The Cleveland Guardians are going back to a familiar plan with their season on the line. Facing elimination in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, Cleveland will once again hand the ball to a veteran reliever to get things started. Stephen Vogt had already ruled out starting Gavin Williams on short rest, keeping his ace lined up for a potential Game 7 on Tuesday. That left the Guardians needing to piece together the most important game of their season with their bullpen and a group of starters working in relief. MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins shared the decision on Monday.
“Shawn Armstrong will start/open for the Guardians in Game 6,” Stebbins posted.
Shawn Armstrong will start/open for the Guardians in Game 6.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) October 19, 2026
It is a role Armstrong has handled well this October. The 36 year old opened Game 4 of this series on Saturday and pitched a scoreless first inning, working around an error to keep the Rays off the board. He came back on Sunday and threw 1 1/3 more scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Game 5. Armstrong has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings this postseason, making him one of the most reliable arms on Cleveland’s staff.
The bigger question is workload. Armstrong pitched on both Saturday and Sunday, so Monday will mark his third appearance in three days. As an opener, he likely will only be asked to face the top of the Rays’ lineup once, so Vogt will need several more pitchers to cover the rest of the game.
The Guardians do have options. Tanner Bibee is the freshest starter on the staff, having not pitched since a brief relief outing in the division series. The Opening Day starter led Cleveland with nineteen quality starts during the regular season and could be in line for bulk innings. Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi and Daniel Espino are also available, and all three threw relatively light workloads in Game 4. Foster Griffin threw 44 pitches on Saturday, so his availability may be more limited.
The back end of the bullpen will be tested, too. Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski all pitched on Sunday, combining with Armstrong for six scoreless innings after Parker Messick exited early. Vogt will have to balance using them on Monday with the possibility of needing them again in a Game 7.
Armstrong also brings some familiarity with the opponent. He spent parts of three seasons with the Rays earlier in his career, and Tampa Bay’s top hitters have had little success against him. That matters against a Rays lineup that broke out over the weekend, with Yandy Díaz collecting three hits in Game 5 after homering in Game 4.
Cleveland knows what it is up against. The Rays lead the best of seven series three games to two and went 55-26 at Tropicana Field during the regular season. But the Guardians are 3-0 in elimination games this postseason after winning three straight against the White Sox, and they already won once at Tropicana Field in Game 1 of this series.
Game 6 is set for Monday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field. If Armstrong and the Cleveland pitching staff can hold the Rays in check, Williams will be waiting to take the ball in Game 7 on Tuesday with a trip to the World Series on the line.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Real Reason Guardians Aren’t Using Gavin Williams In Game 6
