ST. PETERSBURG, FL (WFTS) — The Tampa Bay Rays have some work to do at the plate if they want to get back on track in the American League Championship Series. That's the message from fans who watched the team fall to Cleveland in Game 3.
The Guardians won 3-2 Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Rays managed just three hits and struck out 13 times.
Watch report from Chad Mills:
Sean Pfile, a Rays fan since 2004, said the team needs to get back to making contact.
“For a contact hitting team, we're striking out too much. Gotta put the bat on the ball. You put it in play, anything can happen,” Pfile said.
Jay Fakterowitz thinks the Rays may be trying too hard to hit home runs instead of sticking with the approach that helped them reach the postseason.
“It looked like they were going for the long ball a little bit and not playing the small ball game,” Fakterowitz said. “I think they just gotta get back to what they were doing all year, and things will be fine.”
The loss didn't shake Fakterowitz's confidence in the team.
“They'll never give up, and yeah, we're a little behind right now, but there's a lot of time left. A lot of baseball left. And we've done it before, and we'll do it again,” he said.
Fakterowitz is so confident that he's already looking ahead to the World Series.
“I have my tickets for World Series, and I plan on using them, so can't wait for that,” he said.
While the result wasn't what fans wanted, the Rays organization made sure they were taken care of at Tropicana Field. After bad weather in Cleveland forced the game to move up to 1 p.m., the team rescheduled its watch party and surprised fans who showed up in the middle of the workday with a free buffet, free ice cream, numerous giveaways, and access to part of the field to play catch.
Now, fans are looking to Game 4 and hoping the Rays can make the adjustments needed to even the series.
The Rays plan to host watch parties at Tropicana Field for Games 4 and 5. Fans can find details on the team’s postseason website.
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Chad Mills calls Polk County home and has witnessed the area’s growth firsthand. He is focused on sharing stories from his neighbors in Lakeland. You can use the form below to connect with Chad.
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