Rain postpones ALCS Game 4 between Guardians and Rays

CLEVELAND – Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays was postponed Friday because of rain, and it will now be played Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

Major League Baseball also moved Game 5 to Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, which had been scheduled as an off-day. Both games will be played in Cleveland. If a Game 6 is needed, it will be played Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Guardians lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 after edging the Rays 3-2 in Game 3. The first team to win four games advances to the World Series.

The winner will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Milwaukee clinched Thursday night and has been waiting for its opponent since. The Brewers are in their first World Series since 1982.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said the weather did not improve as hoped.

“I think the rain didn’t change. It never cleared out the way they were hoping it would,” Cash said, according to MLB.com.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said the decision was out of the teams’ hands.

“It’s completely out of our control,” Vogt said, according to MLB.com.

The postponement changes the pitching plans for both clubs. Tampa Bay is expected to start right-hander Nick Martinez in Game 4. Cleveland is expected to open with Shawn Armstrong, with a bullpen game expected to follow him.

The extra day also gives both managers more flexibility for Game 5. For the Rays, Drew Rasmussen is available and Freddy Peralta is also an option. The Guardians could bring back Parker Messick on regular rest, followed by Gavin Williams, MLB.com reported.

The forecast for the rest of the weekend is much better, and no further delays are expected. Saturday evening could drop to about 4 C (40 F), but no heavy rain is projected for the Cleveland area.

The postponement does not change the potential schedule for the rest of the series beyond the one-day shift. Game 6 would still be played in St. Petersburg on Monday, and a seventh game, if required, would follow there. A start date for the World Series has not been announced in the reports reviewed by Canada News Media.

Cleveland is trying to reach its first World Series since 2016, while Tampa Bay is chasing its first championship appearance since 2020.

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Via ESPN and MLB.com.