Rays rally late, then hang on to beat Guardians for 5th straight win

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Apr 27, 2026

Published in Baseball

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The Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Guardians on Monday night at Cleveland’s Progressive Field.

Ryan Vilade and Jonathan Aranda provided the key hits, Steven Matz worked seven strong innings, and Ian Seymour and Bryan Baker teamed up for the final six outs.

The Rays improved to 17-11, moving six games over .500 for the first time since July 10.

The early innings moved briskly, then the Guardians struck first in the fifth.

David Fry battled Matz through 10 pitches, actually being called out on strikes but an ABS challenge reversed the call, drawing a walk.

Daniel Schneemann then drove the next pitch just over the left-center field wall for a two-run homer.

The Rays got one back in the sixth off Cleveland starter Parker Messick.

Yandy Diaz led off with a walk, went to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by Vilade that ended Messick’s night.

The Rays went ahead in the eighth.

Aranda led off against righty reliever Hunter Gaddis with a homer, his seventh of the season to boost his RBI total to 24, second most in the American League, and make the score 2-2.

They kept swinging and took the lead.

Junior Caminero singled, and manager Kevin Cash took somewhat of a gamble by taking out his top slugger so Richie Palacios could pinch run. Palacios made it work by stealing second.

Then Cash made another surprising move by leaving Vilade in to hit against Gaddis rather than pinch-hitting lefty Jake Fraley, and that also paid off when Vilade delivered an RBI single up the middle.

After opening the season with three wins and a solid fourth outing in a Rays victory, Matz had a rough start on April 21 against the Cincinnati Reds, allowing three home runs and lasting only three innings.

The 34-year-old, 12-year veteran said afterward he couldn’t really get any of his pitches working and was fighting himself a bit. But Sunday he said he wasn’t too concerned going into the game against the Guardians.

“Just from my experience in the game at this point, there’s been plenty of ups and downs for me and I’m still here and still able to recover,” Matz said. “So I think that helps a lot.”

He was right, as Monday he worked seven innings, allowing only two runs.

Messick, who grew up dreaming of wearing a Rays uniform, continues to be a nightmare for his hometown team.

Messick on Monday worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one run and three hits while striking out nine. Combined with his two starts against the Rays in his 2025 big-league debut season, he has allowed two runs over 18 2/3 innings, striking out 19 while allowing 15 hits.

Baker made it tense, allowing two one-out hits then striking out the final two Guardians.

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