Guardians-Rays ALCS Game 6 FAQ (Mon., 8 ET on TBS/HBO Max)

CLEVELAND -- A trip to the World Series is on the line in Game 6 as the Rays bring the ALCS back to Tropicana Field.

Coming off their 3-1 win over the Guardians in Game 5, the Rays look like the best version of themselves now, playing airtight defense behind elite pitching and doing just enough at the plate to make it all work.

These two teams are so similar, beginning at the very foundation of how they acquire and develop talent, right up to how they manage games on a night-to-night basis, so don’t expect any blowouts. Rays star Yandy Díaz has a prediction, though, full of confidence after five hits in the past two games in Cleveland.

“It's a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it,” Díaz said, asked about being one win away from the World Series. “But it all ends tomorrow. We're going to win tomorrow.”

If the Guardians are going to steal two from the Rays in St. Petersburg and pull off another stunner, just like they did in the ALDS against the White Sox, they’ll need to shut down Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero, the “big three” atop the Rays’ lineup who are all showing signs of life. It all starts behind with Díaz, though, the onetime Guardian who has been one of the faces of the Rays since 2019.

“He goes, we go,” said manager Kevin Cash. “We talk about leaders on the team and how they go about their business. What Yandy does at the top of our lineup, it ignites everybody. Not surprised that he is starting to see the ball well.”

The Guardians aren’t tipping their hand on plans just yet, but we know it won’t be Gavin Williams, who lines up as the likely Game 7 starter if the Guardians can force that. Pitching for the Rays will be Freddy Peralta, which they have to feel great about after the stretch run he’s had into the postseason. In Game 2, Peralta brought the heat over six scoreless innings, and despite throwing nine pitches of relief in Game 4 on Saturday, he should be ready to roll without limitations.

At this point, all the Guardians can do is embrace the challenge. They came back from being down 0-2 against the White Sox in the ALDS, and if José Ramírez can deliver another trademark moment, they can force a Game 7 on Tuesday.

“Let's go. We don't have another choice,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “We don't like being in this position, but it’s like we said in the last series when our backs were against the wall. They've been against the wall for a long time. This is when this team thrives. We know we've got our work cut out for us. It's a really good team and a really good team when they play at home, especially. So we know this is going to be tough. But if there's a group I'm betting on to get this done, it's our guys.”

Waiting and watching are the Brewers, who swept the Dodgers on Oct. 15, and they could know their World Series opponent by the end of Monday night.

When is the game and how can I watch it?

First pitch for Game 6 of the Guardians-Rays American League Championship Series is set for 8:08 p.m. ET on Monday at Tropicana Field. The game will be broadcast on TBS and HBO Max.

Spanish-language game broadcasts will be available on UniMas for the ALCS, and Spanish-language radio broadcasts will be available on Univision’s TUDN Radio.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Guardians: It will be a bullpen game, with RHP Slade Cecconi potentially starting things off.

Key Stats: Has allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over two ALCS appearances

The only thing that’s certain about the Guardians’ pitching plan is that ace Gavin Williams is not an option to pitch on short rest, as Vogt said after Game 5. Cleveland will once again trot out a bullpen game after Parker Messick’s short start in Game 4 prompted Tim Herrin, Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith to cover seven innings. Given Cleveland is in a win-or-go-home situation, a chunk of those guys figure to be available on Monday. But what’s clear is Cecconi, Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee all may have to play a major role. None pitched in Game 5.

Rays: Freddy Peralta, RHP

Key Stats: 6-0, 0.79 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts) since Aug. 26

Peralta is back to pitching at the top of his game, as the above numbers would indicate. He wasn’t at his absolute sharpest coming out of the bullpen for a couple outs in Game 4 on Saturday, but he has been dominant in eight starts since the end of August. And he has been excellent in five starts at the Rays’ park during that run, racking up 26 strikeouts against eight walks while recording a 0.99 ERA.

“What he's done at home, holy smokes. I thought he got back to being an athlete with us and not quite so robotic,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “It really freed him up to be exactly who we thought he was going to be when we got him at the [Trade] Deadline.”

