The Cleveland Guardians snatched a 3-2 victory from the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, putting them up 2-1 in this best-of-seven ALCS series, but that win came with a massive asterisk hanging over their ace. Despite securing the crucial Game 3, there’s a serious red flag waving for Cleveland’s chances that you can’t ignore.
Cleveland’s Ace Shows Ominous Cracks
Guardians starter Gavin Williams was out there doing his thing, looking totally dominant for a good stretch. He racked up 13 strikeouts and gave up just two hits, which is incredible in an ALCS game. However, the radar gun started flashing some warning signs when his velocity plummeted beyond 50 pitches in that outing. Manager Stephen Vogt saw it too, yanking Williams after just five innings. That’s a little unsettling for a team trying to win a long series, let alone think about the World Series if they make it. Sure, everyone’s gassed this time of year, leaving it all out there, and maybe Vogt just told him to air it out for a shorter burst. But that velocity drop, man, that’s not what you want to see from your top arm when the stakes are this high. He was lights out when he was in, no doubt, but that short leash and the dipping velo are real concerns.
Bullpen Burden and Game 4’s Do-or-Die Stakes
Meanwhile, the Rays aren’t exactly feeling down about it. They went toe-to-toe with Cleveland in Game 3, showing they can hang. They know if this series goes the distance, the final two games would be back in Tampa Bay. But to make that happen, they absolutely need a victory tonight to square things up. Otherwise, the Guardians could ride this momentum and just run away with the series. The pressure is real, especially with Cleveland’s top relief arms already carrying a huge load. Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith both pitched on Thursday, meaning a bullpen game tonight is going to lean on them hard. Rays manager Kevin Cash probably doesn’t care who’s pitching, he’s just gotta bring his best arms to bear in any close game and try to tie this thing up. Expecting Martinez to go deep tonight is probably a pipe dream too. Both managers are trying to keep their top guys fresh and not waste them in a losing effort, so holding a lead into the middle innings will be absolutely huge.
This has been an unbelievably entertaining matchup so far, and honestly, we’re probably gonna see another nail-biter tonight. It’s Nick Martinez (0-0, 4.91 ERA) for the Rays against Shawn Armstrong (0-0, 0.00 ERA) for the Guardians, kicking off at 8:00 p.m. ET on TBS. Get ready, because tonight determines if the Guardians take a commanding lead or if the Rays drag them back into a brutal fight.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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