José Ramírez’s mental mistake and fielding error cost Cleveland in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. The Tampa Bay Rays evened the series with a 3-1 win.
Ramírez left third base uncovered on Chandler Simpson’s fourth-inning infield chopper. He then misplayed Ben Williamson’s grounder, leading to three unearned runs.
“You could just see it in his face,” said Ideastream Public Media sports commentator Terry Pluto. “(Ramirez) goes, ‘What did I do?’ And they weren't able to come back from that, partly because this time of year, for the most part, teams don't hit. That's the thing to keep in mind."
Ramírez, who had a tough regular season after surgery on a broken hamate bone in his hand, has come alive in the postseason. He hit home runs in Games 4 and 5 of the Division Series, becoming the first Cleveland player to do so in consecutive postseason games since 2018.
Still, Pluto said pitching dominates in the postseason. The average batter is hitting .208 in the playoffs.
“You didn't get to winning 98 games like Tampa Bay without great pitching and you didn't get to ... this point, even like the Guardians, without terrific pitching in the playoffs especially,” Pluto said.
Pluto said Cleveland is the underdog among the four teams left in the postseason.
“In the National League, you have the Milwaukee Brewers, won 103 games, and they're playing the Dodgers who won 100 games," Pluto said. "In the American League, you have Tampa Bay that won 98 games, playing Cleveland that won 85 games. It's almost like the Guardians have snuck in the back door of this party of elite teams."
The good news for the Guardians is they won one of the first two games on the road and will play three straight games in Cleveland. Gavin Williams is scheduled to start Thursday night.
“The excitement this brings to the city, the atmosphere at the games, you know, seeing the fans and the red, white and blue outfits that they wear, the team colors, I just love it," Pluto said. "And the fact they lost their last game in Tampa Bay, it's like, OK, it was a stinker, but frankly, if you split in Tampa Bay, that's not a bad way to start this series."
Pluto said there is a general key to winning postseason games: scoring enough runs to support strong pitching.
“Despite Jose's error and that, they still only gave up three runs (Tuesday night)," Pluto said. "You'd like to basically score four, that's the ideal thing in the playoffs. I mean, there's been 27 playoff games so far, and there's only been two games where both teams actually scored four or more runs in the same game. Four is a magic number. If you can get to four, you're probably going to win."
Pluto urged fans to enjoy the ride.
“It's October, you got a team in the playoffs," Pluto said. "You got a team that (advanced) a round in the playoffs. You got the team that has a chance to pull an upset against Tampa Bay. You got something worth watching.”
