CLEVELAND (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians have a common opponent with the American League Championship Series shifting to Progressive Field for the next three games.
Mother Nature.
Game 3 in the best-of-seven series Thursday was changed to a 1 p.m. ET start because of the threat of rain in Cleveland during the evening. Major League Baseball moved up the start time five hours Wednesday to keep the series on schedule.
It might not be the only time weather throws both teams a curveball, either. Friday’s forecast calls for rain all day.
Game 4 on Friday remains scheduled to start at 6 p.m., and the first pitch of Game 5 on Saturday is slated for 8 p.m.
The ALCS is tied 1-all after the Rays’ 3-1 victory at home Tuesday night. Cleveland took the opener 7-3 on Monday.
“I think MLB did the right thing. They felt likelier that we were going to get rain in the mid-to-late afternoon tomorrow. So let’s move the game up and try to bank as many dry innings as possible. Coming off an off day probably helps a little bit,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday.
Tampa Bay flew into Cleveland after Tuesday night’s game. The Guardians elected to stay in Florida overnight before flying back Wednesday morning.
According to MLB Network, it will be the earliest start time for a League Championship Series game in the Eastern time zone since Game 5 of the 1988 NL Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets started at 12:20 p.m. at Shea Stadium.
There was a Monday matinee that year because Game 3 of the series was postponed due to rain, pushing everything back one day.
Tampa Bay will send right-hander Griffin Jax to the mound in Game 3. Jax (8-10, 3.52 ERA) struck out four and gave up one run in two innings of relief against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of their Division Series. It was his first relief appearance since April 21.
It will be Jax’s first postseason start. He also made four relief appearances with Minnesota during the 2023 postseason.
“It’s a big honor, one that I’ve been looking forward to for a really long time now that I’m in the rotation,” he said.
Jax — who has a six-pitch arsenal — ranked sixth among AL starters during the regular season with a 30.1% whiff rate. He said it helped watching how Rays starters Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta approached the Guardians’ hitters during the first two games of the series.
“There’s definitely things I can watch and learn from the way Drew attacked them and then what Freddy did last night. So, a lot to watch and a lot that I’m going to go over some notes tonight, and stick to my game plan at the end of the day,” Jax said.
Jax will be tasked with trying to limit the second and third hitters in Cleveland’s lineup. José Ramírez has a .333 batting average during the postseason, including going 9 for 21 with two home runs and nine RBIs over the past five games.
Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter is 4 for 6 with a homer and two RBIs in the ALCS, and has a .346 batting average in the postseason.
Cleveland will go with Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA), who led the American League in strikeouts this season. The right-hander tied a franchise postseason record with 12 strikeouts in Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox in the deciding game of their ALDS.
Williams had a 1.54 ERA against the White Sox, allowing two runs and six hits with 24 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. He also started Game 2 against Chicago and tossed an inning of relief in Game 4.
“They don’t strike out much. They’re going to put the ball in play. They’re going to put a lot of pressure on us. Just going to have to execute the best way I know how to,” Williams said about the Rays.
Jonny DeLuca is 4 for 8 with a home run during the ALCS and has a .333 batting average in the postseason.
Thursday’s NLCS start time also moved up
MLB also moved up the start of Game 4 of the NL Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers for broadcast purposes. That game at Dodger Stadium will now start an hour earlier, at 5 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET). The Brewers lead that series 2-0.
___
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
