Game 4 of the American League Championship Series is set for Friday night at Progressive Field. Tampa Bay starts right-hander Nick Martinez, and Yahoo Sports lists Shawn Armstrong as the Guardians starter. Viva El Birdos wrote that Cleveland had not officially named a starter. The outlets disagree on that point. The Rays, down 2-1, are trying to even the series. Cleveland can move to within one win of the World Series.

Weather is the other open question. Sportsnet reports the game will start in a rain delay. Bleed Cubbie Blue said it looked like the teams would try to play despite the forecast. The outlets also disagree on first pitch. Bleed Cubbie Blue lists 7 p.m. CT and Viva El Birdos says 6 p.m. CT. The r/baseball game thread says 8:00 PM, presumably Eastern. Viva El Birdos says the broadcast is on Fox/FS1.

Martinez gives the Rays a durable option. He went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 180.0 innings over 31 games this season. Armstrong is a different kind of pitcher. He made 41 appearances in 2026 and threw 35.1 innings with a 4.58 ERA and 34 strikeouts. He has two wins and a loss. Yahoo's listing of him as Cleveland's starter suggests the Guardians plan to use a reliever to open the game, though the feeds don't say how long he is expected to go.

Thursday's Game 3 was close. Cleveland won 3-2 behind a home run from Petey Halpin, whom Bleed Cubbie Blue called an unexpected source of offense. Our box score shows he hit it in a 1-for-3 game with two RBI. Halpin hit .225 with a .594 OPS and four homers in 83 games this season. Tampa Bay out-hit nobody that day. The Rays had three hits to Cleveland's six and struck out 13 times, and their runs came in the fourth inning.

The series has gone back and forth. Cleveland won Game 1 by 7-3 in Tampa Bay. The Rays took Game 2 by 3-1. Tampa Bay won 98 games and the AL East. Cleveland won 85 and the AL Central. Cleveland is now two wins from its first World Series since 2016, per Bleed Cubbie Blue. The Rays' route back runs through this game and then a Game 5 in Cleveland, listed for Saturday, Oct. 17. Game 6 would return to Tampa Bay on Monday, Oct. 19, if the series gets that far.