Guardians Face Rested Rays in ALCS Game 1 at Tropicana Field

By
Harris
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Key Points

  • ALCS Game 1 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, with Tampa Bay hosting Cleveland on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.
  • Left-hander Foster Griffin starts for the Guardians; right-hander Drew Rasmussen starts for the top-seeded Rays.
  • Tampa Bay swept the Yankees in the ALDS and arrives with extra rest; Cleveland needed five games to eliminate Chicago.
  • A best-of-seven series will decide which club reaches the World Series after long title droughts for both franchises.

The American League Championship Series opens Monday night in St. Petersburg, where the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays host the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of a best-of-seven matchup that sends the winner to the World Series.

First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The game will be carried on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, according to MLB.com.

What happened

Tampa Bay reached the ALCS by sweeping the New York Yankees in the Division Series, then used the downtime to line up its rotation. Cleveland had to go the distance against the Chicago White Sox, winning Game 5 at Progressive Field before traveling south.

Manager Stephen Vogt named left-hander Foster Griffin as Cleveland’s Game 1 starter. Griffin allowed one run on two hits and struck out seven over 2 2/3 innings of relief in ALDS Game 3, MLB.com reported. With Gavin Williams and Parker Messick lined up later in the series, Vogt said giving Griffin the ball in Game 1 was a “no-brainer” after the bullpen’s heavy ALDS workload.

Rays manager Kevin Cash will start right-hander Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Yankees in his last outing, striking out 10. On July 26 he threw seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a 1-0 win over Cleveland, per MLB.com and Field Level Media via CBS Sports.

Latest development

Cash has again faced questions about rest versus rust after a second postseason break. The Rays earned a first-round bye, swept New York, and now open the ALCS at home with Rasmussen available to work on near-regular rest and potentially start multiple times in a seven-game series.

Cleveland’s offense heated up late in the ALDS. Outfielder Petey Halpin went 2-for-3 with two doubles in Game 5 after replacing Angel Martinez in the lineup, MLB.com noted. The clubs played six times in the regular season, with Tampa Bay winning five, though five of those games were decided by three runs or fewer.

Why it matters

Neither franchise has a recent World Series trophy. The Rays have never won one since joining the majors in 1998. Cleveland’s last title was in 1948. Both clubs built their seasons on pitching and defense rather than star-heavy lineups, and both managers (Cash and Vogt) have American League Manager of the Year awards on their resumes.

The series also closes a tightly contested AL path after Tampa Bay’s statement sweep of New York and Cleveland’s grind through a five-game Division Series.

What happens next

Game 1 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET in St. Petersburg. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Games 3 through 5, if necessary, shift to Cleveland later in the week, with Games 6 and 7 back in Tampa Bay if the series goes that far.

On the National League side, the Brewers lead the Dodgers 1-0 after Sunday’s opener in Milwaukee, with Game 2 also on Monday’s slate.

Related live coverage

Catch up on how Tampa Bay swept the Yankees in the ALDS, and see how Milwaukee took NLCS Game 1 from Los Angeles. For live news channels, use our Watch Live hub.

Sources