The Guardians are one win into this ALCS push, and Game 2 brings a very different kind of test. After handling the Drew Rasmussen matchup, Cleveland now turns to Parker Messick and a date with Freddy Peralta, with the next three victories standing between them and the World Series.
Messick is the biggest swing piece on the mound. He’s logged 193 innings this season, so there’s some fatigue to watch, but the Guardians spent the year seeing him perform like one of the best arms in baseball.
He was the sixth-best pitcher in MLB during the regular season, and Cleveland needs that version of him again if it wants to turn this series on its head. He’ll also have to work through some real trouble spots in the Rays’ lineup, especially the left-handed bat-mashing Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero.
At the plate, the Guardians could use someone - or several someones - to burst out all at once. Steven Kwan, Travis Bazzana, Angel Martinez and Brayan Rocchio all sit in that category.
Kwan and Bazzana have mixed in singles and walks. Martinez picked up his first playoff hit last night.
Rocchio, meanwhile, has been quiet for the past three games. Any one of those four feels close to producing the kind of night that can tilt a game.
Peralta, though, is a problem Cleveland has to solve first. Since landing with the Rays, he’s been excellent, posting a 0.96 ERA in September, and his changeup has been the pitch doing the most damage.
That’s not ideal for a Guardians offense that has trouble with changeups, though they did enough against another strong changeup artist in Rasmussen to scratch out a couple runs. The approach has to stay aggressive early in counts, especially on strikes, while also staying disciplined enough to battle off the changeup later.
Cleveland should also like its chances against a Rays bullpen that, outside Bryan Baker, appears vulnerable if the Guardians can keep forcing Tampa Bay to dig into multiple arms.
There’s one more wrinkle Cleveland has to be ready for: the chaos. The Rays are expected to lean hard into hit-and-run, bunting, basestealing and all the little games that can scramble a series.
That puts a premium on clean defense and sharp minds. The Guardians have the lead for now, but Game 2 figures to be about whether they can stay composed when Tampa Bay starts turning the tempo up.
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Cade Smith Is Giving Cleveland A Bullpen Edge And A Real Debate
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Hunter Gaddis has been part of that mix too, keeping runs off the board and giving Cleveland more than one late-game answer. The bigger question now is how Vogt keeps sorting through those leverage spots as the pressure rises, especially with Smith continuing to look like the kind of pitcher who can handle just about any inning he is handed. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Flipped This ALCS In Their Favor Early
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For a club trying to seize control early in a short series, the timing of the big hits mattered just as much as the final margin. Cleveland turned a tight game into a more comfortable finish before the inning-by-inning tension fully settled, and with a 1-0 lead in hand, the Guardians have already made the Rays feel like they are chasing from behind. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Pulled Off Another October Rally Fans Wont Forget
The opening game of the American League Championship Series had the feel of an old October script for Cleveland, with Tampa Bay jumping out to a two-run lead in the first inning and the Guardians left to climb out of another early hole. Instead of letting the moment get away from them, Cleveland kept putting traffic on the bases and waited for the swing that could change the game, eventually stacking together enough offense to turn a tense start into a night that felt very much in line with the way this club has won so many big games.
Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey delivered the kind of extra-base jolts that can flip a postseason game in a hurry, and Jos Ramrez kept the pressure on with three hits and an RBI as the innings wore on. By the time the Guardians were protecting a 7-3 lead in the ninth, the story had become less about the early deficit and more about a lineup that never stopped answering, while Clevelands pitching made sure Tampa Bay never found a late counterpunch and the series opened with the Guardians in control. [Read more 🡒]