Our Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays preview covers the odds, run line, moneyline, total, probable pitchers, first pitch time, TV channel and where to watch for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays (98-64) host the No. 2-seeded Cleveland Guardians (85-77) at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series was Monday night at the Trop. 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 on Monday night and lead the series 1-0 (MLB Stats API). Cleveland reached the ALCS by beating Chicago 2-0 in ALDS Game 5 at Progressive Field on Saturday night, Oct. 10, on José Ramírez’s two-run homer and 5 2/3 scoreless, one-hit innings from Gavin Williams, completing the first comeback from an 0-2 series deficit in franchise history (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). Tampa Bay swept New York and clinched with a 4-3 win at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 7, so the Rays had four days off before the series, while the Guardians opened it less than 48 hours after Game 5 (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). After Game 2, the teams get Wednesday off before the series moves to Progressive Field for Game 3 on Thursday (MLB Stats API). The teams last met in the postseason in the 2022 AL Wild Card Series, which Cleveland swept 2-1 and 1-0 in 15 innings (MLB.com). The probable pitchers are Parker Messick for the Guardians and Freddy Peralta for the Rays. DraftKings lists the Rays at -132 and the Guardians at +110 on the moneyline, with the total at 7.
Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Cleveland Guardians @ Tampa Bay Rays |
|---|---|
| Series | American League Championship Series (ALCS), Game 2 — best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format; Guardians lead 1-0 |
| ALCS Game 1 | Guardians won 7-3 (Monday, Oct. 12, Tropicana 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, 6 PM ET (Progressive Field); Game 4: Friday, Oct. 16, 6 PM ET (Progressive Field); Game 5*: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 PM ET (Progressive Field); Game 6*: Monday, Oct. 19, 5 PM ET (Tropicana Field); Game 7*: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 8 PM ET (Tropicana Field) (*if necessary) |
| Seeds | Cleveland Guardians No. 2 | Tampa Bay Rays No. 1 (AL) |
| 2026 Records | Cleveland Guardians 85-77 (44-37 on the road) | Tampa Bay Rays 98-64 (55-26 at home) |
| ALDS Results | Guardians: beat the White Sox 3-2 (L 0-3, L 3-4, W 9-3, W 9-5, W 2-0) | Rays: beat the Yankees 3-0 (W 1-0, W 5-2, W 4-3) |
| How They Got Here | 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 | Rays: First-round bye as AL East champion; swept the No. 4 New York Yankees 3-0 in the ALDS |
| Run Line | Guardians +1.5 (-205) | Rays -1.5 (+168) |
| Moneyline | Cleveland Guardians: +110 | Tampa Bay Rays: -132 |
| Total | O/U 7 (Over +102 / Under -122) |
| Probable Pitchers | Guardians: Parker Messick (LHP, 12-9, 2.56 ERA, 32 GS, 186.1 IP, 193 K, 49 BB, 1.06 WHIP; started ALDS Games 1 and 4) | Rays: Freddy Peralta (RHP, 10-11, 4.42 ERA, 32 GS, 169.0 IP, 156 K, 63 BB, 1.33 WHIP combined with NYM and TB; 4 2/3 IP, 1 ER in ALDS Game 2) |
| Managers | Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt | Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash |
| Venue | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Fla.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 13, 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 Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, 10:23 AM ET. Opening line: Guardians +111 / Rays -134, total 7. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before first pitch.
Guardians vs Rays ALCS Series Context
Format: The ALCS is a best-of-seven series in a 2-3-2 format. Games 1 and 2 are at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the top-seeded Rays, on Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET; Games 3, 4 and 5 are at Progressive Field (Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. ET, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET); and Games 6 and 7, if necessary, return to Tropicana Field (MLB Stats API).
Game 1: Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 7-3 in Game 1 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. Scoring plays (score after each): Junior Caminero singles in the bottom of the first (0-1); Jonny DeLuca singles in the bottom of the first (0-2); Chase DeLauter homers in the top of the sixth (1-2); Patrick Bailey homers in the top of the seventh (2-2); Nathaniel Lowe singles in the top of the eighth (4-2); and more. Cleveland finished with 14 hits and Tampa Bay with 7 (MLB Stats API box score and play-by-play).
Guardians’ ALDS path: Chicago won the first two games at Progressive Field, 3-0 behind Munetaka Murakami’s two-run homer and 4-3 on Braden Montgomery’s two-out, two-run double. Cleveland won 9-3 at Rate Field in Game 3 as its pitchers struck out 19, with Foster Griffin striking out seven in 2 2/3 innings of relief, and forced Game 5 with a 9-5 win on Thursday after a six-run sixth inning. Williams struck out 12 in Game 5, and Cade Smith got the save (MLB Stats API box scores).
Rays’ ALDS path: Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 1-0 Game 1 win at Tropicana Field, with Jonathan Aranda’s homer off Gerrit Cole the only run. Tampa Bay won Game 2 5-2 behind a four-run fifth as the Yankees committed four errors. Ryan Vilade and Victor Mesa Jr. homered off Max Fried in a 4-3 Game 3 win at Yankee Stadium. Bryan Baker saved 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 at Progressive Field on April 27-29 and sweeping three at Tropicana Field on July 24-26. Five of the six games were decided by three runs or fewer, and the Rays won two of them 1-0 (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). Williams pitched Cleveland’s lone win, allowing an unearned run in 7 2/3 innings on April 29 (MLB.com).
