Rays punish Cleveland defensive lapses to square ALCS at two games apiece

Jonathan Aranda’s single led to two runs in the seventh inning when the ball got by right fielder Chase DeLauter, Nick Martinez pitched five and one-third innings for his first postseason win and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Saturday night to even the AL Championship Series at 2-2.Game 5 of the best-of-seven matchup is Sunday in Cleveland before the series shifts back to St Petersburg, Florida, on Monday. There is no off day for travel after Friday’s game was postponed by rain.Cleveland’s Travis Bazzana hit his first postseason home run but also committed a fielding error at second base on a tough night for the Guardians’ defense.The first four hitters in the Rays’ order – Yandy Díaz, Aranda, Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero – had six of the Rays’ 11 hits and drove in six runs after going seven for 41 with three RBIs in the first three ALCS games.Aranda had three hits and drove in two runs after going hitless in 10 at-bats in the first three games. Díaz had two hits and two RBIs, including a two-run homer in the ninth off Matt Festa, while Simpson and Caminero each drove in a run.Pitching on a 46-degree night, Martinez (1-0) allowed one run and two hits in his second career postseason start and 10th appearance. After DeLauter’s RBI single put Cleveland ahead 1-0 in the first, Martinez retired 10 consecutive batters at one point before walking Bazzana to lead off the fifth.Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Caminero lined a double to the left-field wall off Daniel Espino (0-1), then broke open the game with a three-run seventh.Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls reached on base hits and moved into scoring position on a double steal. After Díaz struck out, Aranda lined a single past a diving Bazzana, who was playing near the grass between first and second, and into right field. Palacios scored, and when DeLauter allowed the ball to get under his glove, Walls came around from second. Aranda went all the way to third and scored on Simpson’s sacrifice fly.Bazzana homered in the seventh against Ian Seymour and Brayan Rocchio added an RBI single as Cleveland closed to 5-3.Shawn Armstrong opened and struck out one batter in the first inning before giving way to Foster Griffin.