CLEVELAND -- Major League Baseball officials did not want to postpone Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, but soaking, day-long rain forced their hand.

As a result, the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays will play the rescheduled contest on Saturday night. Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Guardians right-hander Shawn Armstrong (0-0, 0.00 ERA postseason) takes on Rays right-hander Nick Martinez (0-0, 4.91 ERA postseason). Both were slated to start Friday before the game was called one hour after its scheduled first pitch, but play never began.

"It was obviously a long day to wait to not have a game," said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, who was visibly and audibly perturbed at his post-rainout press conference. "It's completely out of our control, but this is what happens.

"This is baseball. This is Cleveland. We're more than used to these kinds of days."

The postponement will force the teams to play the final four games on consecutive days, if needed, with Game 5 in Cleveland on Sunday. The series would return to St. Petersburg, Fla., for Game 6 and Game 7, if necessary.

Since the Rays play in a domed stadium and there is no rain in the forecast for Northeast Ohio this weekend, the AL crown will be awarded no later than Tuesday. Temperatures for the next two games are expected to be in the low 40s.

"No, I'm not frustrated at all," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "I have no reason to be frustrated. We did everything just like we would do during the regular season. There was no guarantee there wasn't another band of rain coming."

Armstrong, a former Rays reliever, allowed one hit over 1 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 2. He will serve as the opener, with left-hander Joey Cantillo and right-hander Slade Cecconi likely among those to follow.

Armstrong was less fortunate in his previous outing against Tampa Bay, allowing three runs in two-thirds of an inning in a no-decision on July 24. He has a 6.14 ERA in 16 total appearances against the Rays (regular season and postseason), all out of the bullpen.

"If you compare both organizations on paper and what they've done, it's a really good battle to have in the ALCS," Armstrong said. "We're thankful to be here. So are they. At the end of the day, I hope we come out on top."

Martinez pitched brilliantly against the Guardians during the 2026 regular season, winning both starts while allowing seven hits and one walk over 13 scoreless innings. He added nine strikeouts as Cleveland posted a .159/.178/.182 slash line against him.

The 36-year-old Miami native pitched 3 2/3 innings and gave up two runs against the New York Yankees when he started Game 3 of the AL Division Series. Martinez went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in 31 regular-season starts this year, but Cash made him a relief option earlier in the ALCS.

"The first game, I sat in the bullpen and didn't really like it," Martinez said, chuckling. "I was in the dugout with cleats on the second game. Whatever the team needs, I'm up for it. That's got to be my mentality for the rest of the year."

Martinez is 3-2 with a 4.39 ERA in eight career appearances (four starts) against the Guardians. He has pitched in Cleveland twice (one start), throwing nine scoreless innings with five strikeouts while compiling a 1-0 record.

--Brian Dulik, Field Level Media