Guardians Beat Rays, Box Score Stats, Highlights, Updated MLB Playoff Bracket

The Cleveland Guardians' quest to end a World Series drought dating back to 1948 took another important step on Thursday.

Cleveland won quite the pitching dual in Game 3, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS.

Here's a look at the game's stats:

Key Batters	H/AB	R	RBI	HR	BB
José Ramírez, CLE	2/3	0	0	0	1
Petey Halpin, CLE	1/3	1	2	1	0
Nathaniel Lowe, CLE	1/3	0	1	0	0
Junior Caminero, TB	0/4	0	0	0	0
Chandler Simpson, TB	1/3	0	2	0	0
Yandy Díaz, TB	1/4	1	0	0	0
Key Pitchers	IP	H	ER	BB	K
Gavin Williams, CLE (W)	5.0	2	2	1	9
Cade Smith, CLE (S)	1.1	0	0	0	2
Griffin Jax, TB (L)	4.0	5	3	2	2

And here's a look at the bracket:

The Guardians opened the game's scoring in the bottom of the second on Nathaniel Lowe's RBI double.

The Rays answered back in the top of the fourth, however, on Chandler Simpson's two-run triple.

But once again the Guardians had an answer, this time thanks to Petey Halpin's two-run blast in the bottom of the fifth.

From there Cleveland's bullpen handled its business, giving up just one hit across four innings while striking out four. It was a banner day for the pitching staff in general, as Tampa's offense managed just three hits on Thursday.

The Guardians have the chance to ensure the ALCS never returns to Tampa, with Game 4 on Friday at 6 p.m. ET (TBS, truTV) and Saturday's Game 5 also in Cleveland.