The Cleveland Guardians are once again turning to Shawn Armstrong as they try to keep their season alive.
With Game 6 of the American League Championship Series set for Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland will use the veteran reliever to open the game, according to MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. Stephen Vogt had already taken Gavin Williams out of the equation on short rest, leaving the Guardians to navigate their biggest game of the year with a patchwork plan built around the bullpen and a handful of starters in relief.
“Shawn Armstrong will start/open for the Guardians in Game 6,” Stebbins posted.
Armstrong has already handled this kind of assignment well in this series. He opened Game 4 on Saturday and worked a scoreless first inning while overcoming an error.
He then returned Sunday and gave Cleveland 1 1/3 more scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Game 5. Through 7 2/3 innings this postseason, he still hasn’t allowed a run.
That kind of effectiveness is why Cleveland is leaning on him again. But there’s also a catch: Armstrong has pitched in back-to-back games, and Monday would be his third appearance in three days. As an opener, he likely won’t be asked to go deep, which means Vogt will need several more arms to get the Guardians through the night.
The fresher starter in the group is Tanner Bibee, who hasn’t pitched since a short relief appearance in the division series. Bibee, the Opening Day starter and Cleveland’s leader with nineteen quality starts during the regular season, could be in line for bulk innings.
Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi and Daniel Espino are also available, and all three threw relatively light workloads in Game 4. Foster Griffin worked 44 pitches on Saturday, so his availability could be more limited.
The bullpen won’t be spared either. Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski all pitched Sunday, and with Armstrong, that group combined for six scoreless innings after Parker Messick exited early. Vogt now has to decide how much to press those arms on Monday while keeping in mind the possibility of a Game 7.
Armstrong also gives Cleveland some familiarity against Tampa Bay. He spent parts of three seasons with the Rays earlier in his career, and the top of the Rays order has had limited success against him. That’s notable with Tampa Bay’s lineup finding life over the weekend, including Yandy Díaz, who had three hits in Game 5 after homering in Game 4.
The challenge is clear. Tampa Bay leads the best-of-seven series three games to two and finished the regular season 55-26 at Tropicana Field.
Still, the Guardians have already shown they can handle elimination pressure, going 3-0 in elimination games this postseason after sweeping three straight against the White Sox. They also picked up a win at Tropicana Field in Game 1 of this series.
Game 6 is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field. If Armstrong and the rest of Cleveland’s pitching staff can hold the line, Williams would be lined up to start Game 7 on Tuesday, with a trip to the World Series hanging in the balance.
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Guardians Just Got An Added Insult Before Elimination Game In Tampa
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Stephen Vogt Just Raised The Stakes With Cleveland's Game 6 Plan
The Guardians are choosing patience over urgency as the ALCS shifts back into a critical Game 6, with Stephen Vogt saying Gavin Williams will not take the ball on short rest. Williams last worked in Game 3, and Cleveland is keeping him lined up for a potential Game 7 on regular rest instead of pushing him into a role that could compromise what comes next.
So Game 6 becomes a different kind of test for Clevelands pitching staff, one that will lean on Tanner Bibee and a collection of bullpen arms to get through the night. Its the kind of decision that speaks to how tightly the series is being managed, with the Guardians trying to balance the immediate pressure of elimination against the possibility of needing their best arm one more time. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Turn To An Unexpected Arm In Must Win Game 6
The Guardians are making a pivot in a do-or-die moment, handing the Game 6 opener role to right-hander Shawn Armstrong as they try to keep their season alive. Cleveland has already seen what a steady postseason arm can do from the other side, with Rays starter Drew Rasmussen following up a strong run with another dominant Game 5 outing, while the Guardians are still trying to settle the top of their pitching plan after rookie Parker Messick struggled in his recent start.
Freddy Peralta is lined up to start Game 6 for Tampa Bay, adding another layer to a matchup that has tilted toward the Rays pitching depth. For Cleveland, the decision to turn to Armstrong is a clear sign of how tight the margin is now, and how much the Guardians are leaning on flexibility rather than a more traditional formula as they face one last chance to force the series on. [Read more 🡒]