The Cleveland Guardians have gone with traditional starting pitcher games through the first three contests of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Foster Griffin, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams have all started games so far in the series. With Cleveland holding a 2-1 lead heading into Friday's Game 4, it seemed as if Tanner Bibee could be an option to start. Instead, the Guards are going with a bullpen game and will give reliever Shawn Armstrong the ball to begin the matchup. Guardians beat writer Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com shared an important reminder after the announcement was made, however.
“Shawn Armstrong will start Game 4 of ALCS for Guardians on Friday night, weather permitting, as an opener,” Hoynes reported.
The weather element presents the catch of the situation. Game 4 could end up being postponed and moved to Saturday due to potential poor weather on Friday night. First pitch is currently scheduled for 8 PM ET on Friday, but it could change depending on the weather.
The Bibee element of the situation is also worth discussing. Bibee is a 27-year-old starting pitcher in the prime of his career who started Opening Day for Cleveland this year. While he made 33 starts, Bibee was incredibly inconsistent and ended up pitching to a 4.36 ERA. He's appeared in just one game so far in the 2026 MLB playoffs, an outing that saw him allow two earned runs across 0.1 innings.
Article Continues BelowNevertheless, Bibee could be an option out of the bullpen on Friday (or Saturday depending on weather).
Updates on the Rays and Guardians Game 4 matchup will continue to be monitored and provided as they are made available.