Friday's rainout pushed Game 4 to Saturday night. Cleveland still leads 2-1, still plans to open with a reliever and now has Game 5 on Sunday. The Milwaukee Brewers are waiting.
FantasyDailies | MLB Postseason | October 17, 2026
The Tampa Bay Rays visit the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, and Cleveland leads 2-1. A Guardians win puts them one victory from the pennant. A Rays win ties it at 2-2 before Game 5 in Cleveland on Sunday, with Games 6 and 7, if needed, back in Tampa Bay. The winner meets the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series, which opens Friday, October 23.
Everything below is built to help you prepare, whether you are setting a single-game DFS lineup, researching a prop or building a ticket with the MLB AI parlay builder. Pitching plans, lineups and the weather can all change before first pitch, so confirm them on the starting pitchers page, the MLB player news and the MLB weather page before you lock anything.
GAME INFORMATION
- Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians, ALCS Game 4.
- Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026, after Friday's game was postponed by weather.
- First pitch: 8 p.m. Eastern.
- Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland.
- Where to watch: TBS and HBO Max.
- Series: Cleveland leads 2-1, best-of-seven.
Friday was rained out. MLB announced the postponement just after 9 p.m. Eastern. Game 4 moves to Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, and Game 5 moves up to Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, taking over what had been a travel day. A Game 6, if needed, could come as soon as Monday. That means four straight days of baseball if the series goes the distance. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash says Martinez still starts Game 4, and Cleveland has said it might change course from the bullpen game. Check the MLB weather page and the live scoreboard for the latest before you plan around an 8 p.m. start.
THE SERIES SO FAR
GameResultPlayed inGame 1Guardians 7, Rays 3Tampa BayGame 2Rays 3, Guardians 1Tampa BayGame 3Guardians 3, Rays 2ClevelandGame 3 was moved to Thursday afternoon because of rain, and Cleveland won it 3-2 on a go-ahead two-run home run by Petey Halpin in the fifth inning. Cade Smith earned a four-out save. The final scores are on the MLB box scores, and you can follow the series on the tonight's MLB board.
The Rays finished 98-64 in the regular season and the Guardians finished 85-77, and Tampa Bay is 4-2 in the postseason to Cleveland's 5-3. Despite the better record, Tampa Bay is the team that needs a win Saturday. The MLB team streaks shows how each team has been trending.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0, winning 2-1, 7-4, 6-2 and 6-4. That leaves Milwaukee rested and watching.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Rays: Nick Martinez, RHP. Martinez went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in the regular season, and he threw 13 scoreless innings in two starts against Cleveland. His recent form has been less tidy: he allowed two runs on five hits over 3.2 innings in his ALDS Game 3 start against the Yankees, and across his last two starts he gave up six runs and 12 hits in 6.1 innings. Which Martinez shows up is the biggest swing in the game.
Guardians: Shawn Armstrong, RHP. Cleveland announced the veteran right-hander as its starter, and he has never started a playoff game. This is a bullpen game, not a traditional start. Armstrong has made five appearances this postseason, allowing one hit and striking out five in 5.1 innings. The bulk innings are expected to go to Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo or Slade Cecconi.
That plan matters for bettors and DFS players. Pitcher-specific markets such as strikeouts, outs recorded and earned runs carry real uncertainty when the first pitcher may face only a handful of hitters. Wait for the official lineup and probable-pitcher listing before you lock anything, and use the starting pitchers page to see how each arm has been used.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
These are projected lineups, not confirmed ones. These are the lineups announced for the postponed Friday game. Check the official lineup cards an hour or two before first pitch.
Guardians: Steven Kwan, LF; José Ramírez, 3B; Chase DeLauter, RF; Jo Adell, DH; Nathaniel Lowe, 1B; Travis Bazzana, 2B; Patrick Bailey, C; Petey Halpin, CF; Brayan Rocchio, SS.
