The Guardians are heading into the American League Championship Series with plenty of respect for what’s waiting on the other side, and Jo Adell isn’t pretending otherwise. Cleveland will see a Rays team that just swept the Yankees in three games, while the Guardians survived three straight elimination games to get here. Tampa Bay is favored by Las Vegas, and the first two games of the series will be at Tropicana Field starting Monday night.
When Adell was asked what stands out about the Rays, he didn’t reach for anything complicated.
“They’re a team that is a real gritty team,” Adell said.
That label fits the version of Tampa Bay that showed up against New York. The Rays finished only 22nd in the majors in home runs during the regular season, but they still outhomered the Yankees in the division series. They kept the pressure on with aggressive baserunning and made New York’s defense work every step of the way.
The sweep carried real weight for Tampa Bay. It was the franchise’s first-ever sweep of a best-of-five postseason series, and its first series win of any kind since 2020. The Rays also won the American League East this season, finishing 4 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees and taking seven of their 13 regular-season meetings.
That “gritty” tag could just as easily apply to Cleveland, though. The Guardians dropped the first two games of their division series at home, then turned around and won three straight elimination games against the White Sox to become the first team in franchise history to erase a 2-0 deficit. Both clubs have built winning teams without a giant payroll, leaning on pitching, defense and timely hitting instead of trying to bludgeon opponents.
Adell has been a key part of Cleveland’s push. After going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Game 1 against Chicago, he answered with a strong finish to the series.
He went 5-for-19 in the ALDS with two triples, six RBIs and three walks. One of those triples was a bases-clearing shot in Game 3 that put the Guardians in front for good.
That also put him alongside Kenny Lofton as the only players in franchise history to record multiple triples in a single postseason series.
If Cleveland is going to keep this run moving, it will need that same spark against a Tampa Bay staff that bottled up the Yankees. The Guardians will also need Adell’s power, because the lineup still has to prove it can deliver consistently after scoring just three runs over the first two games against Chicago before erupting for 18 in the next two.
In Other News...
Guardians Fans Just Got A Deeper Look At The Clase Ortiz Case
Federal prosecutors have now laid out more of the FBI investigation surrounding former Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, giving fans a fuller sense of how the case against the ex-Cleveland relievers came together. Both men face federal charges that include wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and both have pleaded not guilty as the case moves toward a November 2025 trial.
At the center of the allegations is a betting scheme in which gamblers placed large wagers on pitches thrown by the two pitchers, then reportedly cashed in on the results before money was allegedly funneled back to the players as bribes. For a franchise that spent years leaning on Clase in high-leverage spots, the latest filings only deepen the intrigue and the unease around a case that now has a clear legal timetable and plenty of unanswered questions. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Biggest ALCS Question Could Decide Everything Against The Rays
Cleveland got through the White Sox in five games to clinch the American League Division Series, and now the attention shifts to a far sharper test against a Tampa Bay club that swept the Yankees and arrives with plenty of momentum. The matchup sets up as a study in contrasting strengths, with both teams coming in after efficient October showings and a series that should be shaped as much by timely hitting as by the usual postseason pitching and defense.
The Guardians have reasons to feel good about where they stand, but the key question is whether their lineup can create enough pressure against a Rays team that already proved it can control a playoff series start to finish. Some of the clearest indicators point toward Cleveland needing certain bats to carry more weight than they did in the first round, while the pitching plan will matter just as much as the offense once the series gets back to Cleveland. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Made One ALCS Roster Choice Fans Will Be Watching
The Guardians made a notable tweak to their American League Championship Series roster ahead of facing the Rays, turning to Slade Cecconi for added pitching depth as the series moves to a best-of-seven stage. Cecconi spent the regular season in the rotation, making 21 starts, but he has recently shifted into a relief role, giving Cleveland another arm it can deploy in a potentially longer series where bullpen coverage matters.
Daniel Schneeman, meanwhile, was left off the ALCS roster after not appearing in the previous ALDS games. The move underscores how tightly Cleveland is managing its postseason bench and pitching mix, with every spot carrying extra weight now that the margin for error has shrunk and the roster decisions are becoming harder to read as the matchup with Tampa Bay unfolds. [Read more 🡒]