Guardians tab Daniel Espino as ALDS Game 3 starter vs White Sox

CHICAGO — Taking the mound in a win-or-go-home elimination playoff game comes with a great deal of pressure, and it’s a milestone for any pitcher to be given the ball in that kind of a scenario.

But for Guardians right-handed pitcher Daniel Espino, the biggest pitch of his career might have come on a quiet field at the team’s complex in Goodyear, Ariz. After years of working his way back some career-threatening shoulder and arm injuries, which brought into real doubt if he’d ever pitch in the majors at all, that was the major breakthrough of Espino’s career.

So in a way, he already feels prepared for pressure he’ll face when he starts Game 3 of the ALDS against the White Sox in what is a must-win game for the Guardians, who trail Chicago 2-0 in the best-of-five series.

“I think the biggest day of my career so far was throwing my first live AB back in Arizona,” Espino said. “That was a really cool moment for me. Tomorrow is a different setting that I think I’m prepared for, and everybody’s prepared for it, talking to my teammates and everybody in that clubhouse.”

The Guardians enter Game 3 with their backs against the wall after falling in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland. They’re playing for their playoff lives, now needing to win three consecutive games.

It’s an immense amount of trust to hoist onto Espino’s shoulders, even if he’s only expected to throw an inning or two as an opener. Espino posted a 4.11 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 15 ⅓ innings this season.

“You bet on the person in times like this, and obviously we’ve seen his stuff,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “What Daniel’s been through, there’s nothing that’s going to rattle him or shake him. We’re really excited for Daniel to be getting the ball tomorrow.”

For the last few weeks of the regular season, Espino had been acting as an opener for Joey Cantillo, who had been struggling with his command. The move worked brilliantly for Cantillo, who responded with 15 consecutive scoreless innings.

It’s unclear if Cantillo will actually be the pitcher to follow Espino, though. The Guardians will take an all-hands-on-deck approach to this game, and who follows Espino could be altered by how the White Sox prepare their lineup. In a way, the Guardians are leaning into a strategy used by Chicago to try to force the opposing lineup into sub-optimal situations. It sets up Game 3 to be a pitching chess match.

Cantillo, Foster Griffin and Tanner Bibee, as starting pitchers for most of 2026, are all available out of the bullpen. When asked if Espino starting the game meant the plan was for Cantillo to follow him Vogt simply said, “Daniel is going to start.”

Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians tab Daniel Espino as ALDS Game 3 starter vs White Sox