Guardians Spoil the ALCS Opener for Rays and the Bucs Start Finding an Identity

If you had Guardians in four, you're looking pretty good. Cleveland won its fourth straight postseason game with a 7-3 victory in ALCS Game 1 at Tropicana Field, and Rick and Steve go through what went wrong for the Rays: a first inning in which they scored twice but left the bases loaded, a stretch where 13 of 14 hitters went down, and Drew Rasmussen, who battled but wasn't dominant, giving up solo home runs to Chase DeLauter in the sixth and Patrick Bailey to start the seventh after Kevin Cash sent him back out. Former Ray Nate Lowe added big hits against a shaky bullpen (Cam Boozer was fine, Tyler Wells struggled after a long layoff). They also cover the scary top-of-the-ninth collision between Junior Caminero and Johnny DeLuca, Jonathan Aranda's perfect first-inning sacrifice bunt (his first of the year), Cash's platoon lineup that sat Chandler Simpson, Richie Palacios, and Liam Hicks, and why Rick says the Guardians, who rarely strike out and put constant pressure on a defense, play a lot like the Rays. Game 2 is tonight with Freddy Peralta against Plant City's Parker Messick, and the hosts remind everyone that this Cleveland team just won four straight after losing the first two to the White Sox, and the series isn't going to be easy. Then it's the Bucs, who were back at work with limited availability. Rick spoke with Alex Anzalone and Zyon McCollum and says Tampa Bay is starting to forge an identity: a defense that stops the run (second in the league), forces turnovers, and mixes man and zone coverage, plus a running game built around Bucky Irving and the offensive line. They dig into how Anzalone struggled early wearing the green dot helmet communicator after Lavonte David's retirement, how he's gotten faster and more comfortable, and how he sealed the Dallas win on a hustle interception after the Cowboys' 99-yard drive. Steve and Rick also talk about how much the Bucs miss Mike Evans after his big night in San Francisco, with the 49ers now 5-0 and looking like the best team in the NFC. Plus: the NFC South is wide open now that the Ravens rallied past the Falcons (no one in the division has more than two wins), what Todd Bowles is preaching about adversity, and how the Bucs might use the Steelers game to reach Carolina with a chance at the division lead. The Lightning, winners of four straight, play the Rangers tonight without Igor Shesterkin, and Nikita Kucherov is six points from passing Steven Stamkos for the franchise scoring lead, which sparks a debate over the greatest Lightning player of all time. The hosts close with the "low IQ" state of modern hockey and football, and a pitch for AI face shields in the NFL. Segments: Guardians beat the Rays 7-3 in ALCS Game 1 Where it went wrong: bases loaded in the first, Rasmussen in the seventh, and a bullpen layoff Caminero-DeLuca collision, Aranda's sacrifice bunt, and Cash's platoon lineup Game 2 preview: Freddy Peralta vs. Parker Messick Bucs' emerging identity: defense, the run game, and Alex Anzalone's growth with the green dot Missing Mike Evans, and the 49ers at 5-0 Lightning at the Rangers, no Shesterkin, and Kucherov chasing Stamkos Low-IQ hockey and football, AI face shields, and Washington's clock management Ravens beat the Falcons; the NFC South picture and the Steelers game ahead Sponsor: Breitling Boutique, International Plaza Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.