For three games, the top of Tampa Bay’s lineup was a problem the Rays could not solve. On Saturday night at Progressive Field, it became Cleveland’s problem instead.
Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz — the trio Kevin Cash teasingly calls “los tres pequeños” when they slump — combined for six hits and five RBIs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday, October 18, evening the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
It was the kind of reset this series keeps producing. The Rays lost Game 1, won Game 2, dropped Game 3 and now have answered again. The winner of the ALCS will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2026 World Series, and the fight for that spot is now a best-of-three, starting with Game 5 on Sunday in Cleveland.
The Numbers That Made Game 4 a Turning Point
Coming into the night, Tampa Bay’s first three hitters were a combined 5-for-34 (.147) with one RBI and 13 strikeouts in the series. The top four in the order — Díaz, Aranda, Chandler Simpson and Caminero — had gone 7-for-41 with three RBIs across the first three games.
In Game 4, that same group produced six of the Rays’ 11 hits and drove in six runs. Aranda, who entered the ALCS 0-for-11 before his third-inning at-bat, finished with three hits and two RBIs. Díaz added two hits and two RBIs, including a two-run homer in the ninth off Matt Festa. Simpson and Caminero each drove in a run.
“It felt good to see everybody click, and it was just a matter of time, right?” Aranda said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “It was just a matter of time for us three to get going.”
Caminero’s Answer to a Four-Strikeout Night
No Rays hitter needed this game more than Caminero. The 22-year-old slugger had struck out in five consecutive at-bats entering Saturday, including an 0-for-4, four-strikeout night in Game 3.
He nearly broke through in the fourth inning anyway. Caminero hammered a fly ball to center field at 110.7 mph with a 29-degree launch angle that traveled 410 feet — and was caught. According to ESPN, the ball carried a 1.000 expected batting average and would have been a home run in 17 of 30 ballparks. MLB.com noted it was the 265th batted ball tracked by Statcast at 110 mph with a 28-to-30-degree launch angle; the previous 264 were all home runs. Guardians center fielder Petey Halpin made the catch of the night, slamming into the wall as he secured it.
Two innings later, Caminero got his moment. He laced reliever Daniel Espino’s high fastball down the left-field line at 110.2 mph for a tiebreaking RBI double, putting Tampa Bay ahead 2-1. After crossing over third baseman José Ramírez’s position on the hit, Caminero looked toward the Rays’ dugout, pounded his chest, put a finger over his lips and roared.
“I know who I am. Everybody knows who I am,” Caminero said. “Everybody here gave me the support, so I take it like that and say, ‘Silent,’ because we know who I am.”
Cash liked what he saw. “Today was a big step in the right direction for him,” the manager said. “I wouldn’t be surprised now if he catches fire and does a lot for us.”
Aranda Breaks Out, and DeLauter’s Error Breaks the Game Open
Aranda’s night started earlier. With two outs in the third and Díaz on second, the left-handed hitter swatted a 1-0 sweeper from left-hander Foster Griffin to center field, scoring Díaz and tying the game at 1-1 after Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter had opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first.
The seventh inning brought the decisive blow. Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls reached on base hits and pulled off a double steal. After Díaz struck out, Aranda lined a single past a diving Travis Bazzana — playing near the grass between first and second with the infield drawn in — and into right field. Palacios scored easily. Then the ball rolled under the glove of right fielder DeLauter, allowing Walls to come around from second as well. Aranda wheeled into third base and scored on Simpson’s sacrifice fly, capping a three-run inning that made it 5-1.
“I just feel really good with what I found myself here in this game,” said Aranda, who had been 0-for-10 in the first three games. “Moving forward, it’s something I can build off of.”
Nick Martinez Keeps Doing What He Does on the Road
While the lineup grabbed the headlines, the pitching matched it. Rays starter Nick Martinez, pitching on a 46-degree night in Cleveland, held the Guardians to one run on two hits over 5⅓ innings to earn his first postseason win.
After DeLauter’s RBI single gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the first, Martinez retired 10 straight batters at one point before walking Bazzana to open the fifth. The outing mattered beyond the box score: with no off day for travel after Friday’s game was postponed by rain, the teams are lined up to play four games in four days if the series reaches seven. Martinez’s length bought the Rays’ bullpen a breather it will need.
The road has been Martinez’s friend all season — he posted a 2.38 ERA in 16 starts away from Tropicana Field during the 2026 regular season, per ESPN.
Cleveland’s Night: One Error Too Many
The Guardians’ defense did them no favors. Bazzana homered in the seventh against Ian Seymour — his first postseason home run — and Brayan Rocchio added an RBI single as Cleveland pulled within 5-3, but Bazzana also committed a fielding error at second base on a tough night for the Guardians’ infield.
DeLauter’s misplay in right field turned Aranda’s single into two runs and effectively iced the game. Díaz’s two-run shot in the ninth, only the fourth homer of his career on an 0-2 pitch and his first postseason long ball since the 2019 AL Wild Card Game, sealed the 7-3 final.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt tipped his cap to the Rays’ top three.
“That’s a tough three to get through,” Vogt said. “The first three games, [it] felt like we executed really well against those guys, and we just didn’t tonight. And they made us pay.”
What Game 5 Means in a Best-of-Three ALCS
The series now shifts to a de facto best-of-three, with Game 5 on Sunday in Cleveland before the series moves to St. Petersburg, Florida, for Game 6 on Monday night. The Rays have regained home-field advantage and guaranteed at least one more game at the Trop.
History favors whoever takes Game 5 in a 2-2 series: per ESPN, that team goes on to win the series 67% of the time. The Rays will hand the ball to a fully rested Drew Rasmussen with a chance to take their first lead of the ALCS.
“It’s hard to keep those guys down,” Martinez said of his team’s sluggers. “Those guys are always working. They’re always fighting.”
For one night at least, the “three little ones” were anything but.
FAQ
What was the final score of ALCS Game 4 between the Rays and Guardians?
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Saturday, October 18, 2026, at Progressive Field, evening the AL Championship Series at 2-2.
Who were the stars for the Rays in Game 4?
Jonathan Aranda had three hits and two RBIs, Junior Caminero delivered a tiebreaking 110.2 mph RBI double after a four-strikeout Game 3, and Yandy Díaz added two hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth off Matt Festa.
Who won the game on the mound for Tampa Bay?
Nick Martinez earned his first postseason win, holding Cleveland to one run on two hits over 5⅓ innings on a 46-degree night in Cleveland.
When and where is ALCS Game 5?
Game 5 is Sunday in Cleveland, with the series shifting to St. Petersburg, Florida, for Game 6 on Monday. There is no off day for travel because Friday’s game was postponed by rain.
Who does the ALCS winner face in the 2026 World Series?
The ALCS winner will play the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2026 World Series.