CLEVELAND — The American League Championship Series began with two games inside a climate-controlled dome in St. Petersburg, Fla., one won by the Tampa Bay Rays and one by the Cleveland Guardians.
It now shifts outside for the next three contests, beginning with Game 3 on Thursday afternoon. The first pitch has been moved up five hours due to rain in the forecast for Northeast Ohio.
Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (1-0, 1.54 ERA in the postseason) will start against Rays right-hander Griffin Jax (0-0, 4.50 ERA).
“I think MLB did the right thing, moving up the game to try and bank as many dry innings as possible,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “But nothing changed on our end. Coming off an off-day probably helps a little bit, but that’s it.”
Staff ace Williams will remain on his regular schedule — five days after throwing a gem in winning Game 5 of the AL Division Series over the Chicago White Sox — in order to keep him on track to pitch a potential seventh game at the Rays.
Williams was magnificent in his three appearances against Chicago, two of them starts, allowing only two runs (both earned) with five walks and 24 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings. He tied the franchise postseason record with 12 whiffs in winning Game 5 at home on Saturday.
“My body feels good, my arm feels good, and I’m ready to go out there,” said Williams, who fell one short of the AL Division Series record of 25 strikeouts held by Gerrit Cole of the Houston Astros in 2019.
“(Tampa Bay) doesn’t strike out much,” Williams said. “They’re going to put the ball in play and put pressure on us. We’re going to figure it out.”
Williams pitched against Tampa Bay once in the regular season, picking up the home win on April 29 with nine strikeouts and no earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. The 6-foot-6 Williams finished the regular season at 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and an American League-high 248 strikeouts in 184 1/3 innings over 32 starts.
An important split could be when the games begin. “The Big Rig” went 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 13 day starts and was 7-6 with a 4.82 ERA in 19 evening contests.
“Game times have changed throughout the year, so I don’t think that matters,” Williams insisted. “I’m very routine-oriented, wake up the same time every day, and I honestly stick to that the whole day.”
Jax worked two innings out of the bullpen in the ALDS against the New York Yankees, striking out four while allowing one run on Oct. 7. In the regular season, he made 23 starts and 11 relief appearances after being a late-inning option prior to 2026.
Though Jax didn’t face the Guardians this year, he has a 4-5 record and 3.89 ERA in 27 career outings against them. He appeared in 11 games in Cleveland during his time with the Minnesota Twins (2021-July 2025) and twice with Tampa Bay in 2025.
“We like what he’s done as a starter for us all season long, and I expect him to be full-go,” Cash said. “He’s got really good stuff and he gets it in the zone, gets himself in rhythm. He got us some big outs in the DS, so he’ll give us a good start.”
Jax said he is relying heavily on watching tape of the first two games, when veterans Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta started for Tampa Bay. They each lasted six innings, giving up two total runs with 13 strikeouts.
“It’s always helpful seeing a lineup being attacked by two guys,” Jax said, adding that he views the now-afternoon first pitch as a positive. “I’m a morning person and spring training schedules are my favorite. It will be nice to, hopefully, have some sun tomorrow.”
Intermittent rain forced the clubs to delay their on-field workouts until late Wednesday afternoon. More extensive precipitation is expected Friday, when Game 4 is slated at this point for the evening.
“Friday is a game now that we’re going to keep an eye on,” Cash said.
–Brian Dulik, Field Level Media
