Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays: AL wild-card game 2 preview

Tampa Bay will start Tyler Glasnow, their 2021 ace who made only two starts and threw just 6 2/3 innings on the season. In 2021, Glasnow went 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 14 starts before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament in August. Now just 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery to his pitching elbow, Glasnow is still building up his endurance, and doing so not only in the big leagues, but in a short postseason series. While there was speculation that he would be used out of the bullpen down the stretch, the Rays prolonged his minor-league rehab stint before bringing him back for two abbreviated starts. Expect Cash to have a short leash with his young pitcher in just his third start of the season.

The Guardians will counter with Triston McKenzie, who forms the second half of their 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. McKenzie went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 191 innings pitched this season, but the overall numbers do not tell the whole story. He showed moments of brilliance down the stretch as he allowed no more than three earned runs in his last 11 starts.

We should see similar lineups to what we saw in Game 1. The Guardians tend to rotate first base and DH, but don’t expect to see major changes in the lineup. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay loaded up left-handed hitters against righty Shane Bieber, using switch-hitters Wander Franco and Ji-man Choi and starting lefty Taylor Walls at second base.

How much offense these teams put up remains the question. Neither team is built to mash, as both tend to string hits together. And with another great pitching matchup and well-rested bullpens, runs may not be much easier to come by on Saturday. Other than Jose Siri, no Ray really hit well against Bieber in Game 1. On the Guardians’ side, they threatened often, but were unable to capitalize until Ramírez’s sixth inning home run.

Tampa Bay’s bullpen will factor heavily into Game 2. It has been leaned on heavily this year, throwing over 679 innings, the most in all of baseball. Neither of their top two relievers – Jason Adams and Pete Fairbanks – were needed in Game 1, so they are rested and could potentially throw multiple innings each to shorten the game after Glasnow exits. Beyond those two, the Rays’ bullpen has been inconsistent at times this year and even struggled to close out games.

Needing only one inning out of their pen in Game 1 could be a crucial factor in their ability to come back in this series against Cleveland. With Glasnow likely limited to about 75 pitches, and a Guardians team that puts pressure on starting pitchers, the Rays relievers will no doubt be tested in Game 2.