The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians meet in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Progressive Field, and this page has the full Rays vs Guardians odds, the pitching matchup, both injury reports and the series recap. First pitch is 5:08 p.m. ET on TBS. The series is tied 2-2 after Game 4 on Saturday night, and DraftKings lists Tampa Bay at -133 and Cleveland at +110 on the moneyline, with a total of 6.5 (as of Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, 10:05 AM ET).
Rays vs Guardians Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Tampa Bay Rays @ Cleveland Guardians |
|---|---|
| 2026 Records | Tampa Bay Rays 98-64 (43-38 on the road) | Cleveland Guardians 85-77 (41-40 at home) |
| Series Score | ALCS Game 5 (best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format): tied 2-2 |
| ALCS Results | 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); Game 4: Rays won 7-3 (Saturday, Oct. 17, Progressive Field) |
| Moneyline | Tampa Bay Rays -133 | Cleveland Guardians +110 |
| Run Line | Rays -1.5 (+135) | Guardians +1.5 (-164) |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (Over -104 / Under -116) |
| Probable Pitchers | Rays: Drew Rasmussen | Guardians: Parker Messick |
| Venue | Progressive Field (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| Date | Sunday, October 18, 2026 |
| Time | 5:08 PM ET (2:08 PM PT) |
| TV | TBS / HBO Max (truTV alternate; Spanish: Univision/TUDN) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, 10:05 AM ET. Lines can move before first pitch.
Series at a glance: Game 4 on Saturday night went to the Rays, 7-3. The winner of Game 5 moves within one win of the World Series, and Games 6 and 7 at Tropicana Field are both needed only if the teams split the next two. This game was originally scheduled as Game 4 on Friday, Oct. 16, and became a Game 5 makeup after Friday’s rainout, so Sunday’s 5:08 p.m. ET start comes less than a day after Game 4 ended (MLB Stats API, MLB.com).
The Rays vs Guardians odds table above lists the records, series score, lines, venue and TV. The winner of the series meets the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS.
Rays vs Guardians Odds & Line Movement
The current Rays vs Guardians odds for Game 5 at DraftKings (through ESPN, as of Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, 10:05 AM ET) list Tampa Bay Rays -133 and Cleveland Guardians +110 on the moneyline. The run line is Rays -1.5 at +135 and Guardians +1.5 at -164, and the total is 6.5 (Over -104, Under -116). The Game 5 line opened at Tampa Bay -128 and Cleveland +107 with a total of 6.5.
How the series has been priced: Here is how the Rays vs Guardians odds closed at DraftKings (ESPN) for each ALCS game so far: Game 1: Rays -163 / Guardians +145, total 6.5; final Guardians 7-3 (10 runs); Game 2: Rays -131 / Guardians +117, total 6.5; final Rays 3-1 (4 runs); Game 3: Guardians -132 / Rays +117, total 6.5; final Guardians 3-2 (5 runs); Game 4: Rays -108 / Guardians -104, total 6.5; final Rays 7-3 (10 runs). Every ALCS total so far has closed at 6.5 runs, the lowest number of the series lines listed by ESPN.
Tampa Bay Rays Preview: ALCS Game 5
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 the AL’s No. 1 seed. Tampa Bay scored 736 runs and allowed 650, hit .258 with a .728 OPS and 169 home runs, 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 closer Bryan Baker had 41 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Postseason so far: Tampa Bay is 5-2 this postseason (3-1 at Tropicana Field, 2-1 on the road) after a first-round bye and a three-game ALDS sweep of the New York Yankees. Through the games played, the Rays are hitting .214 with a .598 OPS and 5 home runs in the playoffs, and their pitchers have a 2.76 ERA and 1.00 WHIP (MLB Stats API). In four ALCS games, Tampa Bay has scored 15 runs on 28 hits.
Rays Injury Report
ESPN lists LHP Shane McClanahan (forearm) as out, and OF Gavin Lux (shoulder), RHP Edwin Uceta (shoulder), RHP Jonathan Heasley (elbow) and OF Jacob Melton (hamstring) on the 60-day injured list. None of the five has appeared in the 2026 postseason (ESPN, MLB Stats API box scores).
