Our Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians preview covers the odds, run line, moneyline, total, probable pitchers, first pitch time, TV channel and where to watch for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Friday, October 16, 2026. The No. 2-seeded Cleveland Guardians (85-77) host the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays (98-64) at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won Game 3 3-2 on Thursday and leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Games 4 and 5 also at Progressive Field. First pitch is 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT). TV: TBS / truTV / HBO Max.
ALCS storyline: The Guardians won Game 1 7-3 and the Rays won Game 2 3-1 at Tropicana Field, and the Guardians won Game 3 3-2 at Progressive Field on Thursday afternoon, so the Guardians lead the series 2-1 (MLB Stats API). A Cleveland win on Friday would give the Guardians a 3-1 lead with Game 5 at Progressive Field on Saturday; a Tampa Bay win would even the series 2-2. Game 3 was moved up to 1 p.m. ET because of the forecast, and MLB.com reported persistent rain in the Cleveland forecast for Friday; if Game 4 is ruled unplayable, Games 4 and 5 could be played at Progressive Field on Saturday and Sunday, a scheduled travel day (MLB.com). Rays manager Kevin Cash did not commit to Martinez because of the forecast, and Cleveland’s plans were unsettled Thursday (MLB.com, CBS Sports). The probable pitchers are Nick Martinez for the Rays and Shawn Armstrong for the Guardians. DraftKings lists the Rays at -114 and the Guardians at -105 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Tampa Bay Rays @ Cleveland Guardians |
|---|---|
| Series | American League Championship Series (ALCS), Game 4 — best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format; Guardians lead 2-1 |
| ALCS Games 1-3 | Game 1: Guardians won 7-3 (Monday, Oct. 12, Tropicana Field); Game 2: Rays won 3-1 (Tuesday, Oct. 13, Tropicana Field); Game 3: Guardians won 3-2 (Thursday, Oct. 15, Progressive Field) |
| ALCS Schedule | Game 1: Monday, Oct. 12, 8 PM ET (Tropicana Field); Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 PM ET (Tropicana Field); Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 15, 1 PM ET (Progressive Field); Game 4: Friday, Oct. 16, 8 PM ET (Progressive Field); Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 PM ET (Progressive Field); Game 6*: Monday, Oct. 19, 8 PM ET (Tropicana Field); Game 7*: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 8 PM ET (Tropicana Field) (*if necessary) |
| Seeds | Tampa Bay Rays No. 1 | Cleveland Guardians No. 2 (AL) |
| 2026 Records | Tampa Bay Rays 98-64 (43-38 on the road) | Cleveland Guardians 85-77 (41-40 at home) |
| ALDS Results | Rays: beat the Yankees 3-0 (W 1-0, W 5-2, W 4-3) | Guardians: beat the White Sox 3-2 (L 0-3, L 3-4, W 9-3, W 9-5, W 2-0) |
| How They Got Here | Rays: First-round bye as AL East champion; swept the No. 4 New York Yankees 3-0 in the ALDS | Guardians: First-round bye as AL Central champion; beat the No. 6 Chicago White Sox 3-2 in the ALDS after losing Games 1 and 2 |
| Run Line | Rays -1.5 (+161) | Guardians +1.5 (-196) |
| Moneyline | Tampa Bay Rays: -114 | Cleveland Guardians: -105 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (Over -109 / Under -110) |
| Probable Pitchers | Rays: Nick Martinez (RHP, 15-6, 3.10 ERA, 31 GS, 180.0 IP, 109 K, 26 BB, 1.09 WHIP; 3 2/3 IP, 2 ER in ALDS Game 3) | Guardians: Shawn Armstrong (RHP, 2-1, 4.58 ERA, 41 G/0 GS, 35.1 IP, 34 K, 19 BB, 1.39 WHIP) |
| Managers | Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash | Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt |
| Venue | Progressive Field (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| Date / Time | Friday, October 16, 2026 — 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT) |
| TV / How to Watch | TBS / truTV / HBO Max (Spanish: Univision/TUDN per the MLB Stats API) |
| 2026 Season Series | Rays won the 2026 season series 5-1 and outscored the Guardians 20-8 |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, 6:32 PM ET. Opening line: Rays -112 / Guardians -108, total 7.5. Lines can move before first pitch.
