The Cleveland Guardians offense couldn't get going in their Game 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, falling to a 3-2 series deficit.
The Guardians had Parker Messick on the mound, who has been one of their best pitchers all season. Messick was an All-Star, posting a 2.56 ERA with 193 strikeouts and a 1.063 WHIP.
In the postseason, Messick hasn't been as sharp, but has still put up solid numbers, holding a 3.09 ERA with 14 strikeouts, eight walks, and a 1.71 WHIP in three starts entering Game 5 of the ALCS.
Messick was not sharp on Sunday against the Rays lineup, as he went just two innings, allowing five hits, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out three. Stephen Vogt then called upon his bullpen to stabilize the game.
Tim Herrin gave up the only damage out of the bullpen, allowing a Chandler Simpson double in the top of the 3rd. Simpson then stole third and scored on a single by Liam Hicks.
The rest of the bullpen shut it down for the Guardians, with Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith all having scoreless outings.
The bullpen put on a strong performance, but the offense couldn't get anything going. The Guardians' lone offense came in the bottom of the 6th. Steven Kwan singled and advanced to third on José Ramírez's single. Chase DeLauter then grounded out, scoring Kwan to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Cleveland couldn't muster any offense in the final three innings and will now face elimination in Game 6 in Tampa Bay on Monday. Drew Rasmussen dominated for the Rays, going seven innings, allowing four hits, one walk, and one earned run, and striking out six.
The Guardians proved in the ALDS that they play at their best with their backs against the wall, as they trailed 2-0 in the series before winning three straight to advance to the ALCS.
However, if Cleveland is going to pull off another comeback and advance to the World Series, their offense will need to come back to life.
The Guardians scored nine runs in Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS and seven runs in Game 1 of the ALCS, but haven't scored more than three runs in a game since. The Rays have a strong pitching staff, but Cleveland's offense needs to get some runs on the board to have any chance of winning back-to-back games and making it to the World Series for the first time since 2016.