Cleveland Guardians Preview: ALCS Game 2
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 and 8-2 in their last 10 regular-season games (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). 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). Chase DeLauter led the club with an .820 OPS, Ramírez stole 37 bases, and Smith had 41 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Lineup notes: Cleveland hit .212 (34-for-160) with 23 runs, three homers and 27 walks in the ALDS, went 10-for-37 with runners in scoring position and left 34 men on base (MLB Stats API box scores). After going hitless in Games 1 and 2, Ramírez went 5-for-12 with two homers and seven RBIs in Games 3-5, and Jo Adell drove in six runs in the series (MLB.com, MLB Stats API). Petey Halpin went 2-for-3 with two doubles in Game 5 after replacing Angel Martínez, who was 0-for-15 in Games 1-4. MLB.com’s projected ALCS lineup going into Game 1: Kwan (LF), Ramírez (3B), DeLauter (RF), Adell (DH), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Travis Bazzana (2B), Patrick Bailey (C), Halpin (CF) and Brayan Rocchio (SS).
Pitching and injuries: Guardians pitchers posted a 3.00 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 45 innings in the ALDS (MLB Stats API). Messick started Games 1 and 4 and Williams started Game 5, and Foster Griffin started ALCS Game 1 (MLB Stats API). ESPN lists 1B Rhys Hoskins (back inflammation, 10-day IL), RHP Colin Holderman (wrist surgery, 15-day IL) and RHP Andrew Walters (elbow surgery, out).
Tampa Bay Rays Preview: ALCS Game 2
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, Aranda drove in 92 runs, Chandler Simpson hit .306 with 46 steals, and Baker had 41 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders). The Rays struck out less than any team in the majors (MLB.com).
Lineup notes: Tampa Bay hit .208 (20-for-96) with 10 runs and three homers in the ALDS and went 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position; Aranda went 4-for-12 with a homer (MLB Stats API box scores). Cash used this lineup in Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS: Yandy Díaz (DH), Aranda (1B), Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Simpson (LF), Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS), with Vilade an outfield option against a left-hander.
Bullpen and injuries: Rays pitchers posted a 1.67 ERA in the ALDS and held New York to a .130 average (12-for-92) (MLB Stats API box scores). In Game 3, Seymour, Griffin Jax, Cam Booser, Kelly and Baker covered 5 1/3 innings after Nick Martinez. Rasmussen started ALCS Game 1, Peralta gets Game 2, and MLB.com listed Martinez as the likely Game 3 starter, with Jax or Seymour as the fourth starter. ESPN lists LHP Shane McClanahan (forearm) as out, 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.
Starting Pitchers: Parker Messick vs Freddy Peralta
Guardians: Parker Messick (LHP). The 25-year-old left-hander, in his first full season, went 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA in 32 starts, with 193 strikeouts, 49 walks, a 1.06 WHIP and a .217 opponents’ average in 186 1/3 innings, and his road ERA was 2.22 in 16 starts (MLB Stats API). He faced Tampa Bay twice and allowed one earned run each time: 5 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts at Progressive Field on April 27 (a 3-2 Rays win) and 7 2/3 innings at Tropicana Field on July 26 (a 1-0 Rays win). He started ALDS Game 1 against Chicago on Oct. 3 (4 1/3 innings, two runs, six strikeouts) and Game 4 on Oct. 8 (2 1/3 innings, two runs, four walks, five strikeouts, 65 pitches), a game Cleveland came back to win 9-5; Tuesday is on four days’ rest (MLB Stats API).
Rays: Freddy Peralta (RHP). Peralta went a combined 10-11 with a 4.42 ERA in 32 starts this season, with 156 strikeouts, 63 walks and a 1.33 WHIP in 169 innings: 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts for the New York Mets and 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 10 starts after joining Tampa Bay (MLB Stats API). His home ERA was 3.53 in 17 starts, and he did not face Cleveland this season. In ALDS Game 2 against the Yankees on Oct. 5 he allowed one run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts (66 pitches) in a 5-2 Rays win, so Tuesday is his first appearance in eight days. In 10 career postseason games (seven starts) he is 1-3 with a 4.03 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 38 innings (MLB Stats API).
Key Matchup Notes: Guardians vs Rays Game 2
- Messick vs. the Rays: Messick allowed two earned runs in 13 1/3 innings over his two starts against Tampa Bay, and the Rays won both games by one run (MLB Stats API).
- Run prevention: Tampa Bay’s 3.70 team ERA and Cleveland’s 3.77 were close in the regular season. In the Division Series, Rays pitchers had a 1.67 ERA, and Guardians pitchers had a 3.00 ERA with 75 strikeouts (MLB Stats API).
- Bullpens: In Game 1 on Monday, Cleveland used Foster Griffin (63), Daniel Espino (14), Joey Cantillo (17), Hunter Gaddis (13), Erik Sabrowski (14) and Cade Smith (6), and Tampa Bay used Drew Rasmussen (91), Cam Booser (8), Tyler Wells (6), Ian Seymour (9), Cole Sulser (27) and Kevin Kelly (5) (pitch counts in parentheses; MLB Stats API).
- Close games and lefties: Five of the six regular-season meetings were decided by three runs or fewer (MLB Stats API). SI noted the Rays had a .678 OPS against left-handers this season, compared with .751 against right-handers. DraftKings lists the Game 2 total at 7.
How to Watch Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays – ALCS Game 2
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
First pitch: 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT)
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
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 NLCS winner (MLB Stats API). Game 3 is Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. ET at Progressive Field, and Game 4 is Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. ET (MLB Stats API). Check the run line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 13, 2026 first pitch, and look for official lineups closer to game time.