Probable Starting Pitchers for Guardians and Rays in Game 2 of 2026 ALCS

The 2026 American League Championship Series officially kicked off on Monday.

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the ALCS. The Rays jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Guardians responded by scoring all of their runs in the sixth inning or later. That marks Cleveland's fourth straight win in the 2026 MLB playoffs after coming back from a 2-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series.

Now, the Rays will try to avoid going down 2-0 at home. Here are the starting pitchers who will toe the slab for both teams in Game 2 of the 2026 ALCS.

Rays

Tampa Bay is sticking with the same initial rotation that helped the team sweep the New York Yankees in the ALDS. Right-hander Freddy Peralta will start Game 2 of the ALCS for the Rays on Tuesday. The 30-year-old tossed 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his first postseason start for Tampa Bay. While that wasn't a lengthy appearance for the two-time All-Star, it was the former Milwaukee Brewers hurler's seventh consecutive start allowing no more than one earned run.

After pitching eight shutout innings in Game 1 of the ALDS, Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen gave up two runs on eight hits in six innings on Monday. But Cleveland scored five runs against Tampa Bay's relievers in the last two innings. If Peralta has another relatively short outing on Tuesday, the Rays will likely need a bounce-back performance from their bullpen.

Guardians

After starting left-hander Foster Griffin in Game 1 of the ALCS, the Guardians will once again hand the ball to a southpaw on Tuesday. Left-hander Parker Messick is set to start for Cleveland in Game 2. The 25-year-old started two games in the Guardians' ALDS showdown with the White Sox, allowing two runs in both outings.

Most notably, Messick didn't complete five innings in either of his two ALDS starts. If that trend continues in the ALCS, Cleveland may need to lean on its bullpen again in Game 2. Closer Cade Smith threw another scoreless inning on Monday and has now appeared in all six of the Guardians' playoff games this year. It wouldn't be surprising to see the hard-throwing righty back on the mound if Tuesday's battle between Tampa Bay and Cleveland is close.