CLEVELAND — Petey Halpin hit a go-ahead, two-run homer, Gavin Williams struck out nine over five innings and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 3 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Championship Series.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven matchup is scheduled for Friday, although rain is in the forecast.
Patrick Bailey started the fifth with a chop that pitcher Griffin Jax was unable to field cleanly. Halpin connected on an elevated 95.9 mph sinker on a 2-2 count and drove it 385 feet into the stands in right-center for a 3-2 lead.
It was Halpin’s first postseason home run and only the fifth overall of his two-year big league career. It was the first time Jax has allowed a homer since Sept. 9, a span of five appearances.
“Just put the ball in play, get the next guy up,” Halpin told Fox after the game when asked what he was thinking during the at-bat. “We got a competitive lineup. It was a lot of fun.”
Halpin punctuated the home run with a big bat flip.
“I think I blacked out,” he told Fox. “I’m not sure what I was doing, to be completely honest, but it was fun. … Maybe a little too much, but it was a good moment, it was exciting.”
Jose Ramirez had two hits and Nathaniel Lowe added an RBI for the Guardians, who have won five of their last six playoff games since trailing the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in their AL Division Series.
Williams allowed two runs in five innings with one walk. He is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 16â…” innings in four postseason games this season, including three starts.
Cleveland retired 16 of the Rays’ last 17 batters. Daniel Espino, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith allowed only one baserunner over the final four innings.
Smith stranded a runner at third in the eighth when he struck out Yandy Diaz in a 10-pitch at-bat, then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Tampa Bay batters were retired in order in seven innings, and Junior Caminero had four strikeouts. Rays batters whiffed 13 times after combining for 14 in the first two games combined.
Chandler Simpson put the Rays ahead in the fourth with a two-run triple.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
