LIVE BLOG: Follow the Rays' Game With the Guardians in Real Time
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Welcome to our first live blog from a Tampa Bay Rays game this season. With Hurricane Ian making life tough on everyone back home, I thought it might be easier to keep you updated in real time right here.
Here's how our live blog works. The most recent items will be at the top, so just keep refreshing the story and you'll get all the latest news and views the game right from my seat on press row.
Let's go:
10:15 p.m. — Pete Fairbanks was brilliant once again in the bottom of the ninth. A 1-2-3 inning, his 22 straight appearance without allowing a run. Amazing.
10:11 p.m. — Scoreboard update, the Orioles have lost to the Red Sox, 3-1. The Rays' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now down to two.
10:05 p.m. — The Rays don't score in the ninth against dominating Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase. We go to the bottom of the ninth still tied 1-1. Pete Fairbanks to pitch the ninth for the Rays.
9:55 p.m. — Another nice job by Jason Adam, a scoreless eighth inning with just a single and two strikeouts. Pitching has been really good on both sides tonight.
9:42 p.m. — Well, that ended badly. Randy Arozarena strikes out, Margot gets caught stealing and Franco flies out to end the threat. Rays still tied 1-1. Jason Adam on to pitch for Tampa Bay.
9:36 p.m. — Manuel Margot bloops a double down the left field line to start the eighth inning for the Rays.
9:31 p.m. — Scoreboard updates: Yankees lead the Blue Jays 6-3 in the seventh, and the Red Sox lead the Orioles 3-1 in the eighth. Very good news on both fronts for the Rays.
9:30 p.m. — Colin Poche on to pitch the bottom of the seventh for the Rays — and he strikes out the side. Sorry.
9:25 p.m. — Surprisingly, the Rays' rally ends when the speedy Jose Siri hits into a double play. Didn't see that coming.
9:20 p.m. — Looks like we're ready to go again here in Cleveland. Rain delay just over an hour. To reset for you, the Rays have the bases loaded with one out in the seventh. Tied 1-1. Let's go!
8:19 p.m. — Miles Mastrobuoni pinch-runs for Choi. Isaac Paredes walks and Christian Bethancourt strikes out. Mastrobuoni steals third for his first career steal. Taylor Walls walks to load the bases, but then the rain starts to come down harder. We'll have a rain delay now.
8:08 p.m. — Ji-Man Choi gets another hit, a single to right to lead off the seventh. It's his second hit of the night, which is a rarity. Since Aug. 5, he's had ONE two-hit game. He has also gone 8-for-81, an .099 average.
7:55 p.m. — Tristan McKenzie is done for the night for Cleveland. He pitched six innings, and allowed just one run and three hits. He threw 88 pitches, and finished just before some drizzles starts up.
7:37 p.m. — Calvin Faucher on to pitch the fifth inning for the Rays. Does a nice job, retiring the side in order. Pitches into the sixth too. Gives up an infield hit nad gets two outs. Brooks Raley comes in to end it. Through 6, still tied 1-1.
7:35 p.m. — Rays go down quietly again in the fifth. Jose Siri got on with a two-out bunt single and went to second on a bad throw, but Manuel Margot struck out to end the inning. Just three hits for the Rays so far. Bottom 5, it's still tied 1-1.
7:30 p.m. — Scoreboard watching is a must tonight. The Yankees are all over the Blue Jays early, scoring three runs in the first. A Rays win with a Jays loss tonight would be nice.
7:25 p.m. — Garrett Cleavenger has a solid fourth inning for Tampa Bay, allowing just a walk. He struck out Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez to end the inning, but the at-bat took 11 pitches. He threw 21 pitches total, so he's probably going just the one inning. End of 4, it's still tied 1-1.
MY TWO CENTS: I'm thrilled with that outing by Tyler Glasnow. Looked good outside of the solo home run. Did a nice job of getting those last two outs in the third under a bit of duress. Let's see how he feels going forward.
7:10 p.m. — That is indeed the end for Rays starter Tyler Glasnow. Garrett Cleavenger on to pitch the bottom of the fourth. Glasnow gave up one earned run and two hits, with three strikeouts.
7:01 p.m. — The pitch count creeped up on Tyler Glasnow in the third with the homer and Will Brennan infield single. Gets the last two hitters, including a strikeout of Guardians shortstop Tyler Freeman. Glasnow threw 24 pitches in t hat inning, and that's 50 for the game now — and probably it. A good first start. At the end of three, it's tied 1-1.
6:53 — The Guardians tie it up on a long home run to left field by Gilbert Arias off of Tyler Glasnow. Measured 403 feet, felt a little longer. All tied now 1-1.
𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗟𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 😅
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) September 28, 2022
Watch ➡️ https://t.co/Yjb79wYq9a@RaysBaseball | #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/U3DRQQH9Tk
6:50 p.m. — Make sure you like my Rays page on Facebook, too. LOTS of free content. Facebook.com/InsideTheRays
6:47 p.m. — The Rays go down quietly in the third inning, with the top of the order out 1-2-3. Manuel Margot and Randy Arozarena both struck out against Tristan McKenzie, and Wander Franco popped out. Bottom-3, and it's still Rays 1-0. And yes, Tyler Glasnow back out there for the third.
6:40 p.m. — The Guardians have their first base-runner. Oscar Gonzalez walks against Tyler Glasnow after falling into an 0-2 hole, but he's erased on a first-pitch double play. We're at the end of two innings now, and the Rays lead 1-0. Glasnow gets through two innings with just 26 pitches.
Been a minute, but we believe the proper term is 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙮 pic.twitter.com/E1PX8fCdGk
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 28, 2022
6:30 p.m. — And the Rays get on the board first. Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt singles to center, and Choi scores. Jose Siri grounds out to third to end the inning. Heading to the bottom of the second, it's RAYS 1, Guardians 0.
6:25 p.m. — Ji-Man Choi, who was added to the lineup when Yandy Diaz was a late scratch, doubles to deep right for the first hit of the game.
6:18 p.m. — The long awaited debut of Tyler Glasnow is finally here. Hits 98 and 99 mph on the radar gun his first two pitches. He retires the Guardians in order with two groundouts and a lazy fly ball to center. Looks very crisp in his 14-pitch first inning. Through one inning, there's no score.
6:10 p.m. — Manuel Margot to lead things off for the Rays against Cleveland starter Tristan McKenzie. He flies out to right to lead off the game. The Rays go down in order after groundouts by Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco.
6:00 p.m. — It's a little chilly here in Cleveland, but it looks like the rain should stay away. Gametime temperature is 59 degrees, which no one is going to complain about considering the weather issues back at home.
5:55 p.m. — The Rays were hoping to get third baseman Yandy Diaz back on Wednedsay. He was in the original lineup, leading off and batting third, but he was a late scratch. He is available to pinch-hit later.
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.