Game Four of the ALCS is finally happening, and both the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are rolling out pitching plans that are, honestly, kinda baffling for this stage of the postseason. After an extra day of rest thanks to the rainout, you’d think we’d see aces, but nope, we’re getting some serious curveballs here.
Rays Tossing Nick Martinez and His “Frightening” SIERA
Over on the Tampa Bay side, Nick Martinez is getting the start. Dude somehow racked up a 2.9 fWAR and a 2.90 ERA this season, which sounds decent, right? But then you look closer. His K-BB% was a lackluster 11.5%, and his HR/9 was just barely above league average at 1.10. Put it all together, and his 4.63 SIERA is genuinely frightening. Seriously, that number is screaming for trouble, especially in October. Martinez has already made one postseason start, going 3.2 innings and giving up 2 runs in their series-clinching win against the Yankees. So, yeah, the Rays are hoping he can work some more of that magic, but the underlying stats are not pretty.
Guardians Going Full Bullpen Bonanza
And then there’s Cleveland. They’re going straight-up bullpen game. Shawn Armstrong is getting the ball first, but it’s going to be a revolving door for the Guardians. They’ve already leaned heavily on Foster Griffin, Parker Messick, and Gavin Williams earlier in this series, so those guys are probably due to cycle back through later on. Manager Steven Vogt is known for pulling his starters quick, and in a postseason that’s seen fewer innings from starting pitchers than anyone can remember, this track record makes sense. There’s even talk Tanner Bibee might get asked to pitch a few innings, but with this kind of strategy, who knows how long anyone actually stays out there? It’s a high-wire act for sure.
This ALCS has already been wild, featuring two of the top teams in the league when it comes to Starting Pitcher fWAR. But for Game Four, we’re getting a starter with some seriously shaky metrics and a full-blown bullpen melee. Let’s just hope they actually play this time after that rainout, because with these pitching plans, it’s bound to be a dramatic showdown no matter what!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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