Rays rally to stun Emmanuel Clase, Guardians with 3-run ninth
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Randy Arozarena lined an RBI single to right center to complete a three-run ninth inning off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Guardians 6-5 on Saturday.
Clase (1-7) allowed Yandy Díaz’s one-out double. Díaz advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored to tie it at 5 on Brandon Lowe’s infield single before the All-Star Arozarena won it.
It was Clase's ninth blown save in 40 chances.
Cleveland wasted an impressive start by rookie Gavin Williams, who struck out 10 over five impressive inning.
Williams allowed one run, five hits and didn't walk a batter in his 10th career start and had his ERA drop from 2.90 to 2.80. The 6-foot-6 right-hander was coming off an outing Tuesday in which he gave up one hit and had a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Williams' 22 strikeouts over his past two starts are the most by a Cleveland rookie in a two-game span since Herb Score in 1955. He joins Score and Bob Feller (1936) as the only Cleveland rookies with consecutive double-digit strikeout performances.
Luke Raley homered and had an RBI double for the AL wild-card-leading Rays. His eighth-inning double pulled Tampa Bay within 5-3.
The Guardians were without All-Star third baseman José Ramírez, who had his MLB suspension for fighting with Chicago’s Tim Anderson reduced from three games to two on Saturday.
Ramírez, who knocked Anderson to the ground with a wild, well-placed punch, also won’t play in Sunday’s series finale.
Oscar Gonzalez had a sacrifice fly and Myles Straw drove in a run on a fielder's choice grounder as the Guardians took a 3-1 lead in the sixth.
Kole Calhoun and Cam Gallagher had run-scoring singles during the eighth against Josh Fleming (2-0) to make it 5-2. Fleming was reinstated from the 60-day injured list after being sidelined since June 3 by left elbow inflammation.
Tampa Bay got within 3-2 when pinch-hitter Harold Ramírez had a seventh-inning RBI single.
The Guardians went ahead 1-0 when Steven Kwan tripled off Erasmo Ramírez leading off the third and scored on Brayan Rocchio's sacrifice fly.
Raley tied it at 1 in the fourth on his 16th homer, and first since July 5.
Connections
Williams was originally drafted by the Rays in the 30th round of the 2017 draft but didn't sign. The Guardians selected him 23rd overall in 2021 out of East Carolina.
Trainer's room
Rays: LHP Shane McClanahan (left arm) was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, which means his season is over. Tommy John surgery is among the options under consideration.
Up next
Rays RHP Zach Eflin (12-6) will look to become the AL’s first 13-game winner on Sunday against Guardians rookie RHP Tanner Bibee (8-2).
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians rookie Gavin Williams' dominant start wasted in late loss
