Tampa Bay kept striking out against Cleveland in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, with Rays batters recording 13 whiffs in a 3-2 defeat to the Guardians on Thursday. The loss dropped Tampa Bay into a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series. Junior Caminero struck out four times in the game.
Chandler Simpson, who recorded a two-run triple, credited the Guardians' pitching. "That's just a testament to their team, man," he said. "It's just good pitching, mixing up things and keeping everything over the plate. This is really a dog fight."
The strikeouts stand out against the Rays' regular season, when Tampa Bay batters struck out a major league-low 1,145 times. The team had struck out as many as 13 times in a game only once before, a 14-strikeout performance in a 3-2 win at Milwaukee on March 30.
Caminero, speaking through interpreter Kevin Vera, said the team must adapt quickly. "We just have to make adjustments for the next game, plain and simple." Tampa Bay went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and Cade Smith struck out Yandy Díaz with a 98 mph fastball to end the eighth-inning threat. Díaz said, "He's one of the best closers in the league for a reason." Simpson added that the team's swings have been solid and it simply needs to put the ball in play.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing