Monday, 4 a.m.

One win away. Just that, and the Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series.

The Rays won again Sunday night, turning back the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 at Progressive Field. The Rays now return to Tropicana Field, where they won 55 times this season, for tonight's game and, if needed, Tuesday night's.

"It all ends tomorrow," Rays' designated hitter Yandy Diaz said. "We're going to win tomorrow."

The Rays scored single runs in the first, second and third innings. They cooled off afterward, but Cleveland scored its single run on a groundout in the sixth.

Once again, Drew Rasmussen started for the Rays. He pitched seven innings of four-hit, one-run baseball. Bryan Baker saved the game for the 35th straight time.

One of the key outs, however, came when reliever Tyler Wells struck out Jose Ramirez as the tying run with two outs in the eighth.

The Rays got three hits from Diaz and two each from Jonathan Aranda, Chandler Simpson and Liam Hicks.

In the first inning, Jonny DeLuca walked with the bases loaded. In the second, Aranda singled in Ben Williamson. And in the third, Hicks singled in Simpson.

The Rays had 12 hits for the game.

Cleveland starter Parker Messick, from Planr City, threw 57 pitches in his two innings.

The Rays and Guardians play at 8 tonight. Freddy Peralta will start for the Rays. Cleveland has not announced a starter.

Monday, 3 a.m.

That's why you don't turn the franchise over to the rookie.

As popular as free agent Jalon Daniels has become in Tampa Bay in recent weeks, it was a bit presumptive to assume that the Bucs should shelve quarterback Baker Mayfield and start Daniels instead. After all, Mayfield has won 27 games with the Bucs; Daniels has won one.

Perhaps, then, it shouldn't have been such a surprise that Daniels struggled so mightily in the fourth quarter of the team’s 26-19 overtime loss to Pittsburgh at Raymond James Stadium.

Daniels, who had played well in guiding the Bucs to a 16-3 lead, had a rough late going. In his fourth quarter and overtime, he hit only five of 15 passes for 50 yards and threw two interceptions for 50 yards. His throws were off.

"Obviously, they made plays," Bucs' coach Todd Bowles said. "It's a good defense over there. Those guys made some plays. He probably would like to have some of those back, but we can't put him in those situations. We have to play is a team. It's not just him -- everyone is involved in that. He's going to make a few mistakes, but he played hard."

Look, this isn't to pin it all on Daniels. The defense gave up 23 points in the fourth and overtime. They allowed Aaron Rodgers and D.K. Metcalf to look young again. The running game disappeared. The line gave up five sacks. The Bucs deserved to fall to 1-5.

"We have no margin for error," Bowles said. "We played hard. Very hard, very competitive. We have to learn how to finish ball games. We didn't finish at the end. You play that hard and grab a lead, you have to keep it. We practice two minute situations for a reason."

If there is a silver lining, the Bucs got impact from its young players. Rueben Bane had his first sack. Ted Hurst had three catches. Bauer Sharp had his first catch. Josiah Trotter had 12 tackles. Second-year pro David Walker had two sacks. Keionte Scott had a sack.

The older Bucs did less.

Especially in the fourth quarter.

The Bucs travel to Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m.

You remember the big guy, right? The one with the bulging arms? He had been a shadow of himself in the playoffs.

Well, welcome back, Yandy Diaz. He had a clinching two-run homer in the Rays' 7-3 victory to tie their best-of-seven series at two games each.

And you remember the guy with the wooly hair? A search party couldn't have found him in this series.

Well, hello there, Jonathan Aranda. He had three hits and drove in two.

And how about the Junior Caminero, the guy with the explosive bat. He had only one hit Saturday night, but it was a sixth-inning double that drove in the Rays' go-ahead run.

In other words, the top of the Rays' lineup has finally showed up in the AL Championship series. It's now down to the best-of-three series, and two of the game would be at Tropicana Field.

The Rays snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth when Caminero drove in Aranda.

In the seventh, the Rays scored three more times. Two of the runs came on a single by Aranda (and an error). Chandler Simpson followed with a sacrifice fly.

Still, Cleveland came back with two. But Diaz iced the game with his home run that barely reached the right field fence.

Aranda and Richie Palacios each had three hits for the Rays.

Nick Martinez picked up the win for the Rays. He went five and a third innings and allowed just two hits.

The teams play again today at 5 p.m. at Cleveland's Proggressive Field. Drew Rasmussen will start for the Rays against Parker Messick.