The Rays’ struggled to get players on base throughout the short series and only scored one run in both games.
Courtesy of @raysbaseball on Instagram
By Max Steele
After squeaking into the 2022 MLB playoffs with the third wild card spot in the American League (AL), the Tampa Bay Rays’ playoff dreams were cut short after a winless best-of-three series against the No. 3 Cleveland Guardians.
The Guardians came out victorious in the low-scoring series with a 2-1 win in game one and a 1-0 shutout in 15-inning game two, both of which were played at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
Both teams saw success from its pitchers, who only allowed four total runs throughout both games. The Rays’ pitchers, led by starter Tyler Glasnow, threw a total of 19 strikeouts in game two. USF alumnus Shane McClanahan also threw five strikeouts in game one.
Tampa Bay struggled to get players on base throughout both games, stringing together only three hits in the first game and six in the extended second. Third baseman Yandy Díaz, who led the team’s batting average in the regular season, failed to find the ball in all 10 of his at-bats. Left fielder Randy Arozarena, who led the team in hits and tied in home runs, was only able to hit the ball once during his nine trips to the plate.
“It’s frustrating no doubt. We could just not get anything going offensively,” Rays’ head coach Kevin Cash said postgame, but also mentioned his confidence going into next season. “We’re capable of more. Very strong optimism level. We’ve got a strong group of guys. We’ve got to do some things better … but very encouraged.”
As the Rays head into the offseason, the Guardians will move forward to take on the AL East champions in the No. 2 New York Yankees with game one beginning tomorrow night.
