José Ramírez, Guardians Face Elimination in ALCS Game 6

José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians are out of room. Down 3-2 in the ALCS, they have to win Game 6 at Tropicana Field on Monday night, first pitch 8:08 p.m. ET (5:08 p.m. PT) on TBS and HBO Max, or the Tampa Bay Rays are headed to their third World Series.

Ramírez carries a 17-game postseason on-base streak into the night, the longest in Cleveland franchise history, per MLB.com. And this team has done the backs-to-the-wall thing before this October. The Guardians were down 0-2 to the White Sox in the ALDS and came all the way back.

Yandy Díaz Calls His Shot

The Rays sound like a team that expects to celebrate. Yandy Díaz has five hits over the last two games in Cleveland, and he was not shy about what comes next. "It's a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it," Díaz said. "But it all ends tomorrow. We're going to win tomorrow."

Jonathan Aranda also has five hits over the last two games, and Kevin Cash summed up his leadoff man in four words: "He goes, we go." Tampa Bay grabbed the series lead with a 3-1 win in Game 5 behind seven innings of one-run ball from Drew Rasmussen.

The Pitching Matchup

Tampa Bay hands the ball to Freddy Peralta, who threw six scoreless innings in the Game 2 win. He is 6-0 with a 0.79 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts) since Aug. 26, with a 0.99 ERA in five starts at the Rays' home park in that stretch, per MLB.com. His nine-pitch relief outing in Game 4 took the place of his usual between-starts bullpen session, so he should be good to go without limits.

Cleveland will not start ace Gavin Williams on short rest. Manager Stephen Vogt ruled that out after Game 5, so Williams lines up for a Game 7 on Tuesday if the Guardians can force one. Monday is a bullpen game, with right-hander Slade Cecconi potentially opening, and Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee could both have big roles. None of the three pitched in Game 5. Hunter Gaddis has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings this postseason.

What Is at Stake

Vogt is betting on his group anyway. "They've been against the wall for a long time. This is when this team thrives," he said. The Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Dodgers on Oct. 15, are waiting on the winner, and a Rays-Brewers World Series would be the first matchup of two teams chasing their first title since 1980. Former Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who hit four homers in the 2008 ALCS, throws out the first pitch.

Cleveland needs Ramírez to be Ramírez one more time, or the Trop is throwing a pennant party.