CLEVELAND (Interstat) — 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 on Monday night at Progressive Field.

Daniel Schneemann hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning for Cleveland, and rookie left-hander Parker Messick struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, but the Guardians dropped their third consecutive game and fourth in five.

Jonathan Aranda led off the eighth with a home run down the right-field line off Hunter Gaddis (0-1) to tie the score at 2. Junior Caminero followed with a single, and Richie Palacios, who entered as a pinch runner for Caminero, stole second base. Vilade then lined a single up the middle, scoring Palacios and giving Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.

Steven Matz (4-1) earned the win after a sharp outing, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Bryan Baker notched his seventh save of the season, working a scoreless ninth despite allowing two hits and striking out two.

The Rays improved to 17-11, while the Guardians fell to 15-15.

Tampa Bay struck first in the sixth inning. Yandy Díaz drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a groundout by Aranda, and scored on Vilade’s single to right field. That broke a scoreless tie that had been maintained by both starting pitchers.

Cleveland answered in the bottom of the fifth. David Fry drew a two-out walk after a successful challenge that overturned a called third strike. Schneemann then launched his fourth home run of the season to left-center field, a two-run shot that gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead.

Messick was sharp through his outing, allowing only one earned run on three hits while striking out nine. He walked two and threw 56 strikes among his 100 pitches. The left-hander retired eight of the first nine batters he faced, with only a second-inning single by Jonny DeLuca breaking up the early no-hit bid.

Matz matched Messick for much of the game. The left-hander allowed just four hits, all singles, and did not walk a batter. He struck out two and induced 11 ground-ball outs. The only damage against him came on Schneemann’s homer.

The game was a pitchers’ duel for the first four innings. Tampa Bay stranded a runner in scoring position in the third after a walk to Díaz, and Cleveland’s best early chance came in the fourth when José Ramírez singled, but he was erased on a double play.

In the seventh, Tampa Bay threatened against Guardians reliever Erik Sabrowski. Nick Fortes singled, and Taylor Walls walked with two outs, but Díaz grounded out to end the inning. Colin Holderman then pitched a scoreless eighth for Cleveland, but Gaddis, who entered for the top of the eighth, could not hold the lead.

Aranda’s homer was his seventh of the season. The first baseman finished with one hit in four at-bats. Caminero also had a single and scored a run. For Cleveland, Schneemann went 1 for 4 with the homer and two RBIs. Chase DeLauter doubled in the ninth, but the Guardians could not push across the tying run.

The Rays’ bullpen held firm after Matz exited. Ian Seymour struck out two in a perfect eighth inning, and Baker worked a tense ninth. With one out, Kyle Manzardo singled, and DeLauter doubled to put runners at second and third. But Baker struck out George Valera and Schneemann swinging to end the game.

Defensively, both teams turned key plays. Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls was involved in several ground-ball outs, and second baseman Ben Williamson handled four chances cleanly. Cleveland’s defense was solid behind Messick, with second baseman Schneemann and shortstop Brayan Rocchio combining on force outs.

The attendance was 18,029. The game lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes.

Tampa Bay has won five in a row, a streak that began with a 6-2 victory over Cincinnati on April 22. The Rays have outscored opponents 25-8 during the streak. Cleveland has now lost three straight after taking two of three in Toronto over the weekend.

The two teams are scheduled to meet again Tuesday night at Progressive Field. Tampa Bay will send right-hander Taj Bradley to the mound, while Cleveland has not announced a starter. The Rays then return home for a 10-game homestand starting May 1 against San Francisco, while the Guardians travel to for a three-game series beginning Friday.

Parker Messick’s performance was a bright spot for Cleveland. The rookie allowed just three hits and struck out nine, lowering his ERA to 3.12. He threw 56 strikes among his 100 pitches, with 42 balls and 11 balls put in play. Tampa Bay pitchers combined for 12 strikes, 56 balls and 12 balls in play.

The Rays’ offense was opportunistic, scoring three runs on seven hits while leaving seven runners on base. Cleveland collected six hits but stranded six.

Jonathan Aranda’s eighth-inning home run was his second of the series. He also homered in the series opener against Minnesota on Friday. Ryan Vilade’s three-hit game was his second multi-hit effort of the week.

For Cleveland, Daniel Schneemann’s homer was his fourth of the season. David Fry reached base twice, on a walk and a single.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay Rays 6, Cleveland Guardians 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cleveland with a 55.70 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 5 went over the over/under line of 7.5.