AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS RAYS

October 18, 2026

Kevin Cash

Progressive Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Pregame 5 Press Conference

Q. Just what makes Parker so difficult to go up against? I think now you're facing him for the sixth time?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, really good stuff. Pitches with a lot of intensity. Feels like he elevates his game in big moments and can make big pitches, take some deep breaths out there.

But the sinker, change-up, complemented with the four-is seamer -- the breaking balls have lessened a little bit here as of late, but know that he's got that in his back pocket as well. It's just from the other side, seems like a tremendous competitor.

Q. I know Yandy hasn't really challenged this season. I'm curious, kind of your perspective on that. Then you get to a situation like that last night, does it -- when you get to these big moments, I guess, does your perspective on that evolve?

KEVIN CASH: I mean, in the moment, it's really tough for me to know whether he should have challenged a pitch or not or whether we would like him to. I know that we really trust Yandy's decision-making on a daily/nightly basis.

I know it's become a little bit of a story, and who knows, he might decide to challenge one pitch in a big moment for us. But I think if you look up at the start of the year and say, hey, Yandy's going to be this guy and not have challenged a pitch all year, we would all say, yeah, we'll take that.

Q. On Aranda, through those years where he was kind of up and down, what gave you guys the belief in sticking with him knowing that he would become --

KEVIN CASH: Well, I think his Triple-A track record helped a lot. I mean, for a couple seasons there, he was the best hitter for the Bulls, and maybe the best hitter in the International League.

I think we were kind of eliminated, