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...
Junior Caminero Just Delivered A Statement The Rays Needed Most
Junior Caminero had been putting together the kind of at-bats the Rays could live with, even before the ball started leaving the yard. In Game 6, though, the production finally matched the process, as his two-run homer in the seventh inning stretched Tampa Bays lead to 5-1 at a crucial moment with the World Series in sight.
It was a welcome breakthrough for a young hitter who had been working through some earlier struggles, and it came with the sort of timely impact that can change the tone of a postseason run. Kevin Cash had already pointed to Camineros quality at-bats, and now the Rays have a reminder that even when the numbers have lagged, the contact has not gone away. [Read more 🡒]
Rays One Win Away As Game 6 Bat Could Change Everything
The Rays head into Game 6 with a chance to punch their ticket to the World Series, and the questions around how this one plays out are as much about power as they are about pressure. Tampa Bay has leaned on timely offense all series, and as the matchup shifts again, the focus lands on whether this game turns into one of those nights when a single swing can tilt everything.
Jonathan Aranda has become one of the more intriguing names in the conversation after what he has done at the plate lately, while Cleveland still has Jos Ramrez as the kind of bat that can change the tone of a postseason game in one at-bat. On the mound, Freddy Peralta gives Tampa Bay a strong starting point, and Clevelands bullpen approach means the Rays may not get many clean looks before the late innings decide whether the series ends here or heads back for one more round. [Read more 🡒]
Yandy Diaz Just Added More Pressure To A Massive Rays Game 6
Yandy Diaz added a little more edge to an already pivotal night for the Rays by sounding convinced Tampa Bay will handle Game 6 of the ALDS against Cleveland. It comes with the series hanging in the balance and with Freddy Peralta set to take the mound for Tampa Bay, a welcome development for a club that has leaned on his strong work since he arrived and into October.
The matchup also has a different feel on the other side, where Cleveland is set to go with a bullpen day and Shawn Armstrong as the opener. With the Guardians having to patch together the outing, the Rays have a chance to put pressure on early and make Diaz's confidence feel more like a forecast than a wish. [Read more 🡒]