3 Things Rays Must Do to Beat Guardians in ALCS Game 4

The Tampa Bay Rays are facing one of their biggest challenges of the season as they prepare for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

Following Thursday's 3-2 loss at Progressive Field, Tampa Bay now trails the series 2-1, and another loss would put the team one game away from elimination.

And while there are plenty of things that need to improve, I think three things stand out if the Rays want to even the series.

Without question, this continues to be my biggest concern about Tampa Bay's postseason performance.

The Rays have yet to score more than four runs in a playoff game, and some of their biggest offensive stars haven't been getting the job done.

Junior Caminero went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts Thursday, while Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda have also struggled throughout October.

Caminero is hitting .238 with a .666 OPS, Díaz is hitting .240, and Aranda has managed just a .182 batting average.

Those numbers aren't going to get the job done.

And with Cleveland continuing to get quality pitching performances, Tampa Bay cannot afford another game where its biggest hitters disappear.

Kevin Cash made an interesting decision to start Griffin Jax in Game 3, pushing Nick Martinez back to Friday.

Unfortunately, that decision didn't work out.

Jax allowed all three Cleveland runs, including the go-ahead home run to Petey Halpin.

Now Martinez will have an opportunity to show why Cash decided to save him for Game 4.

And there's reason to be optimistic.

Martinez faced Cleveland twice during the regular season, allowing just seven hits and zero earned runs across 13 innings.

That's impressive.

However, those numbers won't mean much if Martinez struggles Friday.

Tampa Bay needs him to provide quality innings and avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the bullpen.

While the top of Tampa Bay's lineup has struggled, the bottom portion has provided some much-needed offensive production.

And Chandler Simpson continues to be one of the biggest reasons why.

Simpson delivered Tampa Bay's only two runs Thursday with an impressive two-RBI triple against Gavin Williams.

The ball left his bat at 102.1 mph, his hardest-hit ball of the season that resulted in a hit or RBI.

But Simpson isn't the only player who needs to contribute.

Richie Palacios and Jonny DeLuca have also provided important hits throughout the series.

And with Tampa Bay struggling to consistently generate offense, those contributions become even more important.

The Rays still have an opportunity to take control of this series.

However, falling behind 3-1 would make reaching the World Series significantly more difficult.

If Tampa Bay wants to avoid that situation, its best hitters need to show up, Martinez needs to deliver, and Simpson must continue finding ways to make an impact.