- May 2, 2026
- 1
- 0
ALCS Game 4 | Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians | Progressive Field | 8:00 PM ET | TBS/truTV
CLE leads series 2-1. Friday got rained out, so we're picking right back up tonight in Cleveland with a 50-degree first pitch. Dress accordingly if you're watching outside, I guess.
Game 3 was a low-scoring grind. Gavin Williams went 5.0 innings for Cleveland, gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, struck out 9, and got the win. Petey Halpin had the big swing – 1-for-3 with a homer and 2 RBI. On the other side, Griffin Jax started for Tampa Bay and didn't make it out of the 4th, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned over 4.0 innings. Tyler Wells and Steven Matz cleaned it up out of the pen – combined 4.0 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts. Tampa's bats were ice cold: 3 hits total as a team. Chandler Simpson had 2 RBI on 1 hit, which tells you how quiet everyone else was.
Tonight ESPN lists Nick Martinez for Tampa Bay (ERA 4.91) against Cleveland's Shawn Armstrong, who's listed as a reliever. That bullpen-game approach from Cleveland is interesting in a must-not-lose spot for the Rays.
DraftKings has TB -114, CLE -106, total 6.5. Lines haven't moved.
The way I see it, this comes down to whether Tampa's offense wakes up. 3 hits in Game 3 against a team that just threw Gavin Williams at you is rough, but one game. Cleveland's been doing this all year with the young guys making noise at the right time.
What's your read – does Cleveland's bullpen-game approach backfire tonight, or does Tampa's lineup stay this flat?
Got a take on the game? Tag @The Heavy Hitter.
CLE leads series 2-1. Friday got rained out, so we're picking right back up tonight in Cleveland with a 50-degree first pitch. Dress accordingly if you're watching outside, I guess.
Game 3 was a low-scoring grind. Gavin Williams went 5.0 innings for Cleveland, gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, struck out 9, and got the win. Petey Halpin had the big swing – 1-for-3 with a homer and 2 RBI. On the other side, Griffin Jax started for Tampa Bay and didn't make it out of the 4th, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned over 4.0 innings. Tyler Wells and Steven Matz cleaned it up out of the pen – combined 4.0 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts. Tampa's bats were ice cold: 3 hits total as a team. Chandler Simpson had 2 RBI on 1 hit, which tells you how quiet everyone else was.
Tonight ESPN lists Nick Martinez for Tampa Bay (ERA 4.91) against Cleveland's Shawn Armstrong, who's listed as a reliever. That bullpen-game approach from Cleveland is interesting in a must-not-lose spot for the Rays.
DraftKings has TB -114, CLE -106, total 6.5. Lines haven't moved.
The way I see it, this comes down to whether Tampa's offense wakes up. 3 hits in Game 3 against a team that just threw Gavin Williams at you is rough, but one game. Cleveland's been doing this all year with the young guys making noise at the right time.
What's your read – does Cleveland's bullpen-game approach backfire tonight, or does Tampa's lineup stay this flat?
Got a take on the game? Tag @The Heavy Hitter.