Rays: Yandy Díaz, DH; Jonathan Aranda, 1B; Chandler Simpson, LF; Junior Caminero, 3B; Liam Hicks, C; Victor Mesa Jr., RF; Jonny DeLuca, CF; Richie Palacios, 2B; Taylor Walls, SS. These are the lineup Tampa Bay used for the postponed Friday game, and it can change.
INJURY AND AVAILABILITY REPORT
- Rays: left-hander Shane McClanahan has been shut down for the rest of the postseason with forearm tightness.
- Rays: Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca took a hard collision in Game 1 and say they are fine.
- Guardians: no injuries reported.
These are reported designations, not a guarantee of anyone's status on Saturday. Postseason availability can change quickly, so check the official report and the final lineups. The MLB player news posts changes as they happen. The bigger question is bullpen depth: a short start can force a manager to use important relievers early and affect the next game too.
PLAYERS AND MATCHUPS TO WATCH
José Ramírez, Guardians. The best hitter in this series. He is 11 for 30 (.367) with two home runs, a double and a triple in eight playoff games, with a 1.124 OPS, and he is 6 for 12 against the Rays. He went 2 for 3 with a walk in Game 3. He can create offense without a home run, which matters in a game where Cleveland may be piecing pitching together. A low-scoring game can still limit RBI chances, so check the home run page before you build around him.
Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero, Rays. Both are former Guardians, and both sit near the top of Tampa Bay's order. Díaz is the on-base engine; Caminero is the power bat who had a rough Game 3. A bad night does not make a hitter a good bounce-back play by itself, so look at the lineup spot and the matchup before you pick him.
The bullpens. Cleveland's bullpen closed out the one-run win in Game 3, and on Saturday it may be asked to cover nearly the whole game. That makes Cade Smith, Joey Cantillo and the rest of the relief group the story. The hot tonight page shows who has been working and how often.
DFS AND FANTASY BASEBALL STRATEGY
With one MLB game on the board, single-game DFS is sensitive to lineup spot, ownership and the pitching announcement. Here is the framework:
- Pitchers: weigh expected innings and strikeouts. A Guardians bullpen game makes the Rays' hitters more attractive and the Cleveland arms harder to trust.
- Top of the order: favor hitters likely to get several plate appearances.
- Power bats: home runs can decide a one-game tournament, but upside is not consistency.
- Bullpen exposure: relievers can score on strikeouts and holds, but only if the game script gives them the innings.
- Salary: do not spend your whole budget on recognizable names if it forces you to roster hitters in poor lineup spots.
Correlation matters on a one-game slate. Pairing a pitcher with opposing hitters creates conflicting paths to a big score, so decide whether your lineup is built around a pitching duel or an offensive breakout. The MLB DFS lineups and the start/sit board rank your options, and the lineup shuffler builds and rotates multiple lineups without starting over.
THE FANTASYDAILIES SINGLE-GAME DFS LINEUP
Here is a six-spot single-game lineup built around who is most likely to get plate appearances and who has the cleanest role, not around a side. It is a starting point to run through the MLB DFS lineups, since lineups are projected and salaries move.
- Pitcher: Nick Martinez (Rays). The only starter with a defined role. He is the most volatile piece in the lineup because his recent starts have been short, so treat him as the swing spot and check his status before lock.
- José Ramírez (Guardians, 3B). Hot in the playoffs and a hitter who scores without needing a home run. He is the lineup's one hedge against Martinez.
- Yandy Díaz (Rays, DH). Projected at the top of the order with 180 hits in the regular season, which means plate appearances.
- Junior Caminero (Rays, 3B). The power bat, with 42 home runs in the regular season, in the middle of Tampa Bay's order.
- Steven Kwan (Guardians, LF). Projected leadoff, so he gets the most plate appearances in the Cleveland lineup.
- Chase DeLauter (Guardians, RF). Projected third, with a clean path to run-producing spots.
