Pro Beavs: American League Championship Series Contains Three Oregon State Alums
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It has been quite a turnaround for Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana, as the Cleveland Guardians erased a 2-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox and came back to win the ALDS. Each of the two former Beavers produced critical moments in this phenomenal comeback effort. Cleveland's momentum has not slowed, as the Guardians got a win off of Tampa ace Drew Rasmussen last night, shocking the Rays on the road to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Steven Kwan - Cleveland Guardians
The motor of Cleveland's offense much of the regular season, Kwan struggled at the start of October, going just 1-for-7 in the first two ALDS games (both Cleveland losses). But the 2018 College World Series champion made some significant contributions during the Guardians' comeback from 0-2 down.
In game four's road victory, Kwan walked twice and recorded a hit, and he ended up scoring two times. In Monday's ALCS win over Tampa, Kwan helped elevate Drew Rasmussen's pitch count by hitting a single off of the fellow Beaver in the top of the third inning. While Cleveland's offense was heavily reliant on Kwan throughout the month of September, other guys have stepped up so far this postseason. Jose Ramirez and Chase Delauter have been huge over the last three games, giving Cleveland a much more dangerous lineup than they had in the back half of the regular season.
Travis Bazzana - Cleveland Guardians
It has been a bit of a rough postseason thus far for the Australian, as he is hitting just .150 this October. But Bazzana did come through with a crucial hit at a pivotal juncture in game four, putting the Guardians back in front with an RBI double. It went on to be a fireworks inning for Cleveland, as they plated six runs. Bazzana went 0-4 in the decisive game five against the White Sox, but he did record a hit against Rasmussen in game one against the Rays on Monday night. Bazzana will look to get going in a big game two this evening, as the Guardians look to take a commanding series lead.
Drew Rasmussen - Tampa Bay Rays
Cleveland did a good job putting pressure on the star right-hander last night, and they were ultimately rewarded with an upset victory. Rasmussen did not have a bad outing by any means, but he did surrender eight hits and two runs across the six innings that he pitched. Even with that, he still holds a 1.29 ERA across two starts this postseason. The Rays may have taken a blow last night, but they are very much still in the fight. Unless Tampa gets swept, Rasmussen will make another start in this series, most likely game five in Cleveland.
About State of the Beavs
Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.
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Ben Pahl is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in Portland, Oregon. His work covering college and professional sports has been featured by the Orange Media Network at Oregon State University as well as KBVR.fm. His other career stops in sports include the Portland Pickles baseball club and the NBA G-League's Rip City Remix.