ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays entered Tropicana Field on Monday night holding a 3-2 lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series, sitting just one victory away from capturing the AL pennant and advancing to the World Series.
First pitch for Game 6 was scheduled for 8:08 p.m. EDT in St. Petersburg, Florida, with national television coverage on TBS and truTV. After dropping two of the first three contests, the Rays rebounded over the weekend in northern Ohio, sweeping consecutive games at Cleveland to push the Guardians to the brink of elimination. Tampa Bay earned a 3-1 win in Game 5 on Sunday, powered by seven strong innings from starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen, Yahoo Sports reported.
Peralta takes mound on short rest
Tampa Bay handed the ball to right-hander Freddy Peralta, who is making his second start of the series. Peralta dominated Cleveland in Game 2, delivering six shutout innings while yielding four hits, walking two and striking out six batters to capture the win. He also made a brief relief appearance in Game 4, working two-thirds of an inning, Yahoo Sports reported.
Because Peralta pitched in relief over the weekend, he enters Monday’s start on only two days of rest, according to The Big Lead. Outlets differed slightly on Peralta’s regular-season earned-run average: Yahoo Sports reported his mark as 4.42 alongside a 10-11 record, while the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel listed his ERA at 4.44.
To counter Peralta, the Guardians are leaning on an all-hands bullpen strategy to stave off elimination, SB Nation reported. Right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong was named the opener for Cleveland. Armstrong, who compiled a 4.58 regular-season ERA, also opened Game 4 and threw a scoreless first inning before turning the game over to Foster Griffin, Yahoo Sports reported. Across 2 2/3 innings pitched against Tampa Bay in this series, Armstrong has recorded two strikeouts and yielded two hits. Earlier Monday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had reported Slade Cecconi as a possible starter for Cleveland before lineups solidified around Armstrong.
Offensive focal points
Both lineups feature pivotal hitters attempting to carry their clubs through October pressure. Cleveland relies heavily on third baseman José Ramírez, who collected a single in Game 5 and has tallied hits in four of his past six playoff appearances, according to The Big Lead. Ramírez produced 111 regular-season hits, including 39 extra-base hits.
For Tampa Bay, designated hitter Yandy Díaz spearheaded the offense in Game 5 with three hits, starting with a leadoff double. The Big Lead reported that Díaz has recorded more than 1.5 combined hits, runs and RBIs in three of his last four postseason games.
What happens next
A victory on Monday would send the Rays into the Fall Classic to face the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The World Series is scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 23, in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
If the Guardians prevail in Game 6, the two clubs will meet in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. at Tropicana Field.
