Drew Rasmussen this postseason:
21 IP | 13 H | 3 R | 3 BB | 23 K
The Rays ace has shown up in a big way. Rasmussen has easily been the best starting pitcher in baseball this October.
Off The Trop retweeted
Most batted balls over 110 mph in Rays postseason history (Statcast era):
Junior Caminero: 4
Avisaíl García: 3
Kevin Kiermaier: 2
Randy Arozarena: 2
Yandy Díaz: 2
Brandon Lowe: 2
Mike Zunino: 2
Hunter Renfroe: 1
Caminero has only seen 138 pitches, the fewest on this list.
Nick Martinez is getting the ball for Game 4 of the ALCS. He was dominant in his 2 starts against the Guardians this season:
4/28: 7 IP | 3 H | 0 ER | 1 BB | 4 K
7/25: 6 IP | 4 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 5 K
With the Guardians turning to a bullpen game tonight, the Rays should have the pitching advantage.
Find a way to win tonight, and Rasmussen will have a chance to put Tampa Bay up 3-2 tomorrow before heading back to the Trop. #RaysUp
Griffin Jax will make his first start since September 26 today.
Since becoming a starter in late August, he’s been a great addition to the Rays rotation. His stats as a starter:
23 GS | 103.1 IP | 3.14 ERA | 1.11 WHIP
3.43 FIP | 3.31 xFIP | 18.8% K-BB%
Jonny DeLuca winning the everyday CF role has been one of my favorite storylines for the Rays this postseason.
He’s made the most of the opportunity in the small sample size this October:
6-for-18 (.333 AVG) | 1 2B | 2 SB
Off The Trop retweeted
Freddy Peralta and @RaysBaseball even up the series 😤
The ALCS heads to Cleveland tied 1-1!
#NoTimeLikeOctober
ALT Final score: Cleveland Guardians 1, Tampa Bay Rays 3 ALCS 2026 Series tied 1-1 Pictured: Freddy Peralta is amped up after an inning-ending strikeout on Tuesday at Tropicana Field
Freddy Peralta continued his dominant stretch with another 6 scoreless innings tonight.
His stats in his last 8 starts:
44.2 IP | 36 K | 0.81 ERA | 0.83 WHIP
Freddy Peralta gets the ball tonight with Tampa Bay looking to even up the series.
The Rays are 7-0 in his last 7 starts, and he has been nothing short of dominant during this stretch.
38.2 IP | 30 K | 0.93 ERA | 0.80 WHIP
This team has responded to adversity at every step this season, and I have no reason to believe that’ll stop now.
Win tonight, and we’ve got ourselves a best-of-5. #RaysUp
Freddy Peralta gets the ball tonight with Tampa Bay looking to even up the series.
The Rays are 7-0 in his last 7 starts, and he has been nothing short of dominant during this stretch.
38.2 IP | 30 K | 0.93 ERA | 0.80 WHIP
This team has responded to adversity at every step this season, and I have no reason to believe that’ll stop now.
Win tonight, and we’ve got ourselves a best-of-5. #RaysUp
Off The Trop retweeted
For those concerned about facing Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, let's also remember the Rays beat the soon-to-be AL Cy Young winner in Cam Schlittler and Max Fried in back-to-back games last week…
You can’t go 11-0 in the postseason, flush it and play hard tonight.
Off The Trop retweeted
The Rays are a changeup factory, and the Guardians didn’t have much success against changeups during the regular season: .204 AVG (28th), .315 SLG (27th), .240 wOBA (29th), and -17 RV (29th).
The Rays are set to face LHP Foster Griffin tonight, and Cash will have some interesting lineup decisions to make.
Foster Griffin’s splits:
vs. RHH: .265/.318/.415 | .733 OPS
vs. LHH: .204/.269/.376 | .646 OPS
There seem to be 3 spots to debate for the lineup: Hicks/Fortes, Palacios/Williamson, and Mesa/Simpson.
Hicks and Fortes vs. LHP:
Hicks: .505 OPS | 45 wRC+
Fortes: .676 OPS | 91 wRC+
Palacios and Williamson vs. LHP:
Palacios: .478 OPS | 37 wRC+
Williamson: .585 OPS | 62 wRC+
Mesa and Simpson vs. LHP:
Mesa: .868 OPS | 146 wRC+
Simpson: .633 OPS | 74 wRC+
Personally, I’d start Fortes over Hicks, Palacios over Williamson, and Mesa over Simpson.
Fortes has handled lefties much better than Hicks, Palacios has been swinging a hot bat, and Mesa has earned the right to play every day.
