It’s do-or-die time for the Cleveland Guardians. A win on Saturday will give them a ticket to the American League Championship Series, where they would face the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays. If they pull it off, it would be the second time in three years that they reach that stage.
If, however, the Guardians lose to the Chicago White Sox, the season will be over for them. It’s that simple: the AL Division Series is tied at two wins apiece, but Cleveland will play in front of their fans at Progressive Field, so they have a small edge.
To win, Cleveland needs Jose Ramirez to keep the foot on the gas and a truly excellent outing by Gavin Williams, among many other things. However, if the following two players leave their mark, the night will surely end in celebration.
Chase DeLauter
We know that Ramirez is getting hot and is actually carrying the Guardians these days. He did so in Games 3 and 4. However, he needs a sidekick, someone whose batted balls carry a similar impact as his. DeLauter, who would have been a top AL Rookie of the Year candidate had he stayed fully healthy all year, led the team with a 131 wRC+ in the regular season. Cleveland needs that hitter tonight.
The sweet-swinging lefty has a .583 OPS in the 2026 postseason, but the number is a bit deceiving. He has made plenty of hard contact, and some of those batted balls might start falling on Saturday.
Having Ramirez, who is on a nice run of form, hitting second in front of DeLauter might give the latter more than a few chances to do damage at the plate and bring in some runs.
Cade Smith
Smith is, by far, the Guardians’ best reliever and one of the most trustworthy guys in the entire majors. He is probably in line for a busy night on Saturday: manager Stephen Vogt used him to get the save in Game 3, and he tossed two scoreless innings, striking out five.
Then, he entered Game 4 in the eighth inning again. He got out of that one, but allowed a solo homer and a walk to open the ninth, and Vogt took him out to put Gavin Williams. The ‘Big Rig’ finished the job.
Unless the game is out of hand, you can be sure that Smith will be used again in Game 5. Miguel Vargas showed that he is starting to figure him out with that late homer, so that’s a matchup to pay close attention to. However, Vogt won’t be afraid to ask him to get him more than three outs if need be.
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