Game 3 was moved up from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET due to weather, but the Tampa Bay Rays offense didn’t get the memo.
During the team’s 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday at Progressive Field, the offense was dormant. The Rays scored only two runs on three hits, as the Guardians’ pitching staff shut them down. In seven of nine innings, the Rays lost in order.
The 1 p.m. start was the earliest for an LCS game in the Eastern time zone since 1988, when the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets played Game 5 of the NLCS at 12:20 p.m. ET.
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Petey Halpin of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after a two-run home run in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays in Cleveland on Thursday, October 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
The Guardians’ bats hit Griffin Jax first. Jo Adell drew a walk (after successfully negating a called strike with the automated ball-strike challenge system) and was drawn into a batter later when Nathaniel Lowe sent a ball to right field, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Adell was able to score from first after the ball got away from right fielder Victor Mesa Jr., while Lowe advanced to second base. Jax was able to stall Lowe by recording the next three takedowns.
Gavin Williams was shut out to start the game, retiring the Rays in order for the first time in the lineup.
However, Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz broke through, ripping a double into the left-center gap for the team’s first baserunner of the game. Williams struck out Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero, but walked Mesa to put two runners on with two outs.
Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates a two-run triple against the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth inning of Game 3 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The two-out walk came back to burn Williams. Chandler Simpson drove a line down the right field line, scoring both Díaz and Mesa as the speedster raced to third for a triple, giving the Rays a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
Williams was able to strand Simpson at third by striking out catcher Liam Hicks to end the game.
The Guardians responded in the bottom of the fifth inning. Catcher Patrick Bailey hit a low dribbler for an infield single to start the inning, and center fielder Petey Halpin deposited Jax’s throw 385 feet over the right-center field wall for a two-run homer to give the Guardians a 3-2 lead.
His bat almost went to the ball, as Halpin threw his bat high into the Cleveland sky in celebration. After the match, Halpin said he passed out and the celebration may have even been a little too intense.
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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams throws a pitch against the Guardians in the first inning of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Shortstop Bryan Rocchio singled after Halpin’s home run, and manager Kevin Cash saw enough, removing Jax from the game.
Jax pitched four-plus innings, allowing three runs on five hits while walking two batters and striking out two. Tyler Wells cruised through the rest of the fifth inning to keep the score at 3-2.
Surprisingly, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt pulled Gavin Williams from the game after only 70 pitches in five innings, calling on Daniel Espino. Williams pitched five innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks while striking out nine batters.
While it may have been surprising to see Williams pulled, the bullpen was excellent. Espino and Erik Sabrowski made quick work of the Rays’ lineup in the sixth and seventh innings. Hunter Gaddis entered the game in the eighth inning and recorded two outs but allowed a double to Richie Palacios.
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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith throws out Tampa Bay Rays hitter Yandy Díaz during the eighth inning of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Palacios advanced to third base on Taylor Walls’ groundout, and Vogt turned to his closer, Cade Smith, to face Díaz at a crucial spot at the top of the eighth inning.
After a 10-pitch battle with Díaz, Smith struck out the Rays first baseman to escape the jam. In the ninth inning, Smith faced Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero and Mesa, hitters Nos. 2, 3 and 4 in order, and retired them with ease, completing the four-out save. The Guardians pitching staff retired 16 of the last 17 batters.
Game 4 between the Guardians and Rays is scheduled for Friday, but bad weather could delay or postpone the game. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
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