ALCS rainout might alter Guardians pitching plans with Smith, Griffin

CLEVELAND — Mother Nature has now become a key character in the 2026 American League Championship Series . While the Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are fighting for a ticket to the World Series — Cleveland holds a 2-1 lead in the series after a Game 3 win — rain in the Cleveland area forced Major League Baseball to postpone Game 4 , originally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, at Progressive Field (even though MLB did wait until 9 p.m. to make that call, thus making fans spend 3½ hours in the rain after the gates were opened). The game on Saturday, Oct. 17, is now Game 4 of the ALCS, and in the same time slot of 8:08 p.m. Game 5 is now at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 . The rainout and postponement of Game 4 could play a real factor in how both clubs approach their pitching the rest of the series. Shawn Armstrong, Nick Martinez to still start rescheduled ALCS Game 4 First things first — both teams are keeping the same starting pitchers for Game 4 . Despite getting the off day on Oct. 16, the Guardians are still going to use Shawn Armstrong as an opener, and the Rays are still going to start Nick Martinez. How does ALCS rainout impact Guardians pitching plans? Here's where things get interesting, and how the rain might have thrown the pitching plans into chaos. The rainout means Games 4 and 5 are both pushed back a day compared to the original schedule. However, it also means the Guardians and Rays could potentially play ALCS games on four consecutive days. For the Rays, they might keep their starting pitching plans pretty similar, as they can start Martinez in Game 4, Drew Rasmussen in Game 5 and Freddy Peralta in Game 6. That's a great lineup, even if they'll have to figure things out in a potential Game 7. For the Guardians, it gives them some extra options as to how to attack Games 4, 5 and 6. After Armstong as the opener in Game 4, the Guardians could now go with Joey Cantillo, Foster Griffin or a slew of others after him. The extra off day does mean the Guardians could potentially start Parker Messick in Game 5 instead of having to wait for Game 6, as he would have originally. If the Guardians have a 3-1 lead entering Game 5, though, they could possibly opt for other plans — perhaps Griffin, Cantillo, Slade Cecconi or Tanner Bibee as part of a bullpen game — and give Messick an extra day considering his heavy workload this season and postseason. If the series is 2-2 entering Game 5, they might be more inclined to start Messick in Game 5 and then piece together Game 6. And Gavin Williams is still in line for a potential Game 7, if needed, which wasn't altered by the rainout. That was always the case. How does ALCS rainout impact Cade Smith? The real concern for the Guardians is how the possibility of playing up to four consecutive ALCS games impacts the availability of Cade Smith , who has been one of the best weapons in baseball in the playoffs. Smith has been automatic, and the Guardians have gone to him early and often. It's worked, but that kind of usage does come with its own concerns, so the Guardians would have seen a great deal of value in the off day between Games 5 and 6, if needed. Now, Smith will enter Game 4 well rested, but the benefit of an off day is lost the rest of the series. If he's needed to a certain extent, it's possible the Guardians will enter a playoff game, for the first time this October, without their All-Star closer available out of the bullpen. And with that, the weather is a major storyline the rest of the way. Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.