The Cleveland Guardians went down to Tampa Bay for Game 1 against the Rays and took charge to capture their first win of the series.
In their hard-fought victory over the top seeded Rays, a few key players stood out for their performances, while others didn’t have their best days by any means. It was crucial that the Guardians found their offense again, and it’s clear they’re feeling the momentum now.
Here are five winners and three losers from the Guardians win over the Rays in Game 1:
Winner: Chase DeLauter
DeLauter ended the day with three hits and two runs batted in with a huge home run coming in the sixth inning for their first run of the game. He was a triple away from hitting for the cycle in one of the biggest games of his career.
His performance today carried the Guardians to victory for a majority of this game, and he’ll be leaned on even more the rest of this series to put pressure on the Rays.
Winner: Nathaniel Lowe
As one of Cleveland’s top trade deadline acquisitions, this is exactly where the Guardians need Lowe to be at his best, which he certainly was in Game 1 for Cleveland.
Lowe finished the day with two hits and two RBIs, with one hit coming in the eighth inning to put the Guardians ahead by two.
His veteran experience is exactly what this young team needed, as he’s clearly one of Cleveland’s top batters.
Loser: Drew Rasmussen
It wasn’t an awful day on the mound for Rasmussen, but his 91 total pitches were no doubt above what he was capable of throwing in Game 1.
After allowing two home runs to Patrick Bailey and Chase DeLauter, he was pulled from this game. His final stat line included eight hits allowed, two runs, two earned runs, and seven strikeouts.
Winner: Patrick Bailey
As Cleveland’s clear cut top catcher, Bailey has continued to show up for the Guardians in these MLB Playoffs and did so once again in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Bailey recorded two hits, one run, and one RBI which came on his timely seventh inning home run to tie up the ball game.
It’s safe to say Bailey has found his place in this Guardians lineup and will be their starting catcher the rest of the way.
Loser: Cole Sulser
Sulser came into this game in the top of the ninth inning looking to get the Rays out of the inning without any more damage done. Well, the damage was surely felt after Cleveland decided to put this game out of reach.
On Sulser’s 27 total pitches, he gave up a single to score a Cleveland runner, then gave up a double to score two more for the Guardians.
The score quickly became 7-3, which was the final score at the end of the day thanks to Sulser.
Winner: Jose Ramirez
The Guardians’ superstar, Jose Ramirez, is hot at the plate dating back to the ALDS and hasn’t let off the gas yet after his stellar performance at the plate and in the field.
Ramirez finished this game with three hits, while driving in two runs and one RBI which came in the ninth inning to keep the scoring onslaught going.
A few important plays at third base, including a leaping grab to stop a threatening hit kept Cleveland in the driver seat of this game.
Loser: Tyler Wells
The common theme is that Tampa Bay’s pitching had a really rough day on the mound. Wells was no exception, as he only threw six pitches and surrendered two runs on two hits.
As one of the Rays’ better relievers during the regular season, it was not a good start to a crucial series for Wells and company.
Winner: Jo Adell
The bat came alive for Adell in the ninth inning to seal the win for the Guardians in Game 1, as he knocked a double that scored two runners in an important point of this game.
Adell was another big-time acquisition at the trade deadline, and he’s waited a long time in his career to play in moments like these and contribute.
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