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The 2026 American League Championship Series is now official, pitting the AL Central-winning Cleveland Guardians against the AL East-winning Tampa Bay Rays.
During the regular season, the two clubs squared off six times, with Tampa Bay coming out on top in five of those meetings.
A consistent storyline throughout those matchups was exceptional pitching.
A closer look at the season series reveals which team might carry the most confidence into the most critical juncture of the year.
Put simply, Tampa Bay's pitchers overmatched Cleveland's hitters during the regular-season encounters.
Rays pitching limited the Guardians to a mere six runs across the six games, with half of those victories being shutouts.
Right-handers Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez each delivered standout performances against Cleveland.
Rasmussen took the mound for two starts, recording a 1.50 ERA with only two earned runs allowed and 15 strikeouts over 12 innings.
Martinez also made two starts versus the Guardians and was even more impressive than Rasmussen.
Martinez threw 13 shutout innings, surrendering just seven hits, issuing one walk, and striking out nine.
Even though they dropped the season series 5-1, the Guardians' pitching held up well against Tampa Bay's hitters.
If you remove an 11-run explosion in one game, the Rays averaged only 2.2 runs per game in the other five contests.
Cleveland relied on its usual mound leaders, with left-hander Parker Messick and right-hander Gavin Williams enjoying strong success against Tampa Bay.
Messick made two starts, posting a 1.35 ERA with just two walks and 15 strikeouts across 13 1/3 innings.
Williams made a single start against the Rays, tossing 7 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits, and striking out nine.
Line - 5.2(IP) 3H 1R 1ER 2BB 9SO (95 Pitches 58 Strikes) 2026 season: Line - 7.2(IP) 5H 1R 0ER 0BB 9SO (95 Pitches 71 Strikes) - 43.1(IP) 25H 13ER 19BB 53SO 2.70 ERA pic.twitter.com/glbXq4yfBs If the ALCS unfolds similarly to the regular-season series, Tampa Bay will be the team advancing to the World Series.
The Rays possess the superior lineup from top to bottom, which should ultimately counteract the stellar pitching both staffs will showcase.
Cleveland did catch fire in its comeback series win in the ALDS, averaging over six runs per game in Games 3-5.
That level of offensive production will be necessary if the Guardians hope to reach the World Series for the first time since 2016.
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Originally reported by yardbarker.