Peralta’s relief outing came in place of his scheduled, between-starts bullpen session, so that should not affect any of Tampa Bay’s plans moving forward.

What are the starting lineups?

Guardians: Vogt wrote the same nine players on his starting lineup card for Games 3-5, and that doesn’t feel likely to change now. It will be interesting to see how aggressive he gets with pinch-hitters, such as potential options David Fry and Angel Martínez, if the matchup calls for it in a win-or-go-home game.

1. Steven Kwan, LF
2. José Ramírez, 3B
3. Chase DeLauter, RF
4. Jo Adell, DH
5. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B
6. Travis Bazzana, 2B
7. Patrick Bailey, C
8. Petey Halpin, CF
9. Brayan Rocchio, SS

Rays: Since it’s not entirely clear how the Guardians will manage their pitching with so much at stake, we’ll stick with a relatively standard projected lineup.

1. Yandy Díaz, DH
2. Jonathan Aranda, 1B
3. Junior Caminero, 3B,
4. Liam Hicks, C
5. Chandler Simpson, LF
6. Victor Mesa Jr., RF
7. Jonny DeLuca, CF
8. Richie Palacios, 2B

9. Taylor Walls, SS

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Guardians: Could the Guardians get at least two innings out of each of Cecconi, Cantillo and Bibee? That could help them bridge the game to their stable of high-leverage options, such as Sabrowski, Gaddis, Herrin and Smith. The Guardians are going to have to get help from across their pitching staff to force a Game 7.

Rays: The Rays only had to use three relievers behind Rasmussen in Game 5: Cam Booser, Tyler Wells and closer Bryan Baker, who has finished each of Tampa Bay’s six wins in the postseason. With a spot in the World Series on the line, expect everyone to be available if needed in Game 6. Booser has been their top left-handed option, right-hander Kevin Kelly gets most of the toughest right-handed matchups, and Wells has gotten back on track after a rough postseason debut.

Any injuries of note?

Guardians: None

Rays: None

Who is hot and who is not?

Guardians: Gaddis has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings this postseason. Rocchio is 4-for-31 this postseason. DeLauter’s 11 hits are tied with Rocchio (2024) for most by a Cleveland rookie in a single postseason. Adell is 2-for-18 with six strikeouts in the ALCS.

Rays: Díaz and Aranda each have five hits over the last two games, so they are clearly feeling right at the plate. Simpson has been a spark plug of late, too, contributing a key single during the three-run rally in the fourth inning of Game 2 and then accounting for all of the team’s offense with his two-run triple in the fourth inning of Game 3 before using his speed to great effect in Game 5. Hicks picked up two hits in Game 5 after a 3-for-20 start to the postseason, and Cash hoped Mesa (4-for-28 with 11 strikeouts) would feel encouraged after a well-struck flyout in Game 5.

Anything else fans might want to know?

• Former Rays center fielder B.J. Upton will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 6. Upton played a huge role in the Rays’ run to the 2008 AL pennant, blasting seven postseason homers, including four in Tampa Bay’s seven-game ALCS triumph over Boston.

• For those planning to attend Game 6, Tropicana Field’s gates will open at 5 p.m. Fans can arrive early for buy-one, get-one drinks including beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages from 5-7 p.m. Prepaid parking lots will open at 3 p.m., and the Rays are expected to take batting practice on the field around 5 p.m. before the Guardians follow.

• Ramírez’s 17-game postseason on-base streak is the longest in Cleveland franchise history.

• Cleveland pitching recorded six strikeouts in Game 5, to bring their postseason total to 120 through their 10 games. The 120 strikeouts are the third-most by any MLB team through their first 10 games of a postseason, behind only 123 by the 2019 Nationals and 122 by the 2022 Astros.

• Looking ahead, the 2026 World Series will feature a first-time matchup for a seventh time in the last eight seasons (since 2019). In that span, the only World Series between teams that had met in a previous World Series was in 2024 (Dodgers vs. Yankees).

• A Tampa Bay vs. Milwaukee World Series pairing would be the first World Series matchup of teams seeking their first championship since 1980 (Phillies vs. Royals).