CLEVELAND — Rookie Petey Halpin hit a go-ahead, two-run homer, Gavin Williams struck out nine over five innings and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 3 Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Championship Series.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven matchup is scheduled for Friday, though rain is forecast.
“It’s the second time he’s kind of picked us up in a big spot this year. And a really fun moment for him, great swing,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said.
José Ramírez had two hits and Nathaniel Lowe added an RBI for the Guardians, who have won five of their last six playoff games since trailing the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in their AL Division Series.
Cleveland also improved to 6-1 in ALCS Game 3's, including 5-1 at home and six wins in a row since a 1995 loss against Seattle.
Patrick Bailey started the fifth with a chop that pitcher Griffin Jax was unable to cleanly field. Halpin connected on a elevated 95.9 mph sinker on a 2-2 count and drove it 385 feet into the stands in right-center for a 3-2 lead.
Halpin watched the ball clear the wall and then did an emphatic bat flip over his head before rounding the bases.
“I definitely threw it high. I think just the moment and that being for sure the biggest moment of my career, just the energy and the excitement, just kind of let it go,” Halpin said.
It was Halpin’s first postseason home run and only the fifth overall of his two year big league career. It was the first time Jax allowed a homer since Sept. 9, a span of five appearances.
“I knew I hit it good. I thought I got more of it, I guess,” Halpin said. “I knew that he used a sinker in a few times to lefties before, kind of as a strikeout pitch. I was on a hard timing trying to get the head out and it all worked out. He left it over the plate a little bit and I was able to make a good swing.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Jax wouldn't have been able to make a play on Bailey's chop, especially with the jump Bailey got leaving the batter's box. The sinker to Halpin just leaked over the plate.
“He does a good job handling off-speed, so it was the right pitch. Just the wrong location," Jax said.
Another strong start for Williams
Williams allowed two runs in five innings with one walk. He is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings in four postseason games this season, including three starts.
The right-hander came out after 70 pitches, including 52 strikes. Vogt said he noticed Williams' velocity drop in the fifth and wanted to make sure he could be used later in the series.
Williams pitched one inning of relief in the Game 4 of the Division Series and then started Game 5.
“I definitely noticed it a little bit, but I’ve done something that I never did last week. So I thank them, too," Williams said. “They noticed it a little bit. So see what I’ve got in two days or five days, whatever they need from me.”
Cleveland retired 16 of the Rays' last 17 batters. Daniel Espino, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith allowed only one baserunner the final four innings.
Smith stranded a runner at third in the eighth when he struck out Yandy Díaz in a 10-pitch at-bat, then retired the Rays in order in the ninth.
Rays offense held in check
Yandy Díaz led off the fourth with a double to left-center and Victor Mesa Jr. drew a walk with two outs before Chandler Simpson laced a two-run triple down the right-field line.
“It was a real good fastball, but I was ready for that. It was a good pitch that I got the barrel on." Simpson said. “The fact we were down before, that gave us a lot of momentum.”
Other than that, it was another quiet day for the Rays' offense Williams didn’t allow a baserunner and struck out five his time through the order.
Tampa Bay batters were retired in order in seven innings, and Junior Caminero had four strikeouts. Rays batters whiffed 13 times after combining for 14 in the first two games.
It is the first time the Rays trailed 2-1 in three ALCS appearances.
“Two runs on two hits. You got to be perfect to win games like that,” Cash said.
ABS challenge works out for Guardians in second inning
Jo Adell led off the second inning with a walk on a full count. He originally appeared to strike out during his at-bat on a 1-2 count, but overturned a called strike three by plate umpire Bill Miller in an ABS challenge.
Nathaniel Lowe drove in Adell with a double that bounced off the right-field fence and past Mesa.
“I mean I feel like we’ve been really good in the second half. We’ve used them at the right times -- maybe not used as many as we could have. But that was a big spot right there, and he used it well,” Vogt said of Adell's challenge.
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