Rays even ALCS at 1-1 behind Peralta; series moves to Cleveland

Game 1: Guardians rally late

Cleveland came from behind to win the opener 7-3 on Monday, 12 October, before 35,361 fans at Tropicana Field, according to the Baseball-Reference box score [1]. Tampa Bay scored twice in the first inning: Junior Caminero singled home Yandy Díaz, and Jonny DeLuca followed with an RBI single [2].

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen took the 2-0 lead into the sixth. Chase DeLauter led off that inning with an opposite-field homer to left-center [2][3]. Patrick Bailey opened the seventh with a home run to center that ESPN measured at 436 feet. It tied the game 2-2 and ended Rasmussen's night [2][3].

In the eighth, José Ramírez beat out an infield single off Tyler Wells and DeLauter doubled. Ian Seymour came on with two runners aboard. Nathaniel Lowe, the Guardians' first baseman, lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle for a two-run single and a 4-2 lead [2][3]. ESPN's box score lists him as "N. Lowe 1B" [2], and MLBDB's lineup gives his full name as Nathaniel Lowe [7]. Cedric Mullins homered for Tampa Bay in the bottom of the eighth. Cleveland then added three runs in the ninth on a Ramírez single and a two-run double by Jo Adell [2].

Key Cleveland hitters, per ESPN [2]:

• DeLauter: 3-for-4, three runs, a homer.
• RamΓö£┬írez: 3-for-5, two runs.
• Bailey: 2-for-4 with the homer.
• Lowe: 2-for-5, two RBIs.
• Adell: two RBIs.

Cleveland outhit Tampa Bay 14-7, and neither team made an error [1]. Hunter Gaddis got the win and Wells took the loss [1].

Game 2: Ramírez error opens the door

Game 2 on Tuesday, 13 October, before 32,125 fans per Baseball-Reference [11], was scoreless through three and a half innings. With two outs in the fourth, Ramírez could not handle a grounder from Ben Williamson, and a run scored. On the next pitch, Liam Hicks lined a two-run single to right-center for a 3-0 lead, the AP and USA Today reported [5][6]. All three runs off Guardians starter Parker Messick were unearned [8].

Freddy Peralta threw six innings of four-hit ball for Tampa Bay, according to the AP [5]. Cleveland scored its only run in the seventh on an RBI double by DeLauter. Seymour then stopped the inning, and closer Bryan Baker threw a perfect ninth, USA Today reported [6]. FOX Sports' box score shows Tampa Bay out-hitting Cleveland 7-6. Cleveland made one error and Tampa Bay none [4]. ESPN's game summary credits Peralta with the win (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB) and Messick with the loss (5.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 BB) [8].

Chart: Runs by inning in ALCS Games 1 and 2. Game 1 is from the Baseball-Reference box score [1]; Game 2 is from the FOX Sports box score [4] and matches Baseball-Reference [11]. Tampa Bay did not bat in the bottom of the ninth in Game 2.

Series status and what's next

Pitching lines

From MLB's official box scores [13][14]. Decision notes (W, L, S, H) and hold totals are as MLB records them, with each pitcher's postseason record or total. Baseball-Reference credits some holds differently.

Game 1 (12 October): Guardians 7, Rays 3 [13]

Cleveland Guardians

| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Pitches | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Foster Griffin | 4.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 63 | | Daniel Espino | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | | Joey Cantillo | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | | Hunter Gaddis (W, 1-0) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | | Erik Sabrowski (H, 2) | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | | Cade Smith | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |

Tampa Bay Rays

| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Pitches | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Drew Rasmussen | 6.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 91 | | Cam Booser | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | | Tyler Wells (L, 0-1) | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | | Ian Seymour | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | | Cole Sulser | 0.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | | Kevin Kelly | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |

Game 2 (13 October): Rays 3, Guardians 1 [14]

Cleveland Guardians

| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Pitches | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Parker Messick (L, 0-2) | 5.0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 82 | | Shawn Armstrong | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | | Tim Herrin | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | | Slade Cecconi | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 |

Tampa Bay Rays

| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Pitches | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Freddy Peralta (W, 1-0) | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 99 | | Kevin Kelly (H, 2) | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | | Ian Seymour (H, 2) | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | | Bryan Baker (S, 4) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |

How they got here

Tampa Bay finished 98-64 and first in the AL East, the best record in the American League, according to MLB's standings [15]. Cleveland finished 85-77 and won the AL Central by one game over the Chicago White Sox (84-78) [15]. As the top two AL seeds, Tampa Bay and Cleveland received first-round byes, per MLB's standings and postseason schedule [15][16]. Their ALDS opponents came through the Wild Card Series: the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 2-0, and the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 2-0, per MLB's results [19].

Rays: ALDS sweep of the Yankees. Tampa Bay beat New York 1-0 on 3 October and 5-2 on 5 October at Tropicana Field, then won 4-3 at Yankee Stadium on 7 October to close out the series 3-0, per MLB's schedule results [16].

Guardians: back from 0-2 against the White Sox. Cleveland lost the first two games at home, 3-0 on 3 October and 4-3 on 5 October. It then won 9-3 and 9-5 in Chicago on 7 and 8 October and took Game 5 at home 2-0 on 10 October, per MLB's results [16]. ESPN also noted the comeback [10].

Key postseason numbers

Postseason totals through ALCS Game 2, from MLB's official statistics [17]:

Guardians hitters (7 games)

• JosΓö£ΓîÉ RamΓö£┬írez: 9-for-27 (.333), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1.086 OPS.
• Chase DeLauter: 9-for-26 (.346), 1 HR, 4 RBI, .990 OPS.
• Patrick Bailey: 7-for-20 (.350), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1.059 OPS.
• Jo Adell: 6-for-28 (.214), 8 RBI.
• Steven Kwan: 7-for-29 (.241).

Rays hitters (5 games)

• Jonny DeLuca: 6-for-18 (.333).
• Junior Caminero: 5-for-17 (.294), .812 OPS.
• Yandy DΓö£┬íaz: 5-for-21 (.238).
• Jonathan Aranda: 4-for-18 (.222), 1 HR.
• Liam Hicks: 3-for-15 (.200), 3 RBI.

Pitchers

• Cleveland: Gavin Williams has a 1.54 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 11╬ô├á├╢ innings over three appearances. Parker Messick is 0-2 with a 3.09 ERA in three starts. Reliever Cade Smith has a 1.17 ERA in six appearances, and Hunter Gaddis and Shawn Armstrong have not allowed an earned run [17].
• Tampa Bay: Drew Rasmussen has a 1.29 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings over two starts. Freddy Peralta has a 0.84 ERA in 10╬ô├á├╢ innings. Bryan Baker has four saves and has not allowed an earned run in four innings [14][17].

Series status and what's next

The series is tied 1-1 [4][5]. Game 3 moves to Progressive Field on Thursday, 15 October [5][6]. First pitch is 6 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, according to MLB.com's Game 3 guide and MLB's official schedule data, checked 14 October [12][18]. MLB.com said Griffin Jax has been named Tampa Bay's starter [18]. Jax went 8-10 with a 3.52 ERA in the regular season and pitched two innings of relief against the Yankees in the ALDS, allowing one run with four strikeouts (4.50 ERA), according to the AP on 13 October and Baseball-Reference [5][20]. Gavin Williams is expected to start for Cleveland, the AP reported [5]. MLB.com described him as lining up as an option on regular rest [18]. Games 4 and 5 are also scheduled for Cleveland, on 16 and 17 October [16].

ANALYSIS: Cleveland has won four of its last six postseason games, and Tampa Bay four of its five. Through two games, each team has won by taking advantage of a key late hit or a defensive lapse. Cleveland's offense, which scored seven runs on 14 hits in Game 1, was held to one run in Game 2. With the next games in Cleveland, the Guardians have home field while the series is level.

Sources

[1] Baseball-Reference, 2026 ALCS Game 1 box score, Guardians at Rays, 12 Oct 2026. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA202610120.shtml [2] ESPN, Guardians 7-3 Rays, ALCS Game 1 box score and scoring summary, 12 Oct 2026. https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401908023/guardians-rays [3] CBS Sports / AP, "Guardians rally past Rays 7-3 to take ALCS Game 1," 12 Oct 2026. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/boxscore/MLB_20261012_CLE@TB/ [4] FOX Sports, Guardians vs. Rays ALCS Game 2 box score, 13 Oct 2026. https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/alcs-game-2-cleveland-guardians-vs-tampa-bay-rays-oct-13-2026-game-boxscore-97230 [5] Associated Press, "Freddy Peralta, Liam Hicks lift the Rays to a 3-1 win over the Guardians that evens the ALCS at 1-1," 13 Oct 2026. https://apnews.com/article/guardians-rays-score-00bf15ee09e4f36a96653053b4f9a25f [6] USA Today, "Rays vs Guardians score, highlights, analysis for ALCS Game 2," 13 Oct 2026. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/playoffs/2026/10/13/guardians-rays-watch-score-highlights-channel-alcs-mlb-playoffs--live/92228005007/ [7] MLBDB, ALCS Game 1 box score, 12 Oct 2026. https://www.mlbdb.com/score/tampa-bay-rays-vs-cleveland-guardians-849820 [8] ESPN, Rays 3-1 Guardians, ALCS Game 2 game summary, 13 Oct 2026. https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401908024/guardians-rays [9] CBS Sports, Rays at Guardians ALCS Game 3 gametracker, checked 14 Oct 2026. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/live/MLB_20261015_TB@CLE/ [10] ESPN, ALCS Game 2 live blog, 13 Oct 2026. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/50174091/mlb-2026-alcs-game-2-rays-guardians-lineups-updates-analysis-takeaways [11] Baseball-Reference, 2026 ALCS Game 2 box score, Guardians at Rays, 13 Oct 2026. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA202610130.shtml [12] MLB Stats API, ALCS schedule with probable pitchers and broadcasts (Game 3, gamePk 849818), checked 14 Oct 2026. https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/schedule?sportId=1&startDate=2026-10-15&endDate=2026-10-15&hydrate=probablePitcher,broadcasts(all) [13] MLB.com / MLB Stats API, official box score, ALCS Game 1 (gamePk 849820), 12 Oct 2026. https://www.mlb.com/gameday/849820/final/box ; https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/game/849820/boxscore [14] MLB.com / MLB Stats API, official box score, ALCS Game 2 (gamePk 849813), 13 Oct 2026. https://www.mlb.com/gameday/849813/final/box ; https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/game/849813/boxscore [15] MLB Stats API, 2026 American League regular-season standings. https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/standings?leagueId=103&season=2026&standingsTypes=regularSeason [16] MLB Stats API, 2026 postseason schedule and results for Cleveland and Tampa Bay. https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/schedule?sportId=1&season=2026&gameTypes=F,D,L&teamId=114,139 [17] MLB Stats API, 2026 postseason player statistics (hitting and pitching), Guardians and Rays, through 13 Oct 2026. https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/stats?stats=season&group=hitting&gameType=P&season=2026&teamId=114 (and teamId=139; group=pitching) [18] MLB.com, Tim Stebbins, Keegan Matheson and Adam Berry, "Rays-Guardians ALCS Game 3 FAQ (Thurs., 6 ET, TBS/HBO Max)," 14 Oct 2026. https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-vs-guardians-alcs-game-3-starting-lineups-and-pitching-matchup [19] MLB Stats API, 2026 Wild Card Series results (29ΓÇô30 Sep 2026). https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/schedule?sportId=1&season=2026&gameType=F [20] Baseball-Reference, 2026 ALDS, Rays vs. Yankees (series pitching stats). https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2026_ALDS1.shtml