Cleveland Guardians Preview: ALCS Game 5
Season in review: Manager Stephen Vogt‘s Guardians went 85-77 to win the AL Central for the third straight season and 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 1,530 strikeouts and 46 saves (MLB Stats API). Chase DeLauter led the club with an .820 OPS, José Ramírez stole 37 bases, and Cade Smith had 41 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Postseason so far: Cleveland is 5-4 this postseason (2-3 at Progressive Field, 3-1 on the road). The Guardians lost the first two ALDS games at home to the Chicago White Sox, then won 9-3 and 9-5 in Chicago and 2-0 in Game 5 at Progressive Field. Their playoff pitching staff has a 2.93 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 80.0 innings, while the offense is hitting .232 with a .682 OPS (MLB Stats API). In four ALCS games, Cleveland has scored 14 runs on 34 hits.
Guardians Injury Report
ESPN lists 1B Rhys Hoskins (back) on the 10-day injured list, RHP Colin Holderman (wrist) on the 15-day injured list after surgery on Oct. 14 for recurring tendinitis in his right wrist, and RHP Andrew Walters (elbow surgery) as out (ESPN).
Pitching Matchup: Rays vs Guardians ALCS Game 5
The probable pitchers are Drew Rasmussen for the Rays (MLB Stats API) and Parker Messick for the Guardians (MLB Stats API).
Who has started so far: Tampa Bay has started Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Griffin Jax and Nick Martinez in Games 1 through 4. Cleveland has started Foster Griffin, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, then opened Game 4 with reliever Shawn Armstrong in a bullpen game (MLB Stats API box scores).
Rested starters: The Game 1 and Game 2 starters are the only ones on four or more days of rest for Sunday. For Tampa Bay: Drew Rasmussen (RHP, Game 1 starter on Oct. 12; regular season 16-5, 2.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 174 strikeouts in 172 innings over 30 starts); Freddy Peralta (RHP, Game 2 starter on Oct. 13; regular season 10-11, 4.42 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 156 strikeouts in 169 innings over 32 starts).
For Cleveland: Foster Griffin (LHP, Game 1 starter on Oct. 12; regular season 15-6, 3.60 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 158 strikeouts in 172 2/3 innings over 31 starts); Parker Messick (LHP, Game 2 starter on Oct. 13; regular season 12-9, 2.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 193 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings over 32 starts) (MLB Stats API).
Bullpen workload: In Game 4 on Saturday, the Rays used Freddy Peralta (9), Ian Seymour (29), Kevin Kelly (16), Cam Booser (4) and Bryan Baker (12) in relief after Nick Martinez, and the Guardians used Foster Griffin (44), Daniel Espino (22), Tim Herrin (14), Slade Cecconi (22), Matt Festa (21) and Joey Cantillo (15) after Shawn Armstrong (pitch counts in parentheses; MLB Stats API).
In Game 3, Tampa Bay relievers were Tyler Wells (26) and Steven Matz (25), and Cleveland’s were Daniel Espino (12), Erik Sabrowski (10), Hunter Gaddis (9) and Cade Smith (18). Because Game 5 starts at 5:08 p.m. ET the day after Game 4, relievers who worked Saturday night will be pitching on consecutive days if they appear.
Key Betting Trends: Rays vs Guardians Odds and Results
- Totals: With every total closing at 6.5, the ALCS games have gone over 2 times and under 2 times. Runs per game in the series: Game 1 10, Game 2 4, Game 3 5, Game 4 10 (MLB Stats API, ESPN closing lines).
- Moneyline results: Based on the closing Rays vs Guardians odds, the team with the shorter moneyline price has won 3 of the four ALCS games, and the road team has won 2. 1 of the four games was decided by one run, which is the margin that separates the −1.5 and +1.5 sides of the run line.
- Home and road: Tampa Bay went 43-38 on the road in the regular season and is 2-1 away from Tropicana Field in the playoffs. Cleveland went 41-40 at Progressive Field and is 2-3 there this postseason (MLB Stats API).
- Season series: The Rays won the 2026 season series 5-1 and outscored the Guardians 20-8, an average of 4.7 total runs per game across the six meetings (MLB Stats API).
Rays vs Guardians Head-to-Head: ALCS Series Recap
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. There were 3 scoring plays; the last was 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. There were 3 scoring plays; the last was 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).
Game 4: Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3 at Progressive Field on Saturday night. Decisions: W Nick Martinez, L Daniel Espino. Starters: Nick Martinez (5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 79 pitches) for Tampa Bay and Shawn Armstrong (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 13 pitches) for Cleveland. There were 8 scoring plays; the last was Yandy Díaz homers in the top of the ninth (7-3). Tampa Bay had 11 hits and 0 errors, Cleveland 8 hits and 2 errors (MLB Stats API box score and play-by-play).
Regular season: Tampa Bay won the 2026 season series 5-1 and outscored Cleveland 20-8, winning two of three at Progressive Field in April and sweeping three at Tropicana Field in July (MLB Stats API). Our earlier previews of this series are still up: the ALCS Game 1 preview, the Game 3 preview and the Rays vs Guardians Game 4 preview.
ALCS Series Context: Game 5 and Beyond
Format: The ALCS is a best-of-seven series in a 2-3-2 format. Games 1 and 2 were at Tropicana Field, home of the top-seeded Rays, and Games 3, 4 and 5 are at Progressive Field. Game 5 is the last scheduled game in Cleveland this season. Game 6 is Monday, Oct. 19 at 8:08 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, and Game 7, if necessary, is Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the same time and place (MLB Stats API). If the series reaches Game 6, Rays vs Guardians odds for that game will be posted in a separate preview.
What is waiting: The Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS, winning 2-1 and 7-4 at American Family Field and 6-2 and 6-4 at Dodger Stadium. World Series Game 1 is Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee, which holds home-field advantage over either AL club (MLB Stats API). For the full bracket and schedule, see our MLB playoffs hub and the MLB.com postseason page.
How to Watch Rays vs Guardians: ALCS Game 5
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026
First pitch: 5:08 PM ET (4:08 PM CT, 2:08 PM PT)
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
TV / Streaming: TBS, streaming on HBO Max, with truTV as the alternate channel (MLB Stats API: TBS/HBO MAX, TruTV). Spanish-language TV is listed as Univision/TUDN by the MLB Stats API. Radio: WTAM 1100 and WMMS 100.7 in Cleveland, WDAE 95.7 FM in Tampa Bay and ESPN Radio nationally (MLB Stats API).
Lineups, live stats and the box score will be on the MLB.com Gameday page for Rays vs Guardians Game 5. The Rays vs Guardians odds in the table above are as of the time shown and can change before first pitch.
Every daily baseball breakdown is collected on our MLB previews and odds page, and the MLB guide to moneylines, run lines and totals explains how each number in the Rays vs Guardians odds table works. Our free handicapping hub has the rest of the free content, and Cappers Direct Premium subscriptions, which include MLB packages add full handicapper analysis for the postseason.
Frequently Asked Questions: Rays vs Guardians
What time does Rays vs Guardians ALCS Game 5 start?
First pitch is 5:08 p.m. ET (2:08 p.m. PT) on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
What channel is Rays vs Guardians Game 5 on?
TBS has the game, with streaming on HBO Max and truTV as the alternate channel. Spanish-language TV is on Univision/TUDN (MLB Stats API).
What are the Rays vs Guardians odds for ALCS Game 5?
As of Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, 10:05 AM ET, the Rays vs Guardians odds at DraftKings list Tampa Bay Rays -133 and Cleveland Guardians +110 on the moneyline. The run line is Rays -1.5 (+135) and Guardians +1.5 (-164), and the total is 6.5.
Who is pitching for the Rays and Guardians in Game 5?
The probable pitchers are Drew Rasmussen for Tampa Bay and Parker Messick for Cleveland, according to the MLB Stats API.