Drew Rasmussen Gets the Ball for Rays in ALCS Game 5

Drew Rasmussen gets the ball for the Rays in the biggest game of the ALCS so far. With the series tied 2-2, Rasmussen faces Guardians rookie lefty Parker Messick in Game 5 on Sunday at Progressive Field, first pitch 5:08 p.m. ET on TBS.

The winner flies to St. Petersburg one win from the World Series. The loser heads to Tropicana Field for Monday's Game 6 needing to win twice. Per MLB.com, the Game 5 winner of a best-of-seven tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 46 of 69 times.

Drew Rasmussen has been lights out this October

Rasmussen has allowed two runs in 14 innings across two postseason starts, with 17 strikeouts and two walks, per MLB.com. He struck out 10 and allowed one hit over eight innings against the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS, then pitched into the seventh in ALCS Game 1, allowing two runs over 18 outs in a Rays loss.

Friday's rainout helped him, too. It pushed Game 5 to Sunday and lets him pitch on five days' rest, the way he made most of his regular season starts.

"It's still just baseball," Rasmussen said. "Just try and not make it anything bigger than what it actually is. It's you. It's preparation, and it's execution."

Messick on normal rest for Cleveland

The same postponement lined Messick up for this game on normal rest instead of Game 6. He went five innings in Game 2 and allowed three runs, none earned. Through three postseason starts he has a 3.09 ERA with 14 strikeouts and eight walks in 11 2/3 innings, so command is the thing to watch.

"To be able to take the ball in this game shows the confidence the team has in me," Messick said.

Cleveland's bullpen is lined up behind him. Closer Cade Smith and setup men Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski did not pitch in Game 4. The Rays should have everyone available as well, after only lefty Ian Seymour threw more than 16 pitches on Saturday, and closer Bryan Baker has finished all five Tampa Bay wins this postseason. Neither team lists an injury of note.

Who has the bats going into Game 5

The Rays' top three of Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero went 6-for-14 with five RBIs in Game 4, after a combined 5-for-34 to open the series. For Cleveland, Travis Bazzana went 3-for-4 with a homer on Saturday, the first postseason home run ever by an Australian-born player, and José Ramírez extended his postseason on-base streak to 16 games, tying Steven Kwan for the longest in Cleveland postseason history.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt likes his spot. "It's a three-game series," he said. "I'll put our guys up against any team in the world in a three-game series."

The forecast is clear but cold, and the Guardians are used to that. If you are picking this one, it comes down to whether Messick finds the zone early against a Rays lineup that just woke up. Rasmussen has been the most reliable arm in this series, and Sunday night is exactly why Tampa Bay lined him up here.