Halpin’s two-run homer and Cleveland bullpen beat Rays 3-2 in ALCS Game 3

Petey Halpin hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and Cleveland’s bullpen protected the one-run lead as the Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 Thursday at Progressive Field. Cleveland leads the American League Championship Series two games to one.

Halpin’s first postseason homer scored Patrick Bailey, who had opened the inning with an infield single. With the Guardians trailing 2-1, Halpin drove Griffin Jax’s 2-2 sinker 385 feet to right-center. He watched it leave the park, then sent his bat spinning into the air.

The home run finished the scoring, but Cleveland still needed 12 outs. Daniel Espino and Erik Sabrowski each worked a perfect inning before Hunter Gaddis handed the ball to Cade Smith with the tying run at third and two outs in the eighth.

Richie Palacios had doubled off Gaddis, giving Tampa Bay its first hit since the fourth. A groundout moved pinch runner Jorge Mateo to third. Smith then faced Yandy Díaz in a 10-pitch at-bat and struck him out, leaving the Rays one hit short of tying the game.

Smith stayed in for the ninth and retired Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero and Victor Mesa Jr. in order. He finished with a four-out save, allowing no hits or walks and striking out two. The four Cleveland relievers combined for four scoreless innings, one hit and no walks.

Gavin Williams had supplied the first five innings. He struck out nine, allowed two hits and walked one, with both Tampa Bay runs coming on Chandler Simpson’s fourth-inning triple. Díaz had led off that inning with a double, and Mesa walked with two outs before Simpson put the Rays ahead.

Until then, Williams had retired the first nine batters. He finished his outing with 70 pitches, 52 for strikes. Across four appearances this postseason, including three starts, he has 33 strikeouts in 16⅔ innings and a 2.16 ERA.

Cleveland scored first in the second inning, when Jo Adell walked and Nathaniel Lowe doubled him home. José Ramírez added two hits and a walk, while Halpin’s swing supplied two of the Guardians’ three runs.

Jax allowed three runs on five hits and two walks without recording an out in the fifth. Tyler Wells and Steven Matz kept Tampa Bay within a run, combining for four scoreless innings and six strikeouts. Cleveland managed only one hit against them.

The Rays finished with three hits and 13 strikeouts. Caminero went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts; Simpson drove in both runs. Cleveland has won five of its last six playoff games after falling behind 0-2 in the Division Series.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday in Cleveland at 6 p.m. Eastern on TBS, truTV, UniMás and HBO Max. MLB says it would move to 8 p.m. if Milwaukee completes its NLCS sweep Thursday night. Rain is also in the Friday forecast.

Sources

• ESPN: Rays-Guardians final box score and play-by-play
• ESPN/AP: Halpin’s home run puts Cleveland ahead
• Covering the Corner: Cleveland’s pitching duel win
• MLB: Guardians win Game 3; conditional Game 4 start

Sources

ESPN: Rays-Guardians final box score and play-by-play · ESPN/AP: Halpin’s home run puts Cleveland ahead · Covering the Corner: Cleveland’s pitching duel win · MLB: Guardians win Game 3; conditional Game 4 start