The ALCS is now a best-of-three. The Tampa Bay Rays finally woke up offensively and took Game 4 from the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Saturday (TB 7, CLE 3). This was only the third time in eight postseason games that the Rays scored as many as four runs. The ALCS is tied 2-2. Best two out of three gets the pennant.
Game 4 was tied 1-1 going into the sixth inning. The Rays were able to take a 2-1 lead after being gifted back-to-back walks to open the sixth, then they busted the game open in the seventh inning thanks in part to Travis Bazzana's and Chase DeLauter's defense. They let the same ground ball get under their gloves, resulting in Jonathan Aranda's two-run triple single.
Three Rays pitchers kept the Guardians out of the hit column from the second through seventh innings, but Cleveland rallied against lefty Ian Seymour and strung together four straight two-out hits to score two runs in the seventh. Steven Kwan grounded out to first with the tying run on base to end the inning. The Guardians are 2-3 at home this postseason.
Friday's rainout means Games 4-7 will be played on four consecutive days, if necessary. These two teams will be right back at it with Game 5 on Sunday afternoon, with Parker Messick taking the ball for the Guardians and Drew Rasmussen starting for the Rays. That was originally scheduled to be a travel day. Here now are our winners and losers from Game 4.
Winner: Junior Caminero
It had been a quiet postseason for the Rays superstar and MVP candidate. Caminero went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in Game 3, including the last three strikeouts on 10 total pitches, and he took a .238/.333/.333 postseason batting line into Game 4. The Rays have had trouble scoring this postseason (who hasn't?) largely because Caminero has been so quiet.
The monster is beginning to awaken, however. Caminero smashed a rocket to dead center field in the fourth inning that turned Petey Halpin around, though he recovered to catch the out. It was 111 mph off the bat with a 29-degree launch angle, which is basically perfect. You can't hit a ball better. On a warmer night, that ball is out of the park, but not this night.
That swing was a sign that Caminero is close to getting unlocked, however. In the sixth inning, Caminero gave the Rays a 2-1 lead with a loud double to left field. This was another 111 mph missile off his bat:
As good as the Rays are (and they're very good), their offense is top-heavy. The lineup thins out quickly after the top five hitters and Caminero is their one true gamechanger. He's the guy who can flip a game with one swing every time up. The Rays have no path to the pennant -- zero -- without Caminero driving the bus. Game 4 brought loud contact and signs Caminero is waking up.
"Overall, just happy that Junior squared some balls up, Aranda came through in a big way for us and then Yandy there at the end with a two-run, add-on homer," Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game.
Loser: Steven Kwan's lip
The Guardians made the Rays sweat in the bottom of the seventh. Tampa stretched their lead to 5-1 in the top of the inning, but four straight two-out hits pushed across two runs for Cleveland, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Seymour was pitching for the third time in the series and he didn't fool anyone. The Guardians took some mighty comfy swings against him.
Cleveland's seventh inning rally ended when Kwan grounded out to first base with the tying run at first. He slid in headfirst in an effort to beat Seymour to the bag, which didn't work. He was out. To make matters worse, Kwan faceplanted and busted his lip on the slide. He took the field with a bandage and a bloody lip in the next half-inning.
The Guardians are one of the smartest, most analytically inclined teams in the game. Someone in the front office should tell Kwan you get to first base faster when you run through the bag. Sliding just slows you down, Steven.
Winner: Guys who reinvented themselves in Japan
Foster Griffin technically did not start Game 4 for the Guardians. He came out of the bullpen behind opener Shawn Armstrong, but he did soak up the most innings for Cleveland, as did actual starter Nick Martinez for the Rays. Martinez allowed one run in 5 ⅓ innings in Game 4. Griffin allowed one run in 3 ⅔ innings. Good nights for both of them.
Griffin and Martinez followed similar paths to Game 4 of the ALCS. They made their MLB debuts years ago but couldn't stick, so they went to Japan and reinvented themselves. Martinez refined his changeup. Griffin added about three new pitches. They eventually made their way back to MLB and both earned All-Star Game selections in 2026.
|
Years in Japan | 2023-25 | 2018-21 |
Teams | Yomiuri | Nippon Ham, Softbank |
ERA | 2.57 | 3.02 |
IP | 315 ⅔ | 378 ⅓ |
Martinez has pitched in three postseasons and signed more than $60 million in contracts since returning from Japan. Griffin is positioned to cash in nicely as a free agent this offseason now that he's proven himself in MLB. Going overseas and changing your game can get you back in the big leagues. Martinez and Griffin are two of the biggest MLB-to-Japan-to-MLB success stories in the game.
Loser: All of us for watching
Let's be real here: the ALCS has been a slog compared to that Brewers vs. Dodgers NLCS. Even though Milwaukee swept, they were four exciting and entertaining games. This Guardians vs. Rays series doesn't have much juice at all. It feels like a regular old midweek series in June. This series is now a best-of-three. Hopefully it ends with a bang to make up for Games 1-4.
