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While the Milwaukee Brewers recovered from their NL Championship Series celebration, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians resumed the AL Championship Series. This one feels destined for seven games between these two similarly matched teams. It is now a best-of-three series following the Rays’ Game 4 win.
Championship Series Chatter
Rays Rally To Even Series 2-2
Final score: Rays 7, Guardians 3
Series: Tied 2-2
Next game: Rays (RHP Drew Rasmussen) at Guardians (LHP Parker Messick), 5:08 p.m. ET (TBS)
This always figured to be a scratch-and-claw matchup. And through four games, it is going just that way. Junior Caminero doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and Jonathan Aranda’s single in the seventh brought in another pair as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series. After a rainout Friday gave the teams a second day without a game, the best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 with no more days off looming. Aranda finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk and two runs scored.
Rays right-handed starter Nick Martinez overcame a first-inning run to go 5⅓ innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out three and not giving up another run. Rays Game 2 starter Freddy Peralta finished off the sixth. The Guardians, meanwhile, went with a bullpen game and it was mostly working until Caminero’s double broke a 1-1 tie. The seventh proved to be the decisive inning. The Rays built on that advantage as Richie Palacios led off the top of the inning with an infield single off left-hander Tim Herrin. Right-hander Slade Cecconi came in to face Taylor Walls, who singled to right. A double steal put runners on second and third, but Cecconi struck out Yandy Díaz looking. Aranda, however, didn’t let the opportunity get by him, singling to right, with the ball getting past right fielder Chase DeLauter, allowing Walls to also score on the play to make it 4-1 and Aranda to take third. Chandler Simpson, hitting third despite having no homers, made it 5-1 with a sacrifice fly.
The Guardians came back in the bottom half as Travis Bazzana hit a two-out homer, a line shot to right. Not done yet, the Patrick Bailey and pinch-hitter Angel Martínez kept things going with singles, then Brayan Rocchio singled home Bailey from second. Suddenly, it was a 5-3 game. It stayed that way until the ninth, Palacios singled and was bunted to second by Walls. Diaz then launched an 0-2 four-seamer from right-hander David Festa high to right, with it landing just out of reach of DeLauter’s leaping attempt at the wall for a two-run homer. Rays right-handed closer Bryan Baker gave up a leadoff single to Bazzana in the bottom of the ninth, but then got Bailey to hit into a 3-6 double play before striking out Martinez to end it.
JUNIOR CAMINERO 🔥The Rays snatch the lead with a double down the line!
JONATHAN ARANDA 😮Another two runs come home for the Rays!
Brayan Rocchio laces one to left and the Guardians plate another run in the 7th 👀
Travis Bazzana gets one back for the Guardians 💪
By The Numbers
35 Of the 62 times a best-of-seven series in the 2-3-2 format has been tied 2-2, the team on the road for Game 5 and hosting Games 6 and 7 have won the series 38 times.
110 Rays star Junior Caminero had two balls in play at 110 mph in Game 4. Caminero leads MLB with 36 balls in play with an exit velocity of 110 mph or greater.
6 Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter’s nine-pitch at-bat in the first inning resulted in an RBI single. It was his sixth at-bat of at least nine pitches, with all but one resulting in a hit.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Feeling The Moment
Think Junior Caminero was pumped after putting the Rays on top in the sixth inning?
A Cold Fact
Caminero’s deep fly to center was tracked down by Guardians center fielder Petey Halpin, who battled the win and crashed into the wall after making the catch. The odds were against that being a hit. Very much against.
Wild grab from Petey Halpin on a 410-foot fly ball from Junior Caminero that would've been a homer in 17 of 30 ballparks
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94.bsky.social) 2026-10-18T01:03:34.442Z
Junior Caminero hit that ball 110.7 MPH at 29 degrees.Statcast history, 110-111 between 28-30 deg. 180 previous balls. 180 previous HR.Cold weather, and the deepest part of the park, and … well, just bad luck, too. Brutal.
— Mike Petriello (@mikepetriello.bsky.social) 2026-10-18T01:07:10.592Z
Chasing A Hit
Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter is a battler.
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