Players in the Guardians' clubhouse say they are at their best with their backs against the wall.
After five games of the ALCS, it's more like being backed up with all but their collective 10 toes hanging over a 500-foot cliff, waves crashing and foaming on the sharp rocks below. But the Guardians are still standing.
Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen was dominant in Game 5 on Oct. 18 at Progressive Field. Guardians starter Parker Messick was not. The Rays prevailed, 3-1, and now lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two, with the series shifting to Tropicana Field in Tampa, Fla., for Game 6 on Oct. 19 and Game 7 a night later, if necessary.
The Guardians plan on making Game 7 necessary. They were down, 0-2, to the White Sox in the best-of-five ALDS and won three straight to advance to the ALCS. They had to win twice in Chicago before winning Game 5 at Progressive Field.
"Knowing we're able to do it, facing elimination — I think we feel a little bit better about this one, knowing we have some wins under our belts," said outfielder Steven Kwan, who had two of the Guardians' five hits in Game 5. "We just have to trust our plans and get ready for tomorrow. Quick flight, get over there and get back at it.
"We won't have our fans behind us, which is a bummer. We felt the energy tonight. We faced the same thing when we were in Chicago."
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said a decision on the Game 6 starter has not been made. He said Gavin Williams "is not an option." Williams would be pitching on three days rest. He would start Game 7 if Cleveland wins Game 6.
"Let's go," Vogt said. "We don't like being in this position. Our backs have been against the wall for a long time. This is when this team thrives. We know this is going to be tough, but if there's a team I'm betting on to get this done, it's our guys."
The Guardians entered the weekend with a 2-1 ALCS lead over the team that finished with the best record (98-64) in the American League.
Game 4 was scheduled for Oct. 16, but following an all-day rain and an hour delay after the scheduled 8 p.m. start, the game was postponed until the following night.
The Guardians were not sharp in the 7-3 loss Oct. 17. Fielding errors did not doom the Guardians Oct. 18 as they did the night before, but the Guards played Game 5 as though they were still suffering a hangover from Game 4. Even the best teams can't give away games in the playoffs.
Losing game 4 was critical because the Guardians were up against Rasmussen for the second time in the series in Game 5. The Rays' ace was 16-5 in the regular season. He held the Yankees to one hit in eight innings in an ALDS game the Rays won, 1-0.
Rasmussen pitched Game 1 of the ALCS and was charged with the loss in a game the Guardians won, 7-3. Rasmussen gave up a solo home run to Chase DeLauter in the sixth inning and a solo shot to Patrick Bailey in the seventh. He gave up eight hits in six innings plus one batter (Bailey) in the seventh.
Rasmussen is too good to stumble through another high-leverage playoff game. The Guardians pushed a run across the plate in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back singles by Kwan and Jose Ramirez and a groundout by Chase DeLauter, but by then the Rays already had a 3-1 lead. The Guardians left five men on base. They were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. That number shows how few scoring opportunities they had.
Messick, so dependable all season, an American League All-Star and a Rookie of the Year candidate, threw 57 pitches in two innings, gave up a run in each frame, and was pulled by Vogt before the third inning began. It was the shortest outing of the 43 starts he has made in his Major League career, including four postseason starts in 2026.
Don't be hard on Messick. He has pitched exactly 200 innings in 2026, including playoffs. His previous high was 133 2/3 innings in the minors in 2024. Still, Messick is 0-3 in the playoffs.
Messick said fatigue is not affecting his pitching. He has plans to pitch in the World Series.
"You don't count out the Guards," he said. "I think we showed that in the DS, and I think we're all confident going in. We're going to have a good flight here and go and try and win two games in a row.
"I've said it before. I feel great right now. Simply just me executing, but body feels good, arm feels good. I'm still throwing hard. I don't really have any body fatigue, just whether or not I'm executing the game plan."
Tim Herrin gave up one run in the third inning. Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith followed Herrin without allowing a run, but the Rays bullpen was formidable, too.
Rasmussen pitched seven innings. Cam Booser was on the mound to start the eighth. He got two outs and gave up a single to Kwan. Ramirez was on deck.
Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled Booser and replaced him with Tyler Wells. Ramirez could have tied the score with one swing of the bat, but Wells struck him out swinging.
Rays closer Bryan Baker, who tied Smith with a Major League-best 41 saves in 2026, kept the Guardians off the scoreboard in the ninth inning.
