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Rays vs Guardians ALCS Game 6 Tonight: Time, TV, Pitchers

Tampa Bay leads Cleveland 3-2 and can reach the World Series at home tonight. First pitch is 8:08 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field on TBS, with Freddy Peralta facing a Cleveland bullpen game.

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Rays vs Guardians ALCS Game 6 Tonight: Time, TV, Pitchers

Key points

  • The Tampa Bay Rays are one win from the World Series.
  • Tampa Bay leads the series 3-2 after a 3-1 win in Game 5 in Cleveland on Sunday.
  • Freddy Peralta starts for Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays are one win from the World Series. Game 6 of the American League Championship Series is tonight at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, with first pitch at 8:08 p.m. ET. TBS and truTV carry the game, and HBO Max streams it.

Tampa Bay leads the series 3-2 after a 3-1 win in Game 5 in Cleveland on Sunday. Drew Rasmussen allowed one run over seven innings in that game, and the Rays scored in each of the first three innings and never trailed. A win tonight sends Tampa Bay to the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who have already won the National League pennant. A Cleveland win forces Game 7 on Tuesday night at the same ballpark.

The pitching matchup

Freddy Peralta starts for Tampa Bay. Peralta threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts in Game 2 of this series, and he has not allowed more than one earned run in any of his last eight starts, counting the postseason. His postseason earned run average in this series run is 0.79, according to Sportsbook Review's Game 6 preview.

Cleveland has not named a conventional starter. Manager Stephen Vogt ruled out Gavin Williams on short rest and is expected to open with reliever Shawn Armstrong in a bullpen game, with Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi among the arms available for length, USA Today reported. Williams is being held for a possible Game 7. That puts the weight on a Cleveland bullpen that has already worked hard in this series, while Tampa Bay gets its planned starter on his normal turn.

The bat to watch

Yandy Diaz has been Tampa Bay's hardest out in this series. He went 3 for 5 in Game 5, is 5 for 10 over the last two games with three extra-base hits, and his .847 October OPS leads the Rays, Covers reported. Diaz opened Game 5 with a double and set the tone for the early scoring.

Cleveland's path is simpler to state than to do: score early, shorten the game, and get to a Game 7 with Williams rested. The Guardians have scored three runs or fewer in four of the five games, and they have not led in either of the last two. If Peralta repeats anything close to his Game 2 form, Cleveland's season ends tonight.

Timeline

  1. Oct 18, 2026The Rays beat the Guardians 3-1 in Game 5 in Cleveland to take a 3-2 lead in the ALCS.
  2. Oct 19, 2026Game 6 at Tropicana Field, first pitch 8:08 p.m. ET on TBS. Peralta starts for Tampa Bay, Cleveland plans a bullpen game, and a Rays win sends them to the World Series.

Sources