Read the Rays side (the whole game, score included)
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
This is Missed It. Tampa Bay at Cleveland, Thursday, October fifteenth, with the Rays. 62 and sunny at Progressive Field. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.
Pregame
We are back at it, Rays fans. Game three of this seven-game series, and it's all knotted up at one game apiece. Both teams come in at one and one, and tonight we've got the rubber match of this early stretch before the series shifts again. It's Tampa Bay against Cleveland, and we're looking to grab that series lead and never look back. The bats have been quiet so far, but this is the game that sets the tone for the rest of the week. Let's get after it.
Innings 1-3
Top of the first, and we're off. Three batters, no runs, nothing doing. Cleveland matches us in the bottom half, three up, three down, and we're still scoreless after one. It's one of those games where you feel the tension building early. Nobody wants to blink first. Top of the second, same story. Three batters, no runs, and we're still knotted at zero. But then the bottom of the second comes, and Cleveland starts to stir. With nobody out and nobody on, Liam Hicks steps in and works a walk. Now, this wasn't just any walk. The pitch was challenged, the call on the field was confirmed, and Jo Adell takes his base. That's the kind of at-bat that gets under your skin. It's not flashy, but it's the start of something. And sure enough, Nathaniel Lowe steps up next with a runner on, and he doubles on a sharp line drive to right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. Jo Adell scores, and just like that, Cleveland has the lead. One to nothing. We're down early, but it's only the second inning. There's plenty of baseball left. Top of the third, we send three more batters up, and we can't get anything going. Cleveland gets four batters in the bottom half but still can't add on. After three, it's one to nothing, them. We've had chances, but the bats haven't woken up yet. The good news is, we're only down one, and this game is far from over.
Innings 4-6
Top of the fourth, and this is where we flip the script. Yandy Díaz leads off, and he doubles on a sharp line drive to left fielder Steven Kwan. Just like that, we've got a runner in scoring position with nobody out. The dugout is alive. The energy is shifting. And then, with two outs and two on, Chandler Simpson steps in and absolutely rips a triple to right fielder Chase DeLauter. Yandy Díaz scores. Victor Mesa Jr. scores. And just like that, we've taken the lead, two to one. That's the kind of inning that changes a game. We went from chasing to leading in the span of a few pitches, and the bench is buzzing. Bottom of the fourth, Cleveland goes quietly. Three batters, no runs, and we're still up two to one. Top of the fifth, we can't add on. Three batters, no runs, and we're holding onto that one-run lead. But then the bottom of the fifth comes, and Cleveland answers back. Patrick Bailey singles on a ground ball to shortstop Taylor Walls, deflected by pitcher Griffin Jax. That's a tough break. The ball finds a glove, then finds grass, and suddenly there's a runner on with nobody out. And then Petey Halpin steps up and hammers a home run to right center field. Patrick Bailey scores. Two runs cross the plate, and just like that, Cleveland has the lead back, three to two. It's a gut punch, but we've been here before. Brayan Rocchio follows with a single to right fielder Victor Mesa Jr., but we manage to escape without any more damage. After five, it's three to two, them. Top of the sixth, we send three more batters up, and we can't get anything going. We're down one, and we need an answer. The bats have gone quiet since that big fourth inning, and Cleveland's pitching has settled in. We've got three innings left to find a way back.
The Sequence
This is where the game gets decided. Bottom of the sixth, Cleveland goes quietly. Three batters, no runs, and we're still down three to two. Top of the seventh, we need a spark. Victor Mesa Jr. leads off, and he strikes out on a foul tip. That's a tough way to start an inning. Three batters, no runs, and we're running out of time. Bottom of the seventh, Cleveland goes quietly again. Three batters, no runs, and we've got two innings left. Top of the eighth, and this is our chance. Richie Palacios doubles on a line drive to right fielder Chase DeLauter, and suddenly we've got a runner in scoring position with one out. This is the moment. Taylor Walls steps in, and he grounds out, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to pitcher Hunter Gaddis. Jorge Mateo advances to third. Two outs, but we've got a runner ninety feet away. All we need is one hit. Yandy Díaz steps up, the crowd is on its feet, and he strikes out swinging. The inning ends. We leave a runner at third, and the air goes out of the dugout. That was the chance. That was the one. Bottom of the eighth, Cleveland goes quietly. Three batters, no runs, and we've got one last chance. Top of the ninth, down three to two. Jonathan Aranda leads off, and he flies out to center fielder Petey Halpin. One down. Junior Caminero steps in, and he strikes out swinging. Two down. We're down to our last out, and the hope is fading. The final batter grounds out, and that's the ballgame. Three to two, Cleveland. We had our chances. We left runners on base. We just couldn't find the hit when we needed it most.
Wrap-up
Final score, Tampa Bay two, Cleveland three. We drop to one and two on the season, and Cleveland moves to two and one. They lead the series two games to one, with four games left to play. It stings. We had the lead, we had the chances, and we couldn't close it out. But this series is far from over. We've got four more games to take it back, and if tonight showed us anything, it's that we're right there. One hit away. One swing away. We'll get them tomorrow, Rays fans. We always do.
Outro
That was Tampa Bay at Cleveland, from the Rays side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.
Read the Guardians side (the whole game, score included)
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
This is Missed It. Tampa Bay at Cleveland, Thursday, October fifteenth, with the Guardians. 62 and sunny at Progressive Field. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.
