Sports
Guardians go for a 2-0 ALCS lead over the Rays in Game 2 on Tuesday night
Cleveland leads the ALCS 1-0 and sends a rookie lefty to the mound Tuesday night in St. Petersburg as Tampa Bay tries to even the series.
The Cleveland Guardians can tighten their grip on the American League Championship Series on Tuesday night. After taking Game 1 at Tropicana Field, they go for a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to Cleveland.
First pitch in St. Petersburg is set for 7 p.m. Central.
Messick looks for a longer night
Rookie left-hander Parker Messick gets the ball for Cleveland. He went 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA in the regular season but did not make it through five innings in either of his two division series starts. He has walked six batters in 6 2/3 postseason innings.
Cleveland's bullpen should be ready behind him. Wednesday is an off day and closer Cade Smith needed only six pitches for a perfect ninth inning on Monday.
Peralta has been on a roll
Tampa Bay counters with right-hander Freddy Peralta. He had a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts after joining the Rays in a trade and went 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA in September to win AL Pitcher of the Month. In his only start this postseason he allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings against the Yankees.
Caminero good to go
The Rays got good news on star third baseman Junior Caminero. He stayed in Game 1 after a scary collision with teammate Jonny DeLuca and is not expected to miss any time.
Tampa Bay had not lost a game this postseason before Monday. Cleveland fell behind 2-0 in the first inning of the opener and then scored five runs off the Rays bullpen over the final two innings.
The Guardians have already shown they can handle pressure this month. They dropped the first two games of their division series against the Chicago White Sox and then won three straight. Game 3 is Thursday in Cleveland.
