Baseball fans may have to adjust their schedules to watch the next ALCS contest between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians.
MLB announced a significant time change on Wednesday, moving Thursday’s Game 3 start time up from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The move reflects forecasted rain Thursday night in Cleveland.
TBS and HBO Max will still broadcast the pivotal playoff matchup.
Thursday’s game could go a long way toward determining which team represents the American League in the World Series. The Rays and Guardians are tied at 1-1 after splitting the first two meetings at Tropicana Field.
After sweeping the New York Yankees in the ALDS, the Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 1 against the Guardians. Drew Rasmussen was pitching another postseason gem before giving up solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings, and Tampa Bay’s bullpen imploded in a 7-3 loss.
The Rays responded with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night, scoring all of their runs against standout rookie Parker Messick in the fourth inning. Freddy Peralta has allowed four runs in his last eight outings after throwing six shutout innings.
Peralta relied heavily on his four-seam fastball, which he threw at a career-high average velocity of 96.9 mph.
“He’s ‘Fastball Freddy’ for a reason,” Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder said after the win, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “Some of it was in the moment and realizing it was a bit more power than art. Or all power, limited art.”
Griffin Jax will make his first career postseason start on Thursday. The former relief pitcher posted a 3.53 ERA during the regular season before allowing one run over two innings in Tampa Bay’s Game 3 ALDS win.
The Guardians have not yet confirmed their Game 3 starter, but Gavin Williams could get the assignment. The right-hander dominated in Saturday’s winner-take-all victory over the Chicago White Sox, allowing one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts.