Rays 3, Guardians 1: one costly inning, six scoreless from Peralta

Freddy Peralta gave Cleveland six innings without a run. Tampa Bay needed only one scoring inning of its own to beat the Guardians 3-1 Tuesday in ALCS Game 2. The Rays' three fourth-inning runs were all unearned, and the best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.

Peralta allowed four hits and two walks, struck out six and threw 99 pitches. The distinction from Monday's opener is immediate: Cleveland scored seven runs in Game 1, then could not score against Tampa Bay's starter in Game 2. This time, the Rays handed their bullpen a 3-0 lead rather than asking it to protect a one-run margin.

The error matters because Tampa Bay cashes it in

José Ramírez's fourth-inning fielding error let Ben Williamson reach and Victor Mesa Jr. score. Chandler Simpson advanced to third and Williamson to second. Liam Hicks followed with a two-run single. The mistake opened the inning's scoring, but the single made it a three-run inning. Tampa Bay did not hit a home run, and neither did Cleveland.

Parker Messick's line needs both columns: three runs allowed, zero earned, over five innings. He surrendered six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Calling it a three-earned-run outing would miss the central fact of the game. Cleveland's relievers kept Tampa Bay from adding another run, so the Guardians still had a route back.

Cleveland's chance stops at second and third

That route narrowed in the seventh. Patrick Bailey walked after a pitch challenge overturned the original call, and Steven Kwan singled. After Ramírez's flyout, Chase DeLauter's double scored Bailey and put the tying runs at second and third. Ian Seymour struck out Jo Adell to end the threat at 3-1. Cleveland left nine runners on base for the game, compared with Tampa Bay's five.

Seymour recorded four outs, and Bryan Baker finished with a scoreless ninth for the save. The final hit totals were close, seven for Tampa Bay and six for Cleveland. The scoring was not. The Rays converted their fourth-inning opening into three runs, while Cleveland's seventh-inning opening produced one. That is how Tampa Bay erased the series deficit without a home run.