The Tampa Bay Rays appeared positioned to take control of the American League Championship Series before their Game 1 advantage disappeared Monday night.

Tampa Bay jumped ahead by two runs in the first inning, but the Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 7-3 victory at Tropicana Field. Drew Rasmussen delivered six-plus competitive innings for the Rays, yet the Guardians erased the deficit and capitalized on a damaging eighth inning.

The Rays now trail 1-0 in the best-of-seven series after suffering their first postseason loss. Three players stand out for their roles in a missed opportunity.

3. Taylor Walls

The Rays had numerous chances to create breathing room long before their bullpen surrendered the lead. Taylor Walls failed to capitalize on them.

The shortstop finished 0-for-3 and stranded six runners. His biggest missed opportunity came in the first inning, when the Rays had scored twice and loaded the bases. Walls struck out swinging to end the rally instead of extending an early advantage.

His struggles continued in the fourth when he lined out with a runner aboard. In the sixth, with runners on first and second, Walls grounded out to end another scoring opportunity.

The Guardians' bullpen kept Tampa Bay quiet after the opening inning, making those wasted chances costly. Walls cannot shoulder responsibility for the late pitching collapse, but one timely hit could have changed how the Rays managed the final innings.

2. Ian Seymour

Ian Seymour entered a difficult situation in the eighth inning, with runners at second and third and one out. Tampa Bay needed an escape to preserve a 2-2 tie.

Instead, Seymour surrendered the decisive hit to Nathaniel Lowe. The Cleveland first baseman lined an 0-2 pitch into center field, scoring Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter to put the Guardians ahead 4-2.

Both runs were charged to Tyler Wells, not Seymour, but the left-hander still had an opportunity to limit the damage. His inability to finish Lowe after getting ahead in the count became the turning point.

Cedric Mullins homered in the bottom of the eighth to trim the deficit to one, underscoring how important those two runs proved.

1. Tyler Wells

The greatest individual responsibility falls on Tyler Wells, whose eighth-inning appearance transformed a tie game into a crisis.

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Wells had not pitched in a game since September 12, but manager Kevin Cash handed him a critical assignment against Cleveland's most dangerous hitters.

Jose Ramirez opened the inning with an infield single before rookie Chase DeLauter doubled him to third. Wells induced a groundout from Jo Adell, but both runners remained in scoring position when Seymour relieved him.

Wells recorded only one out and allowed two hits and two earned runs. He took the loss.

Rasmussen had surrendered solo home runs to DeLauter and Patrick Bailey, with Bailey tying the game on his 91st pitch. Yet Wells had a fresh opportunity to keep the contest even and could not deliver.

Now Tampa Bay must respond in Tuesday's Game 2 rather than let one squandered lead define its ALCS.