For yet another night, the Cleveland Guardians couldn't get out of their own way.
After early momentum generated by the Tampa Bay Rays' offense put Guardians starter Parker Messick on his heels, Cleveland wasn't able to scrape and claw its way back into the game.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Guardians and Rays collided in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, with the Rays coming out on top 3-1. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, though, was optimistic following the defeat.
"Let's go. Our backs have been against the wall for a long time," he said. "This is when this team thrives. If there's a team I'm betting on to get this done, it's our guys."
Messick would go on to be pulled after just two innings of work, allowing five hits, two walks and two earned runs. He had thrown a whopping 57 pitches in just a short amount of time, and Cleveland felt it was best to turn to the bullpen instead of leaving him out there.
Tim Herrin wasn't able to do much better in Messick's place, giving up two hits and one earned run in the third, but the Guardians' pitching troubles seemed to be more of a testament to just how good the Rays were feeling with the bat early in the game on Sunday.
The rest of Cleveland's pitching staff combined to give up just three hits and one walk, from the fourth inning on.
While the pitching staff didn't put the team in the best position early, the offense's inability to get anything going against Rasmussen doomed them for the rest of the outing.
"Three fastballs and a really good changeup," Vogt said, on what was working in Rasmussen's arsenal. "You know, I thought we worked some good counts against him. I thought we laid off some tough pitches, but it's really hard to square up with three fastballs like that. And he had them all working. The cutter was moving more than it was the other night, and the sinker was coming back.
"And he was hitting the top rail with the four seam really well, so tip your cap to him. He threw the ball excellent tonight."
After Chase DeLauter singled in the first, the Guardians wouldn't record a single hit until the bottom of the sixth, when Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez recorded back-to-back singles. DeLauter would eventually ground out, scoring Kwan, for the Guardians' lone run of the game.
The Guardians don't have much time to get caught up in back-to-back losses, though, as Game 5 will be played on Monday, Oct. 19, from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
With the season on the line and needing two straight wins to punch a ticket to the World Series, the Guardians will have to be ready to play.
"If there is a group I am betting on to get this done, its our guys," Vogt concluded.
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