The Guardians no longer have a mystery attached to their Game 6 plans. Shawn Armstrong will open tonight for Cleveland, and the right-hander has already been effective in the series, throwing four scoreless innings.
That sets up another tight pitching chess match, with Tampa Bay handing the ball to Freddy Peralta. The trade deadline pickup shut down Cleveland for six scoreless innings in Game 2 to help even the series, then came back to record a couple of outs in Game 4 behind starter Nick Martinez.
Since the start of September, Peralta has been on a roll, allowing just four earned runs over 39 1/3 innings. His turnaround has been one of the biggest stories of Tampa Bay’s run after a rough first half with the Mets.
“ When I got traded here, I just felt different,” Peralta said last week (h/t Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). “.”
Cleveland is also trying to bounce back from a heavy lift by rookie Parker Messick, who labored through two innings in Game 5. He needed 57 pitches to get six outs in the shortest start of his big-league career.
The Rays piled up five hits and two walks against him, but Messick limited the damage to one run in the first and one in the second, leaving him with two earned runs despite all the traffic. He’s probably not available tonight, though the short outing could put him in the mix out of the bullpen if the series reaches Game 7.
On the other side, Drew Rasmussen kept Tampa Bay in control with another dominant outing Sunday. He worked seven innings, allowed one run, and took the Game 5 win while running his postseason ERA to 1.29 across three starts.
In an era when managers often rush to the bullpen, Rasmussen has given the Rays length every time out, going at least six innings in all three appearances. “ I feel like I say it every time that he pitches, but I mean, he’s a dog,” outfielder Chandler Simpson told reporters, including Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
“ And every time he’s out there, we know we got the best chance to win.”
In Other News...
Guardians Just Got An Added Insult Before Elimination Game In Tampa
The Guardians head to Tampa facing elimination after the Rays grabbed a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series with a 3-1 win in Game 5. For Cleveland, the margin for error is gone, and the next stop at Tropicana Field carries all the weight that comes with a season hanging in the balance.
Yandy Daz added to the mood around the series by sounding confident the Rays will finish the job in Game 6 on their home field, while also singling out Drew Rasmussen for the quality of his pitching in this matchup. Cleveland now has to answer not just Tampa Bays momentum, but the confidence the Rays are carrying into a potential clincher. [Read more 🡒]
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 Face A Season-Defining Game 6 Pitching Dilemma
The Guardians are heading into Game 6 of the ALCS with their pitching plan still very much in flux, and Gavin Williams no longer looks like the obvious answer for the start. His fastball velocity has dipped, and with the short turnaround between appearances, Cleveland is weighing how much it can realistically ask of him in a game that could shape the rest of the series.
Several other arms are in the mix as the club sorts through its options, including Daniel Espino, Joey Cantillo, Foster Griffin and Tanner Bibee. Even the broader plan is tied to what happens next, since the Guardians may need to cover innings with one eye on the possibility of a Game 7 and a pitching decision that could decide their October survival. [Read more 🡒]