This lineup relies on the Rays' hitters pairing with their own pitcher and keeps two Cleveland bats as a hedge against a strong Martinez night. If Cleveland's bullpen game goes long and the Rays' hitters struggle against fresh arms every inning, that approach changes, so decide whether you want a pitching duel or an offensive breakout. Check salaries and the final lineup cards before you lock, and use the lineup shuffler to build alternates. If the game is postponed, wait for the new pitching plan before you do anything.
PLAYER PROP RESEARCH: THE MARKETS WORTH LOOKING AT
Prices and availability vary, and we do not quote them here. These are the markets worth researching, not assumed lines.
- Pitcher strikeouts and outs recorded: very sensitive to the Guardians' pitching plan. Do not research these until the lineup card is official.
- Hits allowed: a starter can pitch well and still allow singles, so look at contact quality as well as ERA.
- Total bases and hits: better for hitters with a secure lineup spot and consistent plate appearances.
- First five innings: reduces exposure to late bullpen swings, though it is especially sensitive to Cleveland's plan.
- Team totals: read them alongside the full-game total to see how runs are expected to be split.
Open the MLB prop hit rate board to see how every hitter has done against his number, check the MLB player props page for the full list on the tonight's MLB board, and see the games that have been going under on the unders page. A recent good game does not make an over a good bet. Use the odds converter and the parlay calculator to turn any price into an implied percentage.
PARLAYS, MIDDLES AND LINE SHOPPING
A parlay is a chain of conditions, and every extra leg is another way for the ticket to lose. Build one on the MLB AI parlay builder, which uses our ranking of the best options, run it through the parlay calculator, and check the MLB verdicts page for the side we have settled on. Our call on this game lives on the verdicts page and nowhere else, so you will always see one side from us.
- Confirm the starter and the lineups first.
- Check the weather. A postponement changes everything.
- Do not stack several long shots with an aggressive game total just to chase a big payout.
- A moneyline, a strikeout prop and an under are not automatically compatible just because they belong to the same game.
- Keep stakes reasonable and only bet what you can afford to lose.
The FantasyDailies illustrative parlay. Here is a three-leg ticket built on players, not on a side or a total, so it does not depend on who wins or how many runs score:
- José Ramírez to record a hit. He is 11 for 30 in the playoffs and 6 for 12 against the Rays.
- Yandy Díaz to record a hit. He had 180 hits in the regular season and is projected to hit at the top of the Rays' order.
- Junior Caminero to record a hit. A middle-of-the-order bat with 170 hits in the regular season, in a game that is likely to give him several plate appearances.
We do not quote prices here. Open the MLB AI parlay builder, add these three legs and see what the ticket pays. The risk is simple: every leg has to hit, all three need the game to be played and each hitter needs to be in the lineup and get his plate appearances. A postponement, a pinch hitter or a bullpen that matches up well breaks the ticket. If Cleveland's bullpen game limits the Rays' plate appearances, the ticket gets harder, not easier. No ticket is guaranteed.
Baseball does not have a football-style teaser, but run-line combinations and alternate totals exist, and each has its own pricing and risk. If you are hunting for a middle, compare two genuinely different numbers on the middle finder and work out the outcomes before you bet both sides. A middle is not guaranteed profit, and the cost of both bets can erase the edge. For the full playbook, read the Sports Betting Strategy Book, and see the markets side by side on the heatmap.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Rays have the better record. The Guardians have the series lead. Neither fact decides Saturday. Cleveland can move within one win of the World Series, and Tampa Bay has to respond before the series heads back to Florida. With a bullpen game on one side, a shaky recent Martinez on the other and a postponement already behind them, the final lineup card and the weather report are worth more than any early opinion.
Follow the game on the live scoreboard, see the final on the MLB box scores, and for everything else this October, the MLB hub is the starting point.
FantasyDailies: Your Edge Every Day.
Pitching plans, player availability and game times can change before first pitch. Verify current information with official MLB sources. No wager or parlay is guaranteed to win. Please gamble responsibly.
