CLEVELAND, Ohio — Parker Messick followed the Tampa Bay Rays when he was growing up in Plant City, Fla.

On Sunday, Messick’s favorite childhood team knocked him for a loop and once again pushed the Guardians into an elimination situation with a 3-1 victory in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field.

The ALCS returns to Tropicana Field for Games 6 and 7, if necessary, on Monday and Tuesday night.

The Rays lead the best-of-seven series, 3-2. Teams that have taken a 3-2 lead after being tied 2-2 have gone on to win the series 66.7% (46-for-69) of the time.

Elimination games are nothing new to the Guardians this postseason. They faced three consecutive win-or-go-home games against the White Sox after losing the first two games of the ALDS. They prevailed in each one to reach the ALCS.

They will face another must-win game Monday night at The Trop. They split the first two games there, winning the series opener, 7-3, but losing the second game, 3-1.

The Rays, 98-64 during the regular season, were 55-26 at home.

“Let’s go,” said manager Stephen Vogt when asked how his team would approach Game 6. “We don’t have another choice. We don’t like being in this position, but like we said in the other series, our backs are against the wall. They’ve been against the wall for a long time.

“This is when this team thrives. We’re playing a really good team, especially when they play at home.”

Vogt wouldn’t say who his starting pitcher would be on Monday, but he did say who it wouldn’t be — Gavin Williams.

Williams, who is having a great postseason, would be on short rest if he pitched on Monday night.

“That’s not an option,” said Vogt.

The Guardians were in position to end the ALCS on their home turf after taking a 2-1 series lead with a 3-2 win in Game 3 on Thursday. But the Rays bounced back to take Games 4 and 5 to bring the series back to the Trop.

Yandy Diaz, signed and developed by the Guardians before they traded him to the Rays, told reporters after Sunday’s win that the series is over.

“It ends tomorrow (Monday),” said Diaz, 3 for 5 Sunday. “We’re going to win tomorrow.’

Messick, making his 36th start of his rookie season, looked gassed Sunday.

He lasted just two innings, throwing 57 pitches in the shortest start of his career. That the Rays scored only two runs against him was an accomplishment.

Diaz opened the game with a double and eventually scored on Jonny DeLuca’s bases-loaded walk with two out. It took Messick 30 pitches to get through the first inning as he faced seven batters.

The second inning wasn’t much better.

Ben Williamson opened the inning with a single and came around to score on one-out singles by Diaz and Jonathan Aranda for a 2-0 lead. Messick ended the inning with two straight strikeouts, but he was done for the day.

Messick allowed two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out three on 57 pitches.

“I’ve said it before, I feel great right now,” said Messick, when asked if he was tired. “Simply just me (not) executing, but body feels good, arm feels good. I’m still throwing hard. I don’t really have any body fatigue, just whether or not I’m executing the game plan.”

Messick said he lost focus in the first inning after Diaz’s leadoff double, and it took him a while to recover.

The short start sent Vogt and pitching coach Carl Willis into scramble mode as they started emptying the bullpen to try and salvage a win.

Tim Herrin, who pitched an inning in Saturday’s Game 4 loss, started the third. Chandler Simpson greeted him with a leadoff double and scored on a bloop single by Liam Hicks for a 3-0 lead.

But that’s where the Guardians’ bullpen said enough.

Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith held the Rays scoreless over the last six innings. Smith threw the final 1 1/3 innings, which could compromise him for Monday’s game if there’s a save situation.

“We didn’t anticipate going to the bullpen in the third, but credit to our bullpen,” said Vogt. “They go seven innings, allow one run, and kept us in the game the whole way.

“How many times did we get the tying run up? We just couldn’t get the big hit.”

Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen, who faced the Guards in Game 1, held them to one run in seven innings. He struck out six, walked one and allowed four hits.

The Guardians scored their only run in the sixth to make it 3-1.

Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez hit consecutive one-out singles off Rasmussen (2-0, 1.29) to put runners on third and first. Chase DeLauter’s grounder to first scored Kwan, but the threat ended when Rasmussen retired Jo Adell on a pop-up.

In four starts against the Guardians this season, including the postseason, Rasmussen is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 32 innings.

“Rasmussen throws from edge to edge (of the plate),” said Kwan. “He throws so many pitches, so much command. Even when he didn’t hit his spot, he hit it on the other side and stayed in the zone.

“He went right after us and was super effective.”

Messick (0-3, 3.95) has allowed six runs in 13 2/3 innings in the postseason. He has struck out 17, walked 10 and allowed 17 hits in that span.

In the regular season, Messick struck out 193, walked 49 and allowed 149 hits in 186 1/3 innings.

In four starts against the Rays this season, including the postseason, he’s 0-3 with a 1.33 ERA.

“Everyone who is still playing baseball right now is taxed and their workload is heavy,” said Vogt, when asked if Messick was taxed. “Parker feels good. His stuff is still there. This is more innings than he’s ever thrown in his life by more than 70. Of course, that maybe playing into it.

“But just look at the way that kid competed for two innings. Those two innings could have gotten away from him. I hope he gets to throw another time this year.”

The Guardians’ defense kept them in the game on two occasions.

Kwan threw out Taylor Walls at the plate from left field for the second out in the fourth. Walls tried to score from second on a single by Aranda.

In the ninth, Kwan robbed Victor Mesa Jr. of extra bases with a leaping catch at the wall in center.

Next

The Guardians and Rays will play Game 6 of the ALCS on Monday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field. TBS, TruTV, HBO Max, WTAM/1100, WMMS 100.7 FM, ESPN Radio and the Guardians Radio Network will carry the game.

Cleveland has not announced a starting pitcher for Game 6, but the Rays will start RHP Freddy Peralta (1-0, 0.79). He beat the Guardians in Game 2 with six scoreless innings. He also pitched in relief in Game 4.