1 lead. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said after the game that the ball may have taken a bad hop or that DeLauter may have taken his eye off it. The seventh-inning play followed another defensive error by Cleveland’s Travis Bazzana, who also hit his first postseason home run later in the inning. Nick Martinez earned the win, allowing one run and two hits over 5⅓ innings. Cleveland had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on DeLauter’s RBI single, but Tampa Bay tied the score in the third...