Rays Even ALCS at 2-2 With Game 4 Win Over Guardians

Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3 on Saturday, tying the American League Championship Series at 2-2, according to ESPN. The series now shifts to a best-of-three format, with the winner advancing to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.

What was the final score in Game 4?

The Rays scored seven runs to Cleveland's three in the Saturday night matchup at Progressive Field, evening the series at two wins apiece, ESPN reported. It marked the second time in the series that Tampa Bay bounced back from a loss to tie the ALCS, having also rallied after dropping Game 1.

How did the Rays take control in the seventh inning?

The decisive swing belonged to Jonathan Aranda, who lined a single to right field in the seventh inning that scored Richie Palacios from third base, according to ESPN. The play should have ended there. Instead, the ball rolled under the glove of Cleveland outfielder Chase DeLauter, allowing Taylor Walls to score from second base as well. The hit and the error combined gave Tampa Bay a 4-1 lead that held up for the rest of the game, ESPN reported.

Who was Tampa Bay's biggest hitter in Game 4?

Junior Caminero entered Sunday having struck out in five consecutive at-bats, including an 0-for-4, four-strikeout performance in Game 3, per ESPN. He reversed that trend with two hard-hit balls in Game 4. The first was a 110.7 mph fly ball with a 29-degree launch angle that traveled 410 feet and was caught at the wall, ESPN reported. The ball carried a 1.000 expected batting average — a metric that estimates the likelihood a batted ball becomes a hit based on its exit velocity and launch angle — despite being caught, according to ESPN's data.

Why does the Game 4 win matter for the series?

ESPN described the victory as the Rays' "big three" busting out of a slump, delivering clutch hits after a quieter stretch in the series. With the ALCS tied 2-2, neither club holds home-field advantage heading into the remaining games, and Tampa Bay has now shown it can respond immediately after a loss — a pattern that held in both Game 2 and Game 4, per ESPN's reporting.

What's next in the ALCS?

Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday, with the winner of the series advancing to face the Brewers, who swept the Dodgers in the NLCS to reach their first World Series appearance in 44 years, according to ESPN.

What to watch

• Game 5 is set for Sunday at Progressive Field with the ALCS tied 2-2.
• The winner advances to the World Series against the Brewers, who swept the Dodgers in the NLCS, per ESPN.
• Tampa Bay's top hitters broke out of a slump in Game 4; whether that carries into Game 5 could decide the series, ESPN reported.
• Cleveland will look to tighten defense after Chase DeLauter's costly outfield miscue opened the door for an extra run, according to ESPN.

Smorgi Challenge — A live iOS party game. Random alarms drop dares. Not a wake-up alarm.