Petey Halpin's homer lifts the Guardians past the Rays 3-2 for a 2-1 ALCS lead

Petey Halpin swung. Petey Halpin watched. Then Petey Halpin sent his bat spinning into the Cleveland sky.

The rookie's two-run homer in the fifth inning carried the Guardians to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday afternoon. Cleveland now leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.

A quick swing of momentum

The game started early. Major League Baseball moved the start up five hours because of rain in the Cleveland forecast. A crowd of 30,101 packed Progressive Field anyway.

Nathaniel Lowe put Cleveland on the board in the second with an RBI double that scored Jo Adell. Tampa Bay answered in the fourth when Chandler Simpson lined a two-run triple into the right field corner for a 2-1 lead.

The lead lasted one inning. Patrick Bailey singled to open the bottom of the fifth. Halpin then turned on a 2-2 sinker from Rays starter Griffin Jax and drove it 385 feet to right-center. He paused for a moment and flipped his bat high into the air as the crowd roared.

Halpin is a 24-year-old rookie who entered the playoffs as one of the least-known regulars in the Guardians lineup. Nobody in Cleveland will forget his name now.

Williams sets the tone

Gavin Williams was sharp again on regular rest. He retired the first nine batters he faced and struck out nine over five innings. He allowed two runs on two hits and is now 2-0 this postseason.

Four Cleveland relievers took it from there. Daniel Espino and Erik Sabrowski each threw a scoreless inning. Hunter Gaddis got two outs in the eighth before closer Cade Smith recorded the final four outs for his second save of the playoffs.

Tampa Bay's bullpen kept the Rays in it. Tyler Wells and Steven Matz combined for four scoreless innings with six strikeouts. The Rays finished with just three hits.

A first pitch from a Cavaliers star

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He told TBS his only goal was to avoid an embarrassing throw. His toss was low and away but Adell caught it easily.

What's next

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. Central in Cleveland but rain could be a problem again with a strong chance of showers in the forecast. Game 5 is set for Saturday night at Progressive Field before the series heads back to Tampa Bay if needed.