Stephen Vogt Has Clear Message on Guardians-Rays ALCS Schedule Changes

The Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays will be playing Game 4 of the American League Championship Series tonight, following a postponement on Friday due to severe weather.

MLB moved the game back one day, pushing Game 5 back as well. Game 4 will now be played at 5 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, while Game 5 will be played at 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The changes in the schedule do impact the two teams strongly, especially if the series goes past Game 5, with the teams now playing with no days off. Typically, teams will have one day off for travel during the playoffs, but due to the postponement, that will no longer be the case.

When asked about the changes to the schedule due to the postponed game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had a strong message. Vogt compared the upcoming situation for the two teams to the regular season, saying that his group is focused on what is in front of them.

The Guardians leader acknowledged that the situation isn't ideal for either side, especially with the potential travel that could be involved. But teams do go through this multiple times during the regular season, which should prepare the sides for the current moment.

Heading into Game 4 of the series, the Guardians do have a 2-1 lead in the series, with the next two being played at home. If Cleveland can win the next two games, the prolonged schedule won't matter, as they will advance to the World Series.

But the Guardians are just trying to take things one game at a time right now, focusing on what they can control. Cleveland has played well of late in the playoffs, winning five of their last six games overall since going down 0-2 in the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox.

The Rays are a completely different challenge for this team, with Tampa Bay being the best team in the AL all season long. But the Guardians have been able to neutralize this Rays offense so far in the series, giving themselves a chance to win.

Cleveland has been led by strong starting pitching and an electric bullpen, giving this team life. The Guardians will be entering Game 4 with a lot of confidence, which can be massive in the playoffs for a team.

This team believes that they can overtake the Rays in the series, but there is still a lot of work left to be done.