CLEVELAND -- The pitch from Cade Smith came in at 97 mph, way up and way inside. It was closer to Junior Caminero’s shoulder than the strike zone, but the Rays’ All-Star slugger unleashed a ferocious swing that found nothing but air. Caminero glanced at catcher Patrick Bailey, fixed his helmet, then put his head down and slowly walked back to Tampa Bay’s dugout for the fourth time Thursday afternoon.
It was Caminero’s fourth strikeout in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series and the Rays’ 13th of the day as a team. Two pitches later, Victor Mesa Jr. hit a harmless fly ball to left field that finished the Rays’ 3-2 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field and gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Rays knew they would have their hands full at the plate against Guardians starter/strikeout machine Gavin Williams and a dominant Cleveland bullpen. They also know they’re a better team than the one that managed only three hits and a walk while striking out 13 times.
“We’ve got to hit,” manager Kevin Cash said afterward. “You’ve got to be perfect to win games like that. … Very confident that they'll bounce right back and be ready to go.”
Tampa Bay pitched well and played enough small ball to win Game 2, and it looked like it might be enough when Chandler Simpson delivered a go-ahead two-run triple in the fourth inning. But it’s hard to win games when you only score two runs, as the Rays were soon reminded.
The Guardians pulled ahead in the fifth against starter Griffin Jax. Bailey hit a high-bouncing chopper that landed just behind the mound, and he might have been safe at first even if Jax’s attempt to field hadn't come up short. Five pitches later, Jax left a 2-2 sinker over the plate, and Petey Halpin blasted it out to right field for what proved to be a game-winning two-run homer.
“He does a good job of handling some offspeed, so I felt like that was the right pitch,” Jax said. “Just the wrong location right there.”
Tyler Wells and Steven Matz were excellent in relief of Jax, as they worked two innings apiece to keep Tampa Bay within one run. But that run never came.
The Rays had a chance in the eighth inning, with pinch-runner Jorge Mateo on third base and Yandy Díaz facing Guardians closer Cade Smith. Díaz fouled off six pitches and broke his bat trying to come through with a big hit, but Smith ended the 10-pitch battle by striking out Tampa Bay's designated hitter.
In the end, the same Rays lineup that led the AL in batting average and struck out less than any team in the Majors during the regular season recorded just one hit after the fourth inning and whiffed on 24 of the 70 swings it took.
“They're pitching smartly. I think it's true in the postseason that the teams that utilize their pitching the best are the ones that advance, and so far they've pitched really well,” Díaz said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “That's why they have two wins.”
In the end, the same Rays lineup that led the AL in batting average and struck out less than any team in the Majors during the regular season recorded just one hit after the fourth inning and whiffed on 24 of the 70 swings it took.
“They're pitching smartly. I think it's true in the postseason that the teams that utilize their pitching the best are the ones that advance, and so far they've pitched really well,” Díaz said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “That's why they have two wins.”
The Rays’ 13 strikeouts were their second-most in a game all year, behind only a 14-punchout performance in Milwaukee in their fourth game of the season. Overall, they’ve struck out 27 times while picking up 17 hits and five walks in 100 plate appearances this series.
“I mean, everybody that they're starting or relieving is pretty elite,” Cash said. “They've got options to get you to swing and miss, for sure.”
They got Caminero to swing and miss plenty. One of the things that makes him special is his ability to drive any pitch in any location, combining rare bat-to-ball ability with his well-known power to become an all-around threat at the plate. But that wasn’t the case on Thursday.
Caminero whiffed on eight of his 11 swings as he struck out four times. It was his first four-strikeout game of the year and only the second of his career. Before Thursday, he had never whiffed on eight pitches in a single game.
“Look, it’s part of the game,” Caminero said through Vera. “Believe me, I don’t want to strike out four times, but I’ll flip the page, come back tomorrow brand-new and just wipe this one away.”
Caminero’s first strikeout came on a low sweeper, and the other three were all on high fastballs 4 feet above the ground or higher, pitches he only struck out on six times during the regular season.
He said he didn’t think the Guardians were necessarily pitching to him differently than other clubs, but it was clear the Rays can’t let them keep doing what they’ve done so far in this series.
“They’ve been pitching us really well, but that’s what they do. They’ve been doing that all year long -- to us, to other opponents,” Caminero said. “We’ve just got to be better. We just have to make adjustments and go from there.”