Guardians' trade deadline additions come through in ALCS Game 1 win

ST. PETERSBURG — For the Guardians in these playoffs, an 2-0 deficit has meant nothing to them .  They were down 2-0 in the ALDS to the Chicago White Sox . They were down 2-0, specifically, in Game 4 of that series. And they trailed 2-0 in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, Oct. 12.  All three ended with Guardians victories, the last a 7-3 come-from-behind win over the Rays at Tropicana Field that gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the ALCS.  “We’re gritty with it,” Jo Adell said after the Game 1 win. “It’s been in our DNA to make it happen. We’re never out of games, and with our pitching staff and the guys we have out there, we trust that every night.”  The 2026 Guardians are quickly building a reputation as the team opponents haven’t been able to put away for good. The White Sox had Cleveland facing three consecutive elimination games and even taunted them with a sad-song playlist during the Guardians’ workout at Rate Field before Game 3.  Then, in Game 1 of the ALCS, the Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and looked to be on the verge of breaking the game wide open. They never did, and the Guardians roared back to take the game and the series lead.  Before Game 1, no team in playoff history had been shut out through the first five innings but then score in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth, according to OptaSTATS.  “That’s who they are,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Obviously we came off an emotional series, had a quick turnaround. But these guys come ready to play every day. Couldn’t be more proud of them.”  After the Guardians needed Parker Messick and Gavin Williams to finish off the White Sox, they entered the ALCS with uncertain pitching plans while the Rays had their ace, Drew Rasmussen, rested and ready to go. Tampa Bay held a 2-0 lead and had the much better pitching situation on paper (Messick will start Game 2), but it didn’t matter, as the Guardians won their fourth consecutive playoff game, with three of those being comeback victories.  “I think that’s just the Guardians, man,” said Chase DeLauter , who went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, an RBI and three runs scored. “Whether it’s last week, whether it’s today, yesterday, we have the same vibes going along. We know what we can do. It’s just a matter of if we come out and play our brand of baseball.”  Guardians trade deadline additions Jo Adell, Nate Lowe, Foster Griffin come through in ALCS Game 1  The Guardians made a series of aggressive midseason acquisitions with an eye fixed on October. And in Game 1 of the ALCS, all four of those additions who were on the playoff roster came through when Cleveland needed them the most.  There was Foster Griffin , their Game 1 starter, who allowed two runs in the first inning but recovered nicely from there to toss three scoreless innnigs before handing it off to Daniel Espino for the fifth. The Rays appeared to be on the verge of putting the game away early before Griffin was able to course-correct.  There was Patrick Bailey, in the midst of a tremendous postseason, who drilled a solo home run that tied it 2-2 in the seventh inning.  There was Nate Lowe, who came through with arguably the biggest hit of the night an inning later, a two-out, two-run single back up the middle that put the Guardians ahead 4-2.  And there was Adell, who did what the Rays lineup couldn’t by hitting a two-run single in the ninth inning that effectively put the game away.  Four players acquired after Opening Day who were on the ALCS roster, and they went 4-for-4 in propelling the Guardians to a Game 1 win (with some help from DeLauter and company).  As the Guardians take a lead in the ALCS, the fingerprints of the trade deadline were all over Game 1.  “Unbelievable, but not necessarily only on the field,” DeLauter said when asked about the impact of Griffin, Adell, Lowe and Bailey. “Those guys have been unbelievable clubhouse guys. … They’re super professional, whether things are going well or wrong. And I think that’s huge to see for the rest of the guys, including me being younger, and seeing how they act. “Having those guys do this is something special.”   Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.