Pregame
It's game three of seven between the Tampa Bay Rays and our Cleveland Guardians, and the series is knotted at one game apiece. Both clubs come in at one and one, which means this one right here is the tiebreaker for the early edge. First pitch is on the way, and we are ready to see which side takes control of this long series.
Innings 1-3
Top of the first, Tampa Bay sends three batters to the plate, and they go down in order. No runs, no drama, score stays zero-zero. We come up and do the exact same thing, three up, three down, and this one is moving fast. Both sides are feeling each other out early, nobody giving an inch. Top of the second, same story for Tampa Bay. Three batters, no runs, and we're back in the dugout quickly. But then the bottom of the second is where this game starts to breathe. No outs, bases empty, and Liam Hicks steps in. He challenges a pitch, the call on the field gets confirmed, and the result is a walk for Jo Adell. That's the first crack in the door, and you can feel the crowd lean in just a little. A walk with nobody out is how rallies start, and we've got a runner on first with the top of the order coming up. Nathaniel Lowe digs in with a runner on, no outs, and he doesn't waste any time. He takes a sharp line drive to right fielder Victor Mesa Jr., and that ball is smoked. Jo Adell is off with the crack of the bat, he's rounding second, he's coming home, and he scores. Nathaniel Lowe is standing on second with a double, and we've got ourselves a one-nothing lead. That's how you open the scoring, with a walk and a line drive that finds the gap. The dugout is up, the crowd is up, and for a moment, this ballpark feels like the loudest place in the world. Tampa Bay comes up in the top of the third and goes down in order again. Three batters, no runs, and we head to the bottom of the third still holding that one-run lead. We send four batters to the plate in our half, but we can't push anything else across. After three, it's one-nothing, and we've got the lead, but it feels like it should be more.
Innings 4-6
Top of the fourth, and Tampa Bay finally wakes up. No outs, bases empty, and Yandy Díaz steps in. He takes a sharp line drive to left fielder Steven Kwan, and that ball is gone into the corner. Yandy Díaz is standing on second with a double, and suddenly the tying run is in scoring position with nobody out. You can feel the shift in the air, that little knot in the stomach that says the other side has found something. They keep pushing. Two outs later, there are two runners on, and Chandler Simpson comes to the plate. He takes a sharp line drive to right fielder Chase DeLauter, and that ball is hit hard. Yandy Díaz scores, Victor Mesa Jr. scores, and just like that, Tampa Bay has flipped this game on its head. It's two to one, them, and the silence in the ballpark is heavy. One swing, and the lead we worked for is gone. We come up in the bottom of the fourth and go down in order. Three batters, no runs, and we're still chasing. Top of the fifth, Tampa Bay sends three batters up and gets nothing. Score stays two to one, and we need an answer. Bottom of the fifth, and we find one. No outs, bases empty, and Patrick Bailey steps in. He hits a ground ball to shortstop Taylor Walls, but it's deflected by pitcher Griffin Jax, and it finds grass. Patrick Bailey is on first with a single, and the rally is starting. You can feel it, that little spark that says we're not done yet. Then Petey Halpin steps in with a runner on, no outs. He takes a fly ball to right center field, and that ball is gone. Patrick Bailey scores, Petey Halpin scores, and just like that, we've taken the lead back. Two to three, us, and this ballpark is alive again. That's the swing that changes everything, a two-run homer that turns a deficit into a lead and puts the other side on their heels. And we're not done. No outs, bases empty, and Brayan Rocchio steps in. He hits a ground ball to right fielder Victor Mesa Jr., and it's a single. Another baserunner, another chance to add on. But we can't push him across, and after five, it's three to two, us, and we're holding on. Top of the sixth, Tampa Bay sends three batters up and gets nothing. Three up, three down, and we're three outs away from the stretch with the lead intact.
The Sequence
Bottom of the sixth, we send three batters up and get nothing. Score stays three to two. Top of the seventh, Tampa Bay comes up, and Victor Mesa Jr. strikes out on a foul tip. That's the first out, and it sets the tone. They get nothing else, three batters, no runs, and we're still ahead. Bottom of the seventh, we go down in order again. Three batters, no runs, and we're heading to the eighth still up by one. Top of the eighth, and this is where it gets tense. One out, bases empty, and Richie Palacios steps in. He takes a line drive to right fielder Chase DeLauter, and it's a double. The tying run is in scoring position, and the ballpark goes quiet. This is the moment, the one where everything hangs in the balance. Taylor Walls steps in with a runner on, one out. He grounds out, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to pitcher Hunter Gaddis, and Jorge Mateo moves to third. Two outs, runner on third, and the tying run is ninety feet away. This is the hinge, the play that could break us or save us. Yandy Díaz steps in with two outs, a runner on third. He strikes out swinging, and the ballpark erupts. We escape. The inning is over, the lead is intact, and we're three outs away. Bottom of the eighth, we send three batters up and get nothing. Score stays three to two, and now it's all on the ninth. Top of the ninth, no outs, bases empty, and Jonathan Aranda steps in. He flies out to center fielder Petey Halpin. One out. Junior Caminero steps in, and he strikes out swinging. Two outs. One more out, and this one is ours.
Wrap-up
And that's the ballgame. Final score, Tampa Bay two, Cleveland three. We take this one by one, and it feels like a weight lifted. Our record moves to two and one, Tampa Bay falls to one and two, and we lead this series two games to one with four games to play. One swing from Petey Halpin turned this game around, and our pitching held on when it mattered most. We've got the edge in this series now, and tomorrow we come back for more.
Outro
That was Tampa Bay at Cleveland, from the Guardians side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.