Brewers Go Up 2-0 on the Dodgers in the NLCS as Guardians Beat the Rays in ALCS Game 1

The Brewers' bullpen has allowed one earned run in 28 and two-thirds postseason innings, ESPN said, a stat that explains why late leads feel safe in Milwaukee. The scoreboard on MLB.com confirms the 7-4 result and the 2-1 score of Sunday's opener.

What happened in ALCS Game 1?

In the American League, Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 7-3 to lead the series 1-0, according to MLB.com and CBS Sports. ESPN's write-up listed the score as 7-4, but the league's own scoreboard and CBS agree on 7-3, so that is what we use. Tampa Bay led 2-0 early. Chase DeLauter hit a solo home run and drove in another run, and Nathaniel Lowe's two-run single in the eighth put the Guardians ahead for good. The Rays managed only one extra-base hit, a home run from Cedric Mullins.

Game 2 is Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern in Tampa, which means that by the time you read this the Rays may already have answered. DeLauter's night mattered less than the eighth inning: Tampa Bay held a lead early, lost it, and never found a second extra-base hit to get it back. A Rays loss there would send them to Cleveland down 2-0 as well.

When are the next games?

Game 3 is Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern in Los Angeles, with Game 4 on Thursday at 9 p.m., per MLB.com. The Dodgers need to win at home to stay alive in any real sense, and the Brewers need two more wins to close it out. The next test for Milwaukee's bullpen comes in front of a hostile crowd. If the series goes the distance, Game 5 is Friday and Games 6 and 7 move back to Milwaukee on 18 and 19 October. In the American League, Game 3 is Thursday at 6 p.m. in Cleveland, and Game 4 on Friday is scheduled for the same hour unless the National League series is swept, in which case it moves to 8 p.m.