We had quite the opener to this ALCS on Monday night. The Tampa Bay Rays took early control behind their ace, Drew Rasmussen, and built a 2-0 home lead. Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey each hit a solo homer to tie it up, then the floodgates opened: Cleveland scored five runs off the Tampa Bay bullpen, forcing manager Kevin Cash to burn five pitchers in three innings. Cleveland finished with a 7-3 win, showcasing their usual blend of timely hitting, defense, and strong bullpen work. Let’s look at the opening odds for Game 2.
Opening Odds for Game 2 of 2026 ALCS on DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook favors Tampa Bay at -133 to win Game 2, while Cleveland sits as a +111 underdog.
Parker Messick steps to the mound for the Guardians in Game 2. During his breakout regular season, the Guardians lefty posted a 2.56 ERA over 32 starts and 186.1 innings, striking out 193 batters. Messick pounds the zone with his fastball and has a strong changeup that induces whiffs and weak contact. He faced the Rays twice during the regular season, pitching 13.1 innings across two starts and allowing two runs while striking out 15 batters. In the ALDS against the White Sox, Messick struggled mightily with his command, walking six batters over 6.2 innings and allowing four earned runs.
Opposite him is Freddy Peralta. The right-hander’s season was a tale of two halves: in 22 starts with the Mets, Peralta posted a 4.99 ERA, then a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts with the Rays. Tampa’s fix for Peralta was simple: you have a great changeup, and you should throw it a whole lot more. After settling in with Tampa, he was scorching hot, going 5-0 in his last six starts with a pristine 0.79 ERA. Peralta continued his strong stint with the Rays by holding the Yankees to one run over 4.2 innings in his lone ALDS start. Like Messick, Peralta is primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher who loves to throw strikes.
