Guardians choose Messick for ALDS opener and Williams for Game 2

Parker Messick will start Game 1 of the Guardians’ American League Division Series against the White Sox, with Gavin Williams following in Game 2. Manager Stephen Vogt named the pair Thursday, putting the rookie left-hander first in Cleveland’s postseason rotation.

The series opens Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern at Progressive Field. Game 2 is Monday at 5 p.m., also in Cleveland, before the teams move to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Messick, 25, finished the regular season with a 2.56 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 32 starts. MLB.com’s Max Ralph reported that he made four starts against the White Sox, with a 2.81 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 25⅔ innings. Cleveland split those four games. This will be his first postseason appearance.

Williams brings more playoff experience and the American League’s highest strikeout total. The right-hander struck out 248 during the regular season and had a 3.76 ERA in 32 starts. He faced Chicago four times, allowing no more than three runs in each outing but not completing six innings in any of them, according to Ralph.

Rest gives Cleveland a choice

Cleveland’s division title and first-round bye allowed Vogt to arrange the opening games with rested starters. In a Wednesday interview posted by WEWS reporter Mason Horodyski, Vogt said players were already feeling better during the break.

Dave Takacs of On SI reported that the five-day gap also gave the bullpen a chance to recover after its September workload. The Guardians will now face a familiar opponent: Chicago won the regular-season series 7-6, while Cleveland finished one game ahead in the division.

Williams’ most recent playoff start came against Detroit in last year’s Wild Card Series. He threw six innings with eight strikeouts and allowed two unearned runs, though Cleveland lost, Ralph reported. Messick begins without that postseason experience but with the lower regular-season ERA of the two opening starters.

The White Sox reached this round by sweeping Houston. They had not announced their pitching plans when MLB.com reported Cleveland’s order Thursday.