Overview
- The Guardians, which host the Nationals at Progressive Field on Monday, May 25, will start Tanner Bibee while Washington counters with Zack Littell in Game One.
- Cleveland sits 32-23 and has won 11 of its last 13 games, going 16-7 in May and riding a recent seven-game win streak that established the club's momentum.
- The Nationals are 27-27 with a negative run differential and arrive with multiple pitchers on the injured list, including Cole Henry (shoulder) and Max Kranick (elbow), that have thinned their rotation depth.
- Tuesday and Wednesday's projected starters are Cade Cavalli vs. Joey Cantillo and Miles Mikolas vs. Gavin Williams, matchups that place extra emphasis on starting pitching performance across the series.
- Oddsmakers favor Cleveland (Guardians -179, over/under 8) and the games will stream on Guardians.TV, with rotation health and bullpen availability likely to be the decisive factors fans and bettors should watch.