The Guardians walked out of Tropicana Field with a 7-3 Game 1 victory Monday night, but the lasting image of their ALCS opener was not simply the late offensive surge. It was Cleveland’s pitching staff refusing to let an early two-run hole become something worse, then handing the club enough outs to turn the game around against the 98-win Rays.
Foster Griffin absorbed the rough first inning, settled down, and watched a relay of Cleveland relievers shut off Tampa Bay’s lineup. By the final out, the Guardians had claimed home-field momentum in the series and given themselves a familiar underdog script: stay close, lean on the bullpen, and wait for the lineup’s opening.
Griffin stopped the first-inning damage
- The Rays pushed across their second run with two outs in the opening inning, putting Cleveland in immediate trouble.
- With the bases loaded, Griffin struck out Taylor Walls to end the inning and prevent Tampa Bay from breaking the game open.
- Griffin then worked through the next three innings, looking more like the pitcher who recorded a 3.06 ERA with the Nationals earlier in the season than the version who struggled after his trade to Cleveland.
- Manager Stephen Vogt removed Griffin after 63 pitches, mindful that the left-hander had thrown only 53 pitches in his previous outing, Game 3 of the ALDS against the White Sox.
Griffin’s final line was not the whole story. The important work came after the first-inning scramble, when he kept the Rays pinned at two runs and allowed Cleveland to remain within reach.
“We knew that we could still stay in it,” Griffin said. “They have a great starter over there in Drew Rasmussen, but I felt like if we could keep it at two, we could chip away and hand it to our bullpen, which has been nails all year.”
Espino’s entrance changed the temperature
Vogt made his most aggressive move in the fifth. With the Rays’ top of the order due for another look at Griffin, Daniel Espino inherited the assignment of facing Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero.
- Espino faced Díaz and struck him out.
- Aranda followed and struck out.
- Caminero became the third straight strikeout, ending Tampa Bay’s threat and delivering Cleveland a jolt from the bullpen.
That sequence gave the Guardians the kind of escape route they needed. Cleveland’s arms allowed only one run over the final 8 1/3 innings, buying time until the offense moved the game from a deficit into a comfortable lead.
“With the top of the order coming up for the third time, I felt like Espino could handle those three guys,” Vogt said. “The plan was not necessarily for Joey Cantillo to only go one, but once you flip the game, it’s time to go. Credit the bullpen. They were outstanding again, and Foster was unbelievable after a rocky first.”
Cantillo, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski and Cade Smith followed Espino and kept Tampa Bay from creating another big inning. The Guardians eventually built a margin large enough that a save situation never developed.
Rays found little room against Cleveland’s late arms
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash credited the Guardians for turning a promising early position into a frustrating night at the plate.
“Their pitching did a really good job,” Cash said. “We have to find a way to put more offense together, scratch and claw for a couple more runs or hit one out of the ballpark. Griffin settled in after the first. Espino comes in, then they get to their high-leverage bullpen arms, and it becomes very difficult to put together big innings.”
Patrick Bailey, who caught the Cleveland staff and homered in the win, said the performance matched the bullpen’s standard throughout the year.
“I believe we’ve got the best bullpen in the league,” Bailey said, “and they keep showing it night after night.”
Game 2 brings another tough mound matchup
The Guardians will return to Tropicana Field on Tuesday for Game 2, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max. Parker Messick is lined up to start for Cleveland, while Freddy Peralta takes the ball for Tampa Bay.
Cleveland also has Gavin Williams positioned as the likely Game 3 starter. Williams has struck out 12 and 11 hitters in his two starts against the White Sox this postseason, while also making a relief appearance in Game 4 of that series.
The Guardians were already forced to navigate an uphill path after falling behind 0-2 to Chicago in the ALDS. Now they have a Game 1 win over a Tampa Bay club that entered the postseason with 98 victories. If the pitching continues to make small deficits manageable, Cleveland will keep giving itself a chance to steal another October night.
