Ryan Vilade has 3 hits, drives in 2 runs as Tampa Bay beats Cleveland 3-2 to extend win streak to 5

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ryan Vilade had three hits and drove in two runs, including the go-ahead single in the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays won their fifth straight by defeating the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 Monday night.

Daniel Schneemann had a two-run homer in the fifth inning and rookie Parker Messick struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings as the Guardians dropped their third in a row and fourth in five games.

Jonathan Aranda led off the eighth with a home run down the right-field line off Hunter Gaddis (0-1) and Junior Caminero singled. Pinch-runner Richie Palacios stole second and scored on Vilade's hit up the middle.

Vilade also had an RBI single in the sixth inning and is 11 for 20 in his last 10 games after starting the year hitless in his first six at-bats.

Tampa Bay's Steven Matz (4-1) allowed two runs and four hits in a season-high seven innings.

David Fry got aboard with a walk when when his third strike on a full count was overturned by the Automated Ball-Strike system. Schneemann drove an elevated first-pitch slider into the left-center bleachers for a 2-0 lead.

The Guardians had runners on second and third with one out after pinch-hitter Kyle Manzardo's single and Chase DeLauter's double, but Bryan Baker struck out pinch-hitter George Valera and Schneemann for his seventh save.

Messick struck out six his first time through the order. The left-hander allowed only two hits through five innings, but Yandy Díaz led off the sixth with a walk, advanced on Aranda's grounder and scored on Vilade's hit.

Tampa Bay sends RHP Nick Martinez (1-1, 2.10 ERA) to the mound against Cleveland RHP Tanner Bibee (0-3, 4.45 ERA) in Tuesday night's middle game of the series.

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Tampa Bay Rays' Steven Matz pitches in the second inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Parker Messick pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Cleveland, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Daniel Schneemann (10) is congratulated as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Cleveland, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Richie Palacios, left, scores behind Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges in the eighth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Richie Palacios, right, is congratulated by Jonny DeLuca (21) after scoring in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — As Republicans dig out from under a midterm landslide, they can point to a single bright spot on the nationwide congressional map. That’s Maine’s 2nd congressional district, the only seat that went from blue to red without the help of redistricting.

It was far from a resounding victory. Even though President Donald Trump won the district by 9 points two years ago, it took a former Republican governor, Paul LePage, to squeak out a victory over Matt Dunlap, the Democratic state auditor.

The Associated Press called the race Thursday after officials finished the ranked choice voting process to determine the winner.

LePage and Dunlap were competing to replace Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who is retiring from Congress.

The only other seats that went from blue to red are Texas' 32nd congressional district and Tennessee' 9th congressional district, but both of those flips were enabled by redistricting efforts that made the electorates far more conservative.

Meanwhile, Democrats have flipped 44 seats, and a handful of races have not yet been called.

Dunlap conceded last week and LePage declared victory, and he’s been in Washington for orientation for new members.

“Paul LePage is already hard at work for the people of Maine,” said Brent Littlefield, a spokesperson for LePage.

Maine only has two congressional districts. The 1st is heavily Democratic and includes Portland and wealthy coastal towns. The 2nd includes a few small cities and vast rural and forested areas, and is home to industries such as logging, potato farming and lobster fishing. It’s more conservative than most of New England.

Golden had found success in the 2nd by running as a moderate Democrat who was willing to break with his party. However, he announced last year that he would not run for a fifth term, saying he had “grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community.”

As governor from 2010 to 2018, most of LePage’s two terms predated Trump’s presidency, but he aligned himself with the president toward the end of his time in office. The two shared a brand of brash, conservative populism, with LePage once saying he was “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.”

However, LePage also criticized Trump's tariffs on Canada, a key trading partner for Maine, and expressed support for legal immigration. When he declared victory last week, LePage vowed to make the state’s interests a priority in Washington.

“If it is good for Maine, I will work hard to make it happen. If it is bad for Maine, I will oppose it,” he said.

Rep.-elect Paul LePage, R-Maine, center, and newly-elected members of the 120th Congress gather for a group photo on the steps of the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a candidate for Maine's second congressional House district, greets supporters before Vice President JD Vance spoke during a visit to Compotech, a composite technology company, Aug. 24, 2026, in Brewer, Maine. (AP Photo/Gabe Souza, File)