Why Guardians Made the Correct Decision for Game 4 Starting This Pitcher

Shawn Armstrong was chosen by Stephen Vogt to start Game 4 of the ALCS with a commanding series lead on the line.

Oct 5, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shawn Armstrong (43) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the eighth inning in game two of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Guardians will play Game 4 in a cold, wet, and windy Progressive Field. They lead the ALCS over the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 and are turning to an unfamiliar arm to start Game 5 and take a commanding series’ lead. Right-handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong gets the nod to take the mound in the bottom of the first. Stephen Vogt was pressed to make a decision for a starter, and this is why he made the correct one. 

The Guardians already deployed their top starting pitchers with Foster Griffin, Parker Messick, and Gavin Williams, starting games 1,2, and3, respectively. Any of those pitchers would be on short rest for Game 4 and the playoffs have already taken a toll on the pitching staff. Vogt did not have many valuable options for tonight’s game. 

The available choices were Tanner Bibee, Daniel Espino, or Joey Cantillo. Bibee has fallen out of favor in the rotation as he has been wild and has not been able to fool many hitters. Espino pitched in yesterday’s game in the sixth inning and got through the top of the order to move the ball to the back end of the bullpen for the second time in the series. He may have pitched himself into a new role in the bullpen. 

Cantillo is a soft-tossing left hander and the Rays’ top of the order eats up southpaws. Griffin let up two runs in the first inning in Game 1 as two of the first three hitters got aboard. Expect Cantillo to get an extended look in Game 4 after Armstrong is done. 

Vogt has used Espino in the first inning down the stretch in the regular season and then has brought in Cantillo. This has changed Cantillo’s season as he was in a funk with walks and ineffectiveness. Coming in out of the bullpen has changed his focus and his electric change up has been fooling hitters one again. 

Armstrong will step into that opener role instead of Espino. He is tasked with getting out the top of the order, which the pitching staff has done so well in the first three games. If he can get through the first inning unscathed, then Cantillo can follow to eat up a couple more innings. 

Cantillo pitched in Game 1, and did not give up a run. He only pitched an inning, but gave up two walks. Vogt will try to get Cantillo to pitch two innings until the top of the order comes up again, if the game is close. The Rays will counter by stacking right-handed batters in the middle of the order to hopefully squash Vogt’s plans and make Armstrong or another right-hander pitch an additional inning. 

Armstrong has pitched 5.2 scoreless innings this postseason. He pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings in Game 2 and has since had two days off. His arm should be good to stay on the mound if he can get through the first inning with a low pitch count. He has been in the MLB for a lot of years and has plenty of experience in the playoffs. 

While the Guardians and Vogt did not have many great options for a Game 4 starter, they made the right decision by starting Armstrong and then looking for innings from either Cantillo or or another right-hander, depending on the hitters in the Rays’ lineup. Either way, Armstrong’s main priority is to get through the first inning with a zero on the scoreboard.