How to watch Guardians vs. Rays in 2026 MLB ALCS: Schedule, TV/stream info, preview, everything to know

The quest for the American League pennant continues, with the Cleveland Guardians officially set to square off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series.

While the Rays earned an automatic bid to the ALDS where they swept the Yankees in three games, the Guardians battled back from down 0-2 to beat the White Sox in five games.

Find everything you need below for this year’s ALCS:

2026 MLB Playoffs Tracker: Bracket, schedule, results, scores, matchups for AL, NL postseason games

The 2026 MLB postseason has arrived. Stay up to date with the latest results and more.

• Phil Akre,

• Phil Akre,

When is the Guardians vs. Rays 2026 MLB ALCS?

The Guardians and Rays will play the first game of their best-of-seven series on Monday, October 12.

How to watch Guardians vs. Rays: TV channel, live stream

Guardians vs. Rays will be broadcast nationally on TBS and TruTV. HBO Max will be live-streaming the series.

Guardians vs. Rays 2026 MLB American League Championship Series full schedule

Game	Date	Location	Time
Game 1	Monday, Oct. 12	Tropicana Field	8:00p ET
Game 2	Tuesday, Oct. 13	Tropicana Field	8:00p ET
Game 3	Thursday, Oct. 15	Progressive Field	6:00p ET
Game 4	Friday, Oct. 16	Progressive Field	6:00p ET
Game 5*	Saturday, Oct. 17	Progressive Field	8:00p ET
Game 6*	Monday, Oct. 19	Tropicana Field	5:00p ET
Game 7*	Tuesday, Oct. 20	Tropicana Field	8:00p ET

Where will the Guardians vs. Rays League Championship Series be played?

Games 1 and 2 will be played in St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field, with Games 3 and 4 moving to Progressive Field in Cleveland. Should the series go past four games, Cleveland will host Game 5 before the series heads back to St. Petersburg for Games 6 and 7.

02:31

Is Rays’ Mesa Jr.’s breakout for real?

Eric Samulski and James Schiano discuss Victor Mesa Jr.’s two go-ahead homers in Game 3, his increased playing time and why his production could be here to stay.

Guardians vs. Rays probable starting pitchers

Starters for Game 1 and beyond are TBD.

Guardians vs. Rays 2026 season series results

The Rays dominated their season series against the Guardians in 2026, finishing 5-1 in 2026.

02:55

Low-payroll teams are thriving in MLB playoffs

Paul Pabst and Andrew Perloff discuss the phenomenon of teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox surviving the MLB postseason thus far and whether it’s a good thing for baseball.

Guardians vs. Rays playoff history

The Guardians own a 2-1 all-time postseason record against the Rays.

• 2022 AL Wild Card Series: Cleveland wins series 2-0
• 2013 AL Wild Card Game: Tampa Bay wins 1-0 (4-0 final score)

How does the MLB League Championship Series format work?

The ALCS and NLCS are best-of-seven series. The higher seed receives home-field advantage for the series, with Games 1-2 and potential Games 6-7 hosted by the higher seed and Games 3-5 hosted by the lower seed. The first team to win four games will take the series and advance to the World Series.

How to watch Dodgers vs. Brewers in 2026 MLB NLCS: Schedule, TV/stream info, preview, everything to know

Everything you need to know ahead of this year’s NLCS, with the Dodgers and Brewers set to clash in a thrilling rematch.

• Phil Akre,

• Phil Akre,