The Guardians have turned the page from their ALDS comeback and now open the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night at the Tropicana Dome, with Stephen Vogt choosing left-hander Foster Griffin for Game 1.
It’s a notable call for Cleveland, mostly because Griffin only appeared in nine games for the Guardians during the regular season. Vogt is working around the reality that ace starter Gavin Williams already took the ball in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox, the winner-take-all game that sent Cleveland through.
The Guardians needed every bit of that push to get here. They dropped the first two games at home, then fought back with two wins in Chicago to even the series before finishing the job with a 2-0 victory in the decisive game at Progressive Field.
Griffin, a 30-year-old journeyman, split the season between the Washington Nationals and Cleveland and finished with a combined 15-6 record and a 3.60 earned run average. He also struck out 158 batters across 172.2 innings in the regular season.
In the ALDS, Griffin logged 2.2 innings and gave up two hits and one earned run against the White Sox.
Tampa Bay has been sitting and waiting after sweeping the New York Yankees in its own ALDS. Drew Rasmussen gets the Game 1 assignment for the Rays, and he arrives off a dominant showing against New York.
Rasmussen worked 8.0 innings, struck out 10 and walked two in that outing. He set the tone in Game 1 with a 1-0 win, and now he’ll try to do the same as the Rays open the ALCS at home.
In Other News...
Guardians Face One ALCS Roster Choice That Could Shape This Series
With a seven-game battle against the Rays looming, Stephen Vogt is weighing one of those postseason roster calls that can quietly shape everything that follows. The Guardians are looking at whether to keep a deeper bench of position players or trim back toward a more traditional split between pitchers and hitters, a decision made more complicated by the grind of a long series and the need to cover every inning carefully.
Daniel Schneemanns spot is part of the conversation as the club searches for more right-handed punch, while the pitching side brings its own option if Cleveland wants another arm that can bridge multiple innings. Vogt does not have the luxury of treating this as a marginal choice, either, because the roster balance can affect late-game matchups, pinch-hit flexibility and how aggressively the Guardians can manage their bullpen over the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Enter ALCS With One Huge Pitching Question
The American League Championship Series opens tomorrow in Tampa, and the matchup between the Rays and Guardians brings together two clubs built on pitching depth. Tampa Bay already has its Game 1 plan in place with Drew Rasmussen set to take the ball, while Cleveland is still sorting through its options after a five-game Division Series against the White Sox.
For the Guardians, the biggest decision is still hanging over the start of the series, and it could shape how they line up the rest of the rotation. Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Foster Griffin, Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee are all in the mix as Cleveland works through its choice, a reminder that even at this stage of October, the margin for error starts with the first pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Made One ALCS Roster Choice Fans Will Be Watching
With the American League Championship Series now set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland adjusted its roster in a way that says plenty about how it sees this matchup unfolding. The Guardians brought in pitcher Slade Cecconi and left utilityman Daniel Schneeman off the ALCS group, a move that tilts the bench a little more toward arms as the series shifts into a deeper October grind.
Cecconi spent most of the season in the rotation, making 21 starts, but has recently been working in a relief role and figures to give Cleveland another option out of the bullpen if this turns into a longer battle. Schneeman had already been absent from the ALDS games, and his omission here underscores how much roster flexibility matters once the games become compressed and every spot has to serve a very specific purpose. [Read more 🡒]