National Sports

Rays capitalize on Cleveland errors to knot ALCS

CLEVELAND -- Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash wasn’t concerned about the struggles of his top four hitters through the first three games of the AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Cash’s confidence in the top of the lineup paid off Saturday night as the Rays evened the series at 2-2 with Game 5 that was to be played Sunday.

Jonathan Aranda’s single led to two runs in the seventh inning when the ball got by right fielder Chase DeLauter and helped propel Tampa Bay to a 7-3 victory.

Today will be Game 6 that could decide the series or send it to Tuesday night’s Game 7. A Game 7 would have Marquette native Adam Hamari working as the home plate umpire after he was at first base on Sunday and scheduled off tonight.

The first four hitters in the Rays order -- Yandy Díaz, Aranda, Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero -- had six of their 11 hits and drove in six runs on Saturday after they went 7 for 41 with three RBIs during the first three ALCS games.

“A lot of really good at-bats. A lot of hard hits,” Cash said. “But overall, just happy that Junior squared some balls up, Aranda came through in a big way for us and then Yandy there at the end with a add-on homer.”

“It was a big bounce-back game. It feels good, but we’re going to take it one game at a time and not look ahead. But we’re glad to be going back home after that,” Simpson said.

Aranda had three hits and drove in two runs, Diaz 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.

“It was just a matter of time to get going. We can use this going forward,” Aranda said through translator Kevin Vera.

Error helps Rays

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 in a three-run seventh.

Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls got aboard on base hits and moved into scoring position on a double steal. After Díaz struck out, Aranda lined a single past a diving Travis

Bazzana, who was playing near the grass between first and second, and into right field to score Palacios. When DeLauter allowed the ball under his glove, Walls came around from second. Aranda went all the way to third on the error and scored on Simpson’s sacrifice fly.