Shohei Ohtani back in leadoff spot for NLCS Game 4

Major League Baseball tried to wait this one out, but the forecast wasn’t improving and the outlook looked too bleak to push it any longer. Game 4 will now be played on Saturday at 8:00 PM EST, while Game 5 will be on Sunday afternoon at 5:00 PM EST. Expect Friday’s scheduled starters — Nick Martinez for the Rays and Shawn Armstrong (as an opener) for the Guardians — to get the ball on Saturday.

The two teams remain in contact with Major League Baseball and are hopeful that they’ll be able to get the game in. Otherwise, it could lead to major changes to the rest of the postseason schedule. It sounds like they’ll do everything possible to play baseball on Friday night, just anticipate a long and rain-soaked evening at the most critical time of the season.

The Rays will utilize the same starting nine that they used in Thursday’s loss in Game 3, but the batting order has changed. Simpson moves up from fifth to third while Junior Caminero slides into the cleanup spot. Here’s the full lineup that the Rays will deploy against Shawn Armstrong and a host of Guardians’ relievers: Yandy Diaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Simpson (LF), Junior Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).

Even though the Guardians only scored three runs in the contest, the Guardians feel like that’s the best possible lineup that they are able to put on the field against an opposing right-hander, so there’s no need to change anything up. Game 3 hero Petey Halpin will start in center field and bat eighth. Here’s the full lineup that they’ll deploy against Rays’ right-hander Nick Martinez as they look to take a commanding 3-1 advantage in the series: Steven Kwan (LF), Jose Ramírez (3B), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jo Adell (DH), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Travis Bazzana (2B), Patrick Bailey (C), Petey Halpin (CF) and Brayan Rocchio (SS).

Maldonado retired from MLB after the 2025 season, though he did play for Puerto Rico in the WBC this spring, and took a job as a special assistant with the Braves. Now he’ll be back on the field with the Tigers and working with A.J. Hinch, who was briefly his manager in Houston.

Avila was a nice middle reliever for the Guardians in 2024, posting a 3.25 ERA in 74 2/3 innings, but he found himself out of a job afterwards anyway. He spent 2025 in Japan, returned to the Guardians on a minor league deal last winter and then, after struggling in Triple-A, he made his way to Korea in July and wound up going 9-2 with a 1.44 ERA in 14 starts for the Landers. Maybe we’ll see him again once this deal is up.

Armstrong has pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, to date this postseason. The Guardians will have Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo both available to go long tonight. Bibee has yet to pitch in the ALCS, while Cantillo has thrown only an inning.

Rojas, 37, said prior to the season that he expected 2026 to be his last as a player, though he seemed open to reconsidering at times. Late-season flareups of his shoulder and back brought an end to that, though. Rojas finishes a rare career with a .260/.313/.363 line in 4,411 plate appearances over 13 seasons. He had a career .627 OPS in the minors, a .644 OPS in the majors through age 29 and then a .692 OPS in his thirties. He came in at .732 and racked up 5.5 bWAR in 217 games between the Dodgers’ championship seasons in 2024 and ’25.

He was certainly deserving of the honor. Bauers had a legendary at-bat to wear down Yoshinobu Yamamoto and spark the Brewers’ comeback in Game 2. He then swatted a go-ahead homer after a long battle against Blake Snell in Game 3 and chipped in three RBI during the series-clinching victory in Game 4. He hit .412 with a homer and six RBI during the four-game sweep. It’s an outstanding accomplishment for the 31-year-old journeyman who pondered retirement last offseason.

Ashby took over in the seventh inning with the Brewers clinging to a 5-4 lead. He allowed a leadoff double to Andy Pages, who then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt with one out. Ashby battled back though, striking out Shohei Ohtani and then getting Mookie Betts on a ground out to end the threat. He faced a similar situation in the eighth as Will Smith smacked a one-out double and advanced to third on an error. Ashby again came through, getting Kyle Tucker on a shallow fly ball to center before retiring Teoscar Hernandez on strikes. The 28-year-old southpaw then worked a perfect ninth inning to close it out and punch the Brewers’ ticket to the World Series for the first time since 1982.