This one never let Cleveland breathe. Tampa Bay scored in the second inning and kept adding runs through the eighth, burying the Guardians 11-3 at Tropicana Field. What started as a manageable deficit turned into a rout by the middle innings, as the Rays' lineup produced runs in bunches rather than in one decisive blow.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| TB | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | X | 11 | 15 | 0 |
Shane McClanahan set the tone on the mound, working five innings and allowing just 2 hits and 1 run (1 earned) while striking out 3 and walking 2. He needed only 71 pitches to get through his outing, handing a comfortable lead to the Tampa Bay bullpen, which covered the final four innings with 2 runs (2 earned) allowed. McClanahan improved to 9-6 with the win, carrying a 3.09 ERA.
Ryan Vilade got things started in the second inning with a two-run homer to left, scoring Jonny DeLuca and putting the Rays ahead for good. Tampa Bay never trailed again. In the fourth, DeLuca singled home Cedric Mullins, Ben Williamson grounded into a fielder's choice that plated DeLuca, and Nick Fortes singled in Chandler Simpson as the Rays pushed the score to 1-5. The Rays kept the line moving with a Junior Caminero single that brought home Fortes on an error by catcher Hedges in the sixth, and Fortes doubled in Williamson in the seventh. Simpson's sacrifice fly scored Jonathan Aranda in the eighth before Richie Palacios put an exclamation point on the night with a three-run homer to right-center, scoring Mullins and DeLuca as well. Palacios finished 1-for-2 with 3 RBIs, and Fortes went 4-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs.
Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing 8 hits and 5 runs (5 earned) while striking out 4 and walking 1, and was tagged with the loss to fall to 8-6. The Guardians' bullpen fared little better, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) over 4.1 innings. Brayan Rocchio doubled in Chase DeLauter in the fourth for Cleveland's first run, and Austin Hedges added a two-run homer in the ninth that brought home Gabriel Arias, but by then the deficit was far too large to matter.
The win pushed Tampa Bay to 60-43, extending its streak to two straight after a win the previous day, and kept the Rays atop their division. Cleveland fell to 54-51, losing its third straight game.