It’s win-or-go-home for the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series.
After the Tampa Bay Rays won two of three games in Cleveland to take a 3-2 series lead, they are just one victory away from punching their ticket to the World Series, where they would face the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers in a matchup of teams without a World Series title.
The ALCS moves back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Monday. Will the Rays keep rolling and advance to the Fall Classic for the first time in a full season since 2008? Or can the Guardians stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 7?
Stay tuned for lineups, game action and postgame analysis from Tropicana Field.
Key links: How final four teams were built | Playoff MVP tracker | Schedule
Starting pitchers: Shawn Armstrong vs. Freddy Peralta
What the Rays need to do to win: Sit back and watch Fastball Freddy do his thing. As good as Drew Rasmussen has been lately, Peralta has been even better. His September/October will be remembered for a long time by Rays fans if he closes out the Guardians on Monday. His fastball has been that good. On offense, the Rays need to use the knowledge they’ve gained from seeing Cleveland’s top relievers over the past couple of days. They’re likely to get another dose of them in Game 6.
How the Guardians can stave off elimination: Cleveland has won already at Tropicana Park in this series, which has to give the team some confidence, considering it might be shaken after the last two days. It won’t be easy on offense, but at least the Guardians are seeing Peralta for a third time — and their at-bats got better as Game 5 wore on. If they could do some damage while Peralta is in the strike zone with his fastball, they might not let him dictate the game the way he did in Game 2. — Jesse Rogers
Lineups
Guardians
1. Steven Kwan (L) LF
2. Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
3. Chase DeLauter (L) RF
4. Jo Adell (R) DH
5. Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
6. Travis Bazzana (L) 2B
7. Patrick Bailey (S) C
8. Petey Halpin (L) CF
9. Brayan Rocchio (S) SS
Rays
1. Yandy Diaz (R) DH
2. Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B
3. Liam Hicks (L) C
4. Junior Caminero (R) 3B
5. Chandler Simpson (L) LF
6. Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF
7. Jonny DeLuca (R) CF
8. Richie Palacios (L) 2B
9. Taylor Walls (S) SS
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