All tied up at 2-2, 2026 American League Championship Series has become a best-of-three as the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians square off in Game 5 on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Progressive Field.
The teams have traded wins in this series
, with the Guardians taking 1-0 and 2-1 series leads before the Rays have bounced back in the next game. In Game 4 on Saturday, Tampa Bay's bats came alive for a 7-3 win led by All-Star sluggers Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda.Due to a rainout that pushed back Games 4 and 5, the teams will not have an off day before Game 6 on Monday at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay is one of five franchises to have never won a World Series title, while Cleveland's last championship came in 1948.
The ALCS winner will face the
Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series, beginning on Friday, Oct. 23.
Where to watch Guardians vs Rays today: TV channel, streaming
- Game time: 5 p.m. ET
- TV channel: TBS
- Live stream: Sling and HBO Max
Watch ALCS on Sling
Rays vs Guardians starting pitchers for Game 5
- Tampa Bay Rays – RHP Nick Martinez: 16–5, 2.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 174 K, 9.1 K/9, 172.0 IP, 30 starts
- Cleveland Guardians – LHP Parker Messick: 12–9, 2.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 186.1 IP, 32 starts
Rays starting lineup today
- Yandy Díaz (R) DH
- Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B
- Ryan Vilade (R) RF
- Junior Caminero (R) 3B
- Chandler Simpson (L) LF
- Jonny DeLuca (R) CF
- Liam Hicks (L) C
- Ben Williamson (R) 2B
- Taylor Walls (S) SS
Guardians Game 5 lineup
- Steven Kwan (L) LF
- José Ramírez (S) 3B
- Chase DeLauter (L) RF
- Jo Adell (R) DH
- Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
- Travis Bazzana (L) 2B
- Patrick Bailey (S) C
- Petey Halpin (L) CF
- Brayan Rocchio (S) SS
Guardians vs Rays ALCS schedule
- Game 1: Guardians 7, Rays 3
- Game 2: Rays 3, Guardians 1
- Game 3: Guardians 3, Rays 2
- Game 4: Rays 7, Guardians 3
- Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 18 – Rays at Guardians – 5 p.m. ET
- Game 6: Monday, Oct. 19 – Guardians at Rays – 8 p.m. ET
- Game 7*: Tuesday, Oct. 20 – Guardians at Rays – 8 p.m. ET
Rays vs Guardians odds
Rays' Big 3 coming alive?
04:13 PM ET, October 18 2026, Jesse Yomtov"I think the big thing was just being relaxed," first baseman Jonathan Aranda told reporters before Game 5 "I could sense a little bit of just trying to force things a little bit in the first few games. And you guys have seen us all year. That's not the type of players that we are.
"I just felt a lot more relaxed at-bats for myself and for the group. And just trusting the results that we've had before, led to getting the results that we wanted in yesterday's game."
ALCS odds 2026
03:32 PM ET, October 18 2026, Jesse Yomtov
When does World Series start?
03:14 PM ET, October 18 2026, Jesse Yomtov- Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at Milwaukee)
- Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at Milwaukee)
- Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at AL champion)
- Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at AL champion)
- Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, Oct. 28 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at AL champion)
- Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 30 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at Milwaukee)
- Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 31 — 8:00 p.m. ET (at Milwaukee)
Travis Bazzana on 'three-game series'
02:22 PM ET, October 18 2026, Jesse Yomtov"We've been in situations where it becomes must-win or closer to that all year," Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana told reporters before Game 5 "We love these kind of situations. We're just excited for the opportunity today and kind of this three-game series that's here in front of us.
"Just gotta play our best baseball and make every pitch the focus and not the past or the future."
MLB World Series odds
02:17 PM ET, October 18 2026, Jesse Yomtov
Rays-Guardians ALCS Game 4 highlights
02:09 PM ET, October 18 2026, Jesse YomtovThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoffs LIVE: Guardians vs Rays in must-win game, lineups and ALCS pitchers
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