Game 4 is the reason the Guardians might be in better shape today than the score suggests. Rain pushed it back a day, and Stephen Vogt still went with the planned bullpen game, opening with Shawn Armstrong. It didn't work. Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero combined for 6 hits and 5 RBI, and Caminero's double put Tampa Bay ahead for good. But Away Back Gone points out that Vogt got through the loss without using his top relievers, and that matters with these teams playing 3 games in 3 days.
Cleveland can't afford a repeat of Saturday's defense. Travis Bazzana made an error at second base and Chase DeLauter misplayed a ball in right, and the Rays turned a 1-run game into a comfortable one. Cleveland's offense has scored 7, 1, 3 and 3 in this series. With that kind of output, the Guardians win by making the plays behind their pitchers, and in Game 4 they didn't.
The split goes back to the opener. Cleveland won 7-3 at Tropicana, and Tampa Bay took Game 2 by 3-1. The Guardians then won a 1-run Game 3 at home before the Rays' bats finally broke out in Game 4. All 4 games have been decided by pitching and a few late mistakes. With the starters who already faced each other going again, and the winner of Game 5 heading back needing 1 more win, expect another game decided late.