The Tampa Bay Rays open the American League Championship Series as heavy favorites over the Cleveland Guardians, with right-hander Drew Rasmussen on the mound for Game 1 in Tampa.
Rasmussen finished the regular season 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Against Cleveland this year, he allowed two earned runs over five innings on the road but was nearly untouchable at home, giving up just one hit and one walk across seven scoreless innings.
In his Division Series start against the New York Yankees, Rasmussen pitched eight innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out 10 without surrendering a run. Tampa Bay swept that series after finishing the regular season as the best team in the American League.
Cleveland counters with left-hander Foster Griffin, who did not start any games during the Guardians’ Division Series comeback win over the Chicago White Sox but appeared in relief in Game 3, allowing one earned run over 2.2 innings with seven strikeouts. Griffin did not face Tampa Bay at all this season. Over his career, he has faced two current Rays hitters, striking out Jonathan Aranda and walking Taylor Walls.
The Guardians reached the ALCS after dropping the first two games of their series against Chicago, then winning three straight, including a decisive Game 5 in Cleveland powered largely by their pitching staff.
Cuyahoga County, home to the Guardians, and Hillsborough County, where the Rays play, will both be watching closely as the series opens Monday night with Rasmussen on full rest and Griffin making his first career start of any kind against Tampa Bay.
