Guardians face elimination again as they head to Tampa Bay down 3-2 in the ALCS

The Cleveland Guardians have been here before.

Down 3-2 in the American League Championship Series after Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland must win twice on the road to reach the World Series. There is no time to regroup. A rainout wiped out the travel day so Game 6 is Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"Let's go. We don't have another choice," manager Stephen Vogt said. "This is when this team thrives."

Built for comebacks

Cleveland was 60-65 and 5 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central on Aug. 17. The Guardians then won eight of nine and went 16-9 in September to take the division by one game. It was their second straight September rally to win the Central.

In the Division Series they lost the first two games at home to the White Sox. They won the next two in Chicago and closed it out with a 2-0 win in Game 5 at Progressive Field.

"I think it'll help a ton knowing that we're able to do it, facing elimination," Steven Kwan said.

Kwan had two of Cleveland's five hits on Sunday. He threw out Taylor Walls at the plate in the fourth inning for his first career postseason outfield assist. In the eighth he made a leaping catch at the center-field wall to save a run.

The odds and the road

Teams trailing 3-2 after five games of the ALCS have come back to win only seven of 23 times. The last two teams in that spot both did it. Texas pulled it off in 2023 and Toronto did it last year.

The road might not scare this group. Cleveland is 47-38 away from home this year counting the postseason and 43-44 at Progressive Field.

Who starts Game 6?

Vogt has not named a starter. Foster Griffin started Game 1 and then worked 3 2/3 innings in relief in Game 4 on Saturday. Vogt ruled out right-hander Gavin Williams, who led the AL with 248 strikeouts and started Game 3 on Thursday.

Rookie left-hander Parker Messick lasted only two innings on Sunday. He gave up two runs on five hits and three walks. The bullpen allowed just one run over the last seven innings.

Messick, 25, has thrown exactly 200 innings this year. He is the first rookie to reach that mark since Kansas City's Yordano Ventura in 2014.

"I feel great right now," Messick said. "Body feels good, arm feels good. I'm still throwing hard."

Tampa Bay is one win away from the World Series. The winner will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.