Rays vs Guardians ALCS Series Context
Format: The ALCS is a best-of-seven series in a 2-3-2 format. Games 1 and 2 were played at Tropicana Field, home of the top-seeded Rays. Games 3, 4 and 5 are at Progressive Field: Thursday at 1 p.m. ET, Friday at 8 p.m. ET (moved from 6 p.m. after the NLCS ended in a sweep, per MLB.com’s announced plan) and Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, return to Tropicana Field on Monday and Tuesday (MLB Stats API).
Game 1: Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 7-3 at Tropicana Field on Monday night. Decisions: W Hunter Gaddis, L Tyler Wells. Starters: Foster Griffin (4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 63 pitches) for Cleveland and Drew Rasmussen (6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 91 pitches) for Tampa Bay. There were 8 scoring plays; the last was Jo Adell doubles in the top of the ninth (7-3). Cleveland had 14 hits and 0 errors, Tampa Bay 7 hits and 0 errors (MLB Stats API box score and play-by-play).
Game 2: Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 3-1 at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. Decisions: W Freddy Peralta, L Parker Messick, S Bryan Baker. Starters: Parker Messick (5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 82 pitches) for Cleveland and Freddy Peralta (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 99 pitches) for Tampa Bay. Scoring plays (score after each): Ben Williamson reaches on a fielding error by third baseman José Ramírez in the bottom of the fourth (0-1); Liam Hicks singles in the bottom of the fourth (0-3); Chase DeLauter doubles in the top of the seventh (1-3). Cleveland had 6 hits and 1 error, Tampa Bay 7 hits and 0 errors (MLB Stats API box score and play-by-play).
Game 3: Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 3-2 at Progressive Field on Thursday afternoon. Decisions: W Gavin Williams, L Griffin Jax, S Cade Smith. Starters: Griffin Jax (4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 67 pitches) for Tampa Bay and Gavin Williams (5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 70 pitches) for Cleveland. Scoring plays (score after each): Nathaniel Lowe doubles in the bottom of the second (0-1); Chandler Simpson triples in the top of the fourth (2-1); Petey Halpin homers in the bottom of the fifth (2-3). Tampa Bay had 3 hits and 0 errors, Cleveland 6 hits and 0 errors (MLB Stats API box score and play-by-play).
Through three games: Cleveland has outscored Tampa Bay 11-8 and outhit the Rays 26-17 (MLB Stats API). Cleveland is hitting .257 (26-for-101) with three homers in the series, and Tampa Bay .185 (17-for-92) with one. José Ramírez is 6-for-12, and Jonny DeLuca leads the Rays with four hits (MLB Stats API box scores).
Division Series paths: Chicago won the first two ALDS games at Progressive Field before Cleveland won 9-3 and 9-5 at Rate Field and 2-0 at home in Game 5. Tampa Bay swept the Yankees 1-0, 5-2 and 4-3, with Drew Rasmussen carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning of Game 1 and Bryan Baker saving all three games (MLB Stats API box scores, MLB.com).
Head-to-head: Tampa Bay won the 2026 season series 5-1 and outscored Cleveland 20-8, winning two of three in Cleveland in April and sweeping three at Tropicana Field in July (MLB Stats API).
Tampa Bay Rays Preview: ALCS Game 4
Season in review: Under manager Kevin Cash, the Rays went 98-64 (55-26 at home, 43-38 on the road) to win the AL East and earn the AL’s No. 1 seed. Tampa Bay scored 736 runs and allowed 650, hit .258 with a .728 OPS, stole 164 bases and posted a 3.70 team ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 58 saves (MLB Stats API). Junior Caminero led the club with 42 homers and 101 RBIs, Jonathan Aranda drove in 92 runs, Chandler Simpson hit .306 with 46 steals, and Baker had 41 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Lineup notes: The Rays were held to three hits in Game 3; their two runs came on Simpson’s two-out, two-run triple in the fourth inning. In the series, Yandy Díaz has three hits, Caminero and Liam Hicks have two apiece, and Aranda is 0-for-10 (MLB Stats API box scores).
Pitching and injuries: Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta and Griffin Jax started the first three ALCS games. Jax allowed three runs in four innings in Game 3. ESPN lists LHP Shane McClanahan (forearm) as out for the rest of the postseason, and OF Gavin Lux (shoulder), RHP Edwin Uceta (shoulder), RHP Jonathan Heasley (elbow), RHP Ryan Pepiot (hip surgery) and OF Jacob Melton (hamstring) on the 60-day IL.
Cleveland Guardians Preview: ALCS Game 4
Season in review: Manager Stephen Vogt‘s Guardians went 85-77 to win the AL Central for the third straight season and earned the AL’s No. 2 seed, going 41-40 at home and 44-37 on the road (MLB Stats API). Cleveland scored 678 runs and allowed 667, hit .239 with a .696 OPS and 162 home runs, stole 146 bases and posted a 3.77 team ERA with 46 saves (MLB Stats API). DeLauter led the club with an .820 OPS, Ramírez stole 37 bases, and Cade Smith had 41 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Lineup notes: Petey Halpin’s two-run homer in the fifth inning of Game 3 put Cleveland ahead for good, after Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI double opened the scoring in the second. Lowe has three RBIs in the series, Patrick Bailey has three hits and a homer, and Steven Kwan is 3-for-14 (MLB Stats API box scores).
Pitching and injuries: Gavin Williams struck out nine in five innings in Game 3, and Smith got the last four outs for the save. Smith and Hunter Gaddis have each pitched in seven of Cleveland’s eight postseason games (MLB Stats API box scores). ESPN lists RHP Colin Holderman (15-day IL), who had surgery Wednesday for recurring tendinitis in his right wrist, 1B Rhys Hoskins (back, 10-day IL) and RHP Andrew Walters (elbow surgery, out).
Starting Pitchers: Nick Martinez vs Shawn Armstrong
Rays: Nick Martinez (RHP). The 36-year-old right-hander went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in a career-high 31 starts this season, with 109 strikeouts, 26 walks, a 1.09 WHIP and a .249 opponents’ average in 180 innings. His road ERA was 2.38 in 16 starts, compared with 3.90 in 15 home starts (MLB Stats API). He faced Cleveland twice and did not allow a run in 13 innings: seven innings on three hits at Progressive Field on April 28, and six innings on four hits at Tropicana Field on July 25. He started ALDS Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 7, allowing two runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings (63 pitches), and he did not pitch in the first three ALCS games. In nine career postseason games (one start) he has a 3.60 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15 innings (MLB Stats API). MLB.com reported that if Game 4 is pushed to Saturday, the Rays could instead start Rasmussen on normal rest.
Guardians: Shawn Armstrong (RHP). The MLB Stats API listed Shawn Armstrong as the Game 4 probable after this preview was first written. He went 2-1 with a 4.58 ERA in 41 games (0 starts) this season, with 34 strikeouts, 19 walks and a 1.39 WHIP in 35 1/3 innings (MLB Stats API).
Key Matchup Notes: Rays vs Guardians Game 4
- Series state: A Cleveland win on Friday would give the Guardians a 3-1 lead with Game 5 at Progressive Field on Saturday; a Tampa Bay win would even the series 2-2. Cleveland has outscored Tampa Bay 11-8 and outhit the Rays 26-17 (MLB Stats API).
- Martinez against Cleveland: Martinez allowed seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in 13 scoreless innings against the Guardians this season, and he has not pitched since Oct. 7 (MLB Stats API).
- Bullpens: In Game 3 on Thursday, the Rays used Tyler Wells (26) and Steven Matz (25) in relief after Griffin Jax, and the Guardians used Daniel Espino (12), Erik Sabrowski (10), Hunter Gaddis (9) and Cade Smith (18) after Gavin Williams (pitch counts in parentheses; MLB Stats API).
- Weather and scoring: Rain is in the Cleveland forecast for Friday (MLB.com). The three ALCS games have produced 19 total runs, and the six regular-season meetings produced 28 (MLB Stats API). DraftKings lists the Game 4 total at 6.5.
How to Watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians – ALCS Game 4
Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
First pitch: 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT)
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
TV / Streaming: TBS, truTV and HBO Max (MLB Stats API, MLB.com; ESPN also lists TBS and truTV). The MLB Stats API lists Univision/TUDN for Spanish-language TV, and MLB.com says Spanish-language ALCS telecasts are on UniMás, with Spanish radio on Univision’s TUDN Radio.
The ALCS winner advances to the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS with a 6-4 win on Thursday night (MLB Stats API, ESPN). Game 5 is Saturday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. ET at Progressive Field; Game 6 is Monday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, if necessary (MLB Stats API). Odds in the table above are as of the time shown and can change before the October 16, 2026 first pitch; official lineups are released closer to game time.