FinalFinal lineupsAL East / AL Central

Tampa Bay Rays 3, Cleveland Guardians 2

Final Score and Game Recap

Final score, pitching lines and standings context.

6:10 PM ET · Progressive FieldStats availableFinal lineups locked

T-Score68

3–2

FINAL

T-Score55

FINAL

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation

CategoryComparisonWhy

Starting pitcherGuardiansCleveland has the stronger starting-pitcher profile: Messick leads in P-Score, WHIP and K/9.

Offense vs handEvenThe handedness splits are nearly even, with less than a .004 difference in OPS.

Team strengthRaysTampa leads 68–55 in T-Score.

Starting pitchers

Steven Matz LHP

Tampa Bay Rays

2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)

ERA

5.49

188th

WHIP

1.23

82nd

K/9

6.83

175th

BB/9

2.80

79th

P-Score36i

FIP

5.16

HR/9

1.68

193rd

OPS/R

0.840

80.1

2026 ERA splits

Home ERA6.75

Road ERA4.54

Last 5 starts

Parker Messick LHP

Cleveland Guardians

2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)

ERA

2.56

10th

WHIP

1.06

20th

K/9

9.32

55th

BB/9

2.37

40th

P-Score76i

FIP

3.07

HR/9

0.82

32nd

OPS/R

0.597

186.1

2026 ERA splits

Home ERA2.90

Road ERA2.19

Last 5 starts

How the starters differ

·Messick owns the lower FIP, 3.07 to 5.16.

·Messick strikes out 2.5 more batters per nine innings.

·Messick allows the lower home-run rate: 0.82 vs 1.68 per nine.

·Messick allows fewer baserunners, with a 1.06 WHIP compared with 1.23.

Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent

Metric	Matz	Messick	Note
ERA−	137	62	Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP	5.16	3.07
WAR	-0.1	4.8	Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Matz arsenal

Pitch	Usage	Velo
Sinker	50%	93.5
Changeup	29%	83.0
Curveball	12%	78.8
Slider	8%	82.4
Cutter	0%	88.2

Messick arsenal

Pitch	Usage	Velo
Four-seam	42%	94.4
Changeup	24%	85.9
Sinker	15%	92.8
Curveball	9%	79.3
Slider	6%	87.0
Cutter	5%	90.6

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Rays vs LHP (Parker Messick)

25th

in MLB

0.679OPS

.600.700.800.9001.000

Guardians vs LHP (Steven Matz)

27th

in MLB

0.675OPS

.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page

Lineups not announced

Neither club has posted a batting order. Handedness composition, H-Score leaders and batter-vs-pitcher samples appear here as soon as the first order is filed — typically two to three hours before first pitch.

Team comparison

Results

TB·

CLE

+3276th

Run differential

+25017th

98–64 Record85–77

Last 10 games

Tampa Bay Rays (0–0)

Cleveland Guardians (0–0)

2026 head-to-head

Season Series

0—0

0 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Rays?+

Steven Matz is listed as the starter.

Who is starting for the Guardians?+

Parker Messick is listed as the starter.

What time does the game start?+

6:10 PM ET at Progressive Field.

Where is the game being played?+

Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians.

Are the lineups confirmed?+

Not yet. Orders appear here when they are posted.

How do the starters compare on P-Score?+

Steven Matz is at 36; Parker Messick is at 76. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.