Right‑hander Shawn Armstrong steps in as the opener, ending the ‘TBD’ mystery. He’s logged four flawless innings in this series, giving Cleveland a fresh look.
Rays left‑hander Drew Rasmussen kept his postseason momentum alive on Sunday, delivering a seven‑inning, one‑run effort for a Game 5 win. Across three playoff starts he boasts a razor‑thin 1.29 ERA, proving a rare workhorse in today’s bullpen‑heavy world. “I tell it every time he takes the mound, but he’s a dog,” outfielder Chandler Simpson said to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “When he’s out there, we’ve got the best shot at victory.”
Guardians rookie left‑hander Parker Messick barely needed 57 pitches to retire six batters, the briefest outing of his career. He surrendered just two earned runs despite traffic on the bases, as Tampa Bay scraped only one run in each of the first two innings. The short stint likely rules him out as a starter tonight, though he could be a bullpen option for a possible Game 7. In my view, his limited work leaves more questions than answers about his role.
Cleveland now faces a steep climb with Tampa Bay’s Freddy Peralta on the mound. The recent trade‑deadline addition tossed six shutout innings to level the series in Game 2 and added a few outs in Game 4 behind Nick Martinez. Since early September he’s allowed just four earned runs over 39 1/3 innings, a dramatic turnaround after a tough first half with the Mets. “When I got traded here, I just felt different,” Peralta reflected last week, adding he finally feels like himself again. Can his resurgence tip the series in Tampa Bay’s favor?