Yandy Diaz isn’t tiptoeing around the moment.
With the Tampa Bay Rays up 3-2 in the ALDS and one win from a World Series berth, the All-Star designated hitter made his stance crystal clear before Game 6 against the Cleveland Guardians.
“It's a great opportunity," Diaz said. "All of us are thinking of it.
But it all ends tomorrow. We're going to win tomorrow.”
That kind of swagger fits where the Rays are right now. After dropping Game 1 and falling behind 2-1 in the series, Tampa Bay has ripped off two straight wins and suddenly has a chance to close things out Monday.
Diaz has been a big reason why. He’s put together a huge postseason so far, going 11-for-35 with five extra-base hits, including a Game 5 home run, and two RBIs.
His .847 OPS leads Rays players who have appeared in at least five games since the start of October.
Tampa Bay also has plenty of other reasons to feel good about its position. The Rays finished the season with an American League-best 98 wins, and they took five of six games from Cleveland during the regular season.
Game 6 now shifts to a pitching setup that gives Tampa Bay a clear edge on paper. Freddy Peralta gets the ball for the Rays, and he’s been one of their best arms since arriving at the trade deadline. In 10 starts with the club after the deal, he posted a 3.25 ERA and struck out 43 batters in 55.1 innings.
He’s been sharp in October, too. Across three postseason appearances, Peralta has allowed just one earned run in 11.1 innings while striking out nine.
Cleveland, meanwhile, is going the bullpen route as it tries to stay alive. Shawn Armstrong, who made 41 appearances for the Guardians this year and struck out 34 batters in 35.1 innings, is in line to open the game. Manager Stephen Vogt said Gavin Williams isn’t available, leaving the Guardians to lean on their relief corps and hope it can force a Game 7.
Game 6 begins Monday at 8:08 p.m. ET.
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 🡒]
Guardians Turn To An Unexpected Arm In Must Win Game 6
The Guardians are reaching for a different look as their season hangs in the balance, turning to right-hander Shawn Armstrong as the opener for Game 6. It is the kind of October move that says plenty about where things stand, especially after Tampa Bay got a steady lift from Drew Rasmussen in Game 5, when he worked seven innings and allowed just one run.
Cleveland had hoped rookie Parker Messick could settle the matchup early, but he was gone after a brief outing and the margin for error only shrinks from here. Freddy Peralta is lined up to take the ball for Tampa Bay in Game 6 after a strong run of recent starts, leaving the Rays with a more familiar script and the Guardians searching for a way to keep the series alive. [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 🡒]