Rays Exposed Guardians' Bullpen Problems in ALCS Game 6 Victory

The Tampa Bay Rays did everything possible to get to the Cleveland Guardians' pitching staff on Monday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.

After a strong start by Shawn Armstrong, who acted as an opener for the Guardians, he was quickly removed in the second inning. Once scoring began for the Rays, the pitching carousel began for Stephen Vogt and the Guardians' roster.

Through the first two innings, Cleveland utilized three pitchers, falling behind 2-0 following Richie Palacios' two-RBI double in the bottom of the second.

The Guardians kept them coming as they knew their season was over if they lost Monday night, bringing in both Joey Cantillo and Daniel Espino to make it five pitchers in four innings of work.

Cantillo gave up the third run of the game after Chandler Simpson reached on a sacrifice bunt that loaded the bases. Following that, Jonny DeLuca hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Junior Caminero and extend Tampa Bay's lead.

While all of this was happening, the Rays were enjoying another solid outing from Freddy Peralta.

Freddy Peralta went 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, one earned run, three walks, and three strikeouts.

And that was exactly what Tampa Bay needed.

Especially considering how much Cleveland had already relied on its bullpen throughout the series.

In Game 5, the Rays forced starter Parker Messick out after just two innings, putting even more pressure on Cleveland's relievers.

And with no scheduled days off between the final games of the series, the Guardians continued turning to the same pitchers.

That included Cade Smith, who entered Game 6 in the seventh inning.

However, Junior Caminero made sure Cleveland wouldn't escape without allowing another run.

The Rays slugger connected on a two-run home run off Smith, extending Tampa Bay's lead to 5-1.

Yandy Díaz added another two-run home run in the eighth inning, giving Tampa Bay some much-needed insurance.

While Tampa Bay didn't put together the most impressive offensive performance, they consistently made Cleveland's pitching staff work.

The Rays struck out just three times in Game 6 while drawing six walks. And when you consider how much Cleveland had already relied on its bullpen throughout the series, that approach made things even more difficult for the Guardians.

I think one of the biggest differences between these two teams throughout the ALCS was their starting pitching.

Drew Rasmussen delivered seven innings in Game 5, while Peralta gave Tampa Bay another strong performance Monday.

That allowed Kevin Cash to manage his bullpen without constantly needing to cover six or seven innings.

And while Tampa Bay had some trouble in the eighth inning, Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker finished the job.

The Rays are now heading to the World Series for the first time since 2020, and their ability to consistently put pressure on Cleveland's pitching staff played a major role in getting them there.