Rays fall in Wild Card Series

By: Madi Walker and Tyler Carmona

As the American League wild-card race concluded in just two games, it did not come without a fight from both teams. Being defeated in game one the day prior, Tampa Bay was not going to give up their spot in the playoffs that easily. 

They fought hard, playing a fifteen-inning game, they eventually weren’t able to hold on anymore and lost to the Cleveland Guardians after Oscar Gonzalez hit a home run in the bottom of the fifteenth. Despite their 2022 MLB season now being over, the Guardians will advance as the official American League wild card team.

Rays Hitting

Needless to say, Tampa’s offense was just not there today. The noon game came wrapped up around five in the afternoon. By then, they had played the longest, scoreless postseason game in MLB history. 

https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1578856541163507712

With a similar outcome at the plate Saturday as Friday in Game 1now, the Ray’s offense choked this wild card series. Tampa couldn’t find their big break in Ohio today by allowing Cleveland’s arms to strike out much of their lineup, popping up and grounding out. When someone from Tampa would make it onto base they never seemed to find their way to run anything in. While a hard battle was fought, the Guardians came out victorious. At the bottom of the fifteenth, Ray’s pitcher Corey Kluber threw a cutter to outfielder Oscar Gonzalez, resulting in a moonshot over left field.

OVER.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/HMtkBTvtdk

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 8, 2022

Rays Pitching

To call this game a pitching battle would be quite an understatement. 

In his first pitch in playoff action since undergoing Tommy John surgery, Tyler Glasnow flashed his usual self. The 29-year old pitcher gave up just two hits while striking out five batters. Glasnow has been on a monitored pitch count since his return, causing him to be pulled after just five innings.

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Despite this matchup spanning 15 innings, no Rays pitcher gave up more than one hit after Glasnow was replaced. 

Relievers like Garrett Cleavinger and Drew Rasmussen managed to strike out multiple batters while not giving up any hits. 

Ultimately, the Rays utilized 8 pitchers throughout Saturday’s 15-inning fiasco. 38-year-old starter Corey Kluber was eventually called on, giving up a walk-off homerun to Oscar Gonzalez.

Cleveland Guardians Move on as American League Wild Card

After losing games one and two against the Guardians, the Rays are officially out of the postseason. Despite a late-season push, the Rays have been trending downward as of late. This is the seventh game they have lost in seven days.

The Cleveland Guardians will face the New York Yankees next in this 2022 MLB postseason.