Guards Ball is inevitable.
The Cleveland Guardians are on to the American League Championship Series following Saturday’s 2–0 ALDS Game 5 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. The club will compete for its first AL Pennant in a decade in a thrilling best-of-seven clash with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Opening Odds for 2026 ALCS on DraftKings Sportsbook
The ALCS gets underway Monday night at Tropicana Field. DraftKings Sportsbook favors Tampa Bay at -170 to win the American League and advance to the World Series, while Cleveland sits as a +140 underdog.
The Guardians scaled an 0–2 series deficit to dispatch the White Sox, thanks to a 5.2-inning gem from ace Gavin Williams and a two-run homer from franchise centerpiece Jose Ramirez in Saturday’s decisive Game 5. The club is back in the ALCS for the second time in three years, after falling to the Juan Soto-infused New York Yankees in five games back in 2024. Cleveland is now one step closer to its first World Series title since 1948, eager to exorcise the demons of its devastating 2016 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
The Rays — fresh off capturing the AL’s top seed — sailed through the Division Series, sweeping the Yankees in three games. Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Drew Rasmussen, and company will compete for Tampa Bay’s first AL pennant since 2020, when the club downed the Houston Astros in seven games before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic.
First pitch on Monday night is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Rays open as 1.5-run home favorites for Game 1 with -168 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Guardians are +138 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U seven runs.
The American League champions will face either the three-peat-seeking Dodgers or the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.
