Then there's the rust question. The Rays had almost a week off after finishing off the Yankees and scored once after the 1st inning in Game 1. That's the same offense that won its Division Series games 1-0, 5-2 and 4-3, so it has never needed a lot of runs. It needed its pitchers to hold those leads, and in Game 1 the late innings went the other way.
Cleveland is playing about as well as it has all year. The Guardians have won 4 straight, and they finished the regular season by taking 3 of 4 from the White Sox, including a 2-0 shutout. Then they fell behind 2-0 in an opener on the road and scored 7 straight runs. Chase DeLauter and Bailey went deep, and Nathaniel Lowe's 2-run single in the 8th broke the tie. For an 85-77 team, a 14-hit night against a 98-win club's pitching staff says plenty.
Both lineups are missing pieces. Rhys Hoskins is still on the IL for Cleveland, with his back only far enough along for a swing progression. Tampa Bay has Jacob Melton and Gavin Lux on the 60-day list, and Edwin Uceta and Jonathan Heasley are out of the bullpen picture. The Rays' depth won them the division, and this series is now testing it.
First pitch is 8:00 PM ET under the dome in St. Petersburg. Going down 2-0 at home would put the Rays in a real hole heading to Cleveland, and the Guardians already have the split they came for. Tampa Bay's whole season was built on run prevention, and Game 2 is about whether that shows up again from the 7th inning on.