Rays bullpen suffers embarrassing late meltdown as Cleveland bullies Tampa Bay in Game 1

The Tampa Bay bullpen ran out of gas late Monday night.

After seven innings of grind-it-out baseball in St.

Petersburg, the Cleveland Guardians broke loose with five runs over the final two frames to take Game 1 of the ALCS, 7-3.

The Rays drew first blood.

With two outs in the opening frame, Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca ripped consecutive RBI knocks to put Tampa Bay up 2-0.

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen kept that lead strong through five innings, punching out seven.

Cleveland finally cracked Rasmussen in the sixth when Chase DeLauter jumped on a heater and launched an opposite-field solo shot over the right-center wall.

Patrick Bailey pulled Cleveland even leading off the seventh, hooking a solo blast down the right-field line to end Rasmussen's night at 2-2.

The Guardians kept the heat on in the eighth against Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour.

Ramirez started the fire with a hustle infield single, DeLauter ripped a double down the line, and Nathaniel Lowe laced a go-ahead, two-run single to make it 4-2.

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Capping a 3-for-5 night with two runs scored, Cleveland's veteran third baseman stepped in with two outs in the ninth and lined an RBI single into right off Cole Sulser to make it 5-3.

After Sulser walked DeLauter, Kevin Kelly entered to face Jo Adell.