The Guardians are keeping Parker Messick in play for Saturday night, even after he handled Game 4 of the American League Division Series.
Messick started Game 4, while Gavin Williams was the one who came out of the bullpen to work the ninth inning and close out the Chicago White Sox in Cleveland’s 9-5 win. Because Williams only threw one inning, it made sense that Cleveland would line him up for Game 5. Still, Messick is also available if the Guardians need him, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
“Every Guardians pitcher is available tonight, including Parker Messick,” Meisel wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
That gives Cleveland options in a winner-take-all Game 5, with the series tied 2-2. The winner on Saturday night moves on to the ALCS to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Cleveland and Chicago have traded blows all season, and now it comes down to one game to settle it in the MLB playoffs.
The Guardians would probably rather avoid dipping into Messick if they can help it. The ALCS opens Monday, so keeping him available for a possible Game 1 start would be the ideal outcome. But that only matters if Cleveland gets past the White Sox first, and if Messick is needed to help do that, manager Stephen Vogt is expected to use him without hesitation.
It should be a tight one. First pitch is set for Saturday night at 8 PM ET in Cleveland, with the Guardians trying to punch their ticket to the ALCS.
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The Guardians ALDS picture has plenty of moving parts, and the biggest ones are not limited to who starts which game. As the series has unfolded, the club has had to think through roster balance, how much pitching it wants to carry, and how the front office and players are viewing the broader landscape around MLBPA contract talks. It is the kind of October problem that goes beyond a single matchup and forces a team to weigh short-term survival against longer-term flexibility.
Gavin Williams added another layer to that conversation with a new role in Game 4, since his first big league relief outing also marked his first time pitching out of the bullpen since college. Cleveland is trying to manage the present while leaving enough options open for what comes next, including the possibility of deeper October decisions if the run continues. And with future labor questions looming in the background, the Guardians are dealing with more than just the usual postseason chess match. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Look Dangerous Thanks To One Deadline Gamble
Clevelands offense has gone from quiet to relentless at exactly the right time, and the sudden surge has the Guardians sitting one win from the ALCS after taking Games 3 and 4 from the White Sox. Both of those victories came with nine runs on the board, a striking answer from a club that had been searching for the kind of timely thump that changes a postseason series in a hurry.
Jo Adell, brought in as a recent deadline addition, has been right in the middle of it, giving Cleveland a jolt that has changed the feel of the lineup over just two games. His arrival now looks like the kind of move that can reshape October, and the Guardians will carry that new edge into the next game with a chance to finish the job. [Read more 🡒]
Jose Ramirez May Have Just Saved Cleveland At The Perfect Time
Jose Ramirez has spent much of the season searching for the version of himself Cleveland has leaned on for years, and in Game 4 of the ALDS he finally gave the Guardians a reminder of why he matters so much in October. After working through pain since hamate bone surgery and enduring a difficult offensive stretch, Ramirez kept showing signs of life across the first two playoff games and then added another jolt in a 9-5 win over the White Sox.
The biggest swing came in the fifth inning, when his two-run homer flipped the game and helped Cleveland protect its season for at least one more night. With the series now headed to a decisive Game 5 at Progressive Field, the Guardians suddenly have reason to believe Ramirez may be heating up at exactly the right time, and that changes the feel of everything around them. [Read more 🡒]