Guardians, one win from control, face Rays in a rain-delayed ALCS Game 4
Cleveland lead the series 2-1 after Petey Halpin's homer; Tampa Bay start Nick Martinez and Cleveland open with a bullpen game.
The American League Championship Series resumes in Cleveland on Saturday night after heavy rain forced Friday's Game 4 to be postponed. First pitch at Progressive Field is 8 p.m. ET, with the Guardians leading the best-of-seven series 2-1, according to MLB.com.
How the series got here
Cleveland won Game 3 by 3-2 on Thursday, retaking the series lead. MLB.com reported that Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax allowed a go-ahead two-run homer to Petey Halpin in the fifth inning. Jax described the pitch as "just the wrong location right there." Tyler Wells and Steven Matz each worked two innings in relief to keep the Rays within a run, but the offence struggled: the Rays struck out 13 times, the second-most in a game by the club this year, and managed three hits and a walk, with only one hit after the fourth inning, per MLB.com.
Junior Caminero struck out four times, the first four-strikeout game of his 2026 season. Cleveland closer Cade Smith struck out Yandy Diaz in the eighth inning with the tying run on third base, ending a 10-pitch at-bat. After the game, Rays manager Kevin Cash said, "We've got to hit." Diaz remarked, "That's why they have two wins."
The schedule has changed
MLB.com says the rain in Cleveland never cleared and the decision was made to postpone. Game 4 is now Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Game 5 moves to Sunday at 5 p.m. ET and, if necessary, Game 6 is Monday at Tropicana Field. The original off-day is gone, which matters for pitching plans on both sides. The winner will face the Brewers in the World Series.
The pitching
For Game 4, Nick Martinez starts for the Rays. Shawn Armstrong will open for the Guardians, with a bullpen game expected to follow, according to MLB.com. Starters for Game 5 are not set; the same report said the Rays could use Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta, and the Guardians could use Parker Messick followed by Gavin Williams.
A preview from New Baseball Media, republished on Yardbarker before the series, called the teams similar: contact-oriented lineups and strong pitching, with defense potentially decisive. It noted the Guardians' bullpen struck out 39 batters in 27 innings in the Division Series against the White Sox, which is the kind of depth a bullpen game can lean on.
Why it matters
A 3-1 lead would put Cleveland a single win from the World Series with Game 5 at home; a Rays win would level the series at 2-2. The latest game suggests where the pressure sits: Tampa Bay's lineup has 27 strikeouts against 17 hits across the series, per MLB.com, while the Guardians' bullpen was strong in the Division Series. Whether that carries over into a bullpen game is the open question.
Torch will have a full report after the final out.