The American League Championship Series has been reduced to a best of three, and the Cleveland Guardians know exactly who they need to lean on. After the Tampa Bay Rays evened the series at two games apiece with a 7-3 win on Saturday night, Cleveland’s path to the World Series runs through its two most reliable starting pitchers. Parker Messick will take the mound for Game 5 on Sunday at Progressive Field, and Gavin Williams is lined up to pitch later in the series. If those two deliver, the Guardians will like their chances.
On 92.3 The Fan, Jonathan Peterlin said that between Messick and Williams, “you have to go out there and do the job between the next couple games.”
“Between Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, you have to go out there and do the job between the next couple games. This one becomes a must-win, definitely,” Peterlin said.
"Between Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, you have to go out there and do the job between the next couple games. This one becomes a must-win, definitely."
🚨 @JPeterlin and @LanceReisland on the #Guardians Game 5 outlook vs #Rays later today pic.twitter.com/0DqWyX2Kkk
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) October 18, 2026
Peterlin also called Sunday’s game a must win for Cleveland, and it is hard to argue with that assessment. After Game 5, the series shifts back to Tropicana Field for Game 6 on Monday and, if necessary, Game 7 on Tuesday. A loss on Sunday would leave the Guardians facing elimination in back-to-back road games against a Rays team that won 98 games during the regular season. A win, on the other hand, would put Cleveland one victory away from the World Series with two chances to get it.
Messick is well equipped for the moment. The rookie left-hander made the All-Star team, finished the regular season with a 2.56 ERA and struck out 193 batters, the second most by a rookie in franchise history. He has been especially tough on Tampa Bay, allowing just two earned runs over 18 1/3 innings in three starts against the Rays this season. In Game 2 on Tuesday, he allowed three runs over five innings, but none were earned after a fourth-inning error.
Williams has been even more dominant this October. He is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA this postseason and struck out nine over five innings in Cleveland’s Game 3 win. Williams was much better at home during the regular season, posting a 2.84 ERA at Progressive Field compared to a 5.05 ERA on the road, and his next start would likely come at Tropicana Field.
Messick will face a tough opponent on Sunday. Rays ace Drew Rasmussen is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA this postseason and carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Yankees in the division series. In Game 1 of this series, he allowed two runs over six innings before Cleveland rallied against the Rays bullpen.
The Guardians will have plenty of help behind their starters. Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski all sat out Game 4, giving Stephen Vogt his most trusted relievers fully rested for Sunday. Smith has allowed just one earned run in nine innings this postseason, so if Messick can hand over a lead, Cleveland’s bullpen is built to protect it.
The offense will need to do its part, too, after managing just three runs on Saturday. But in a series this tight, starting pitching may decide everything.
NEXT: Travis Bazzana Gets Honest About Guardians' Game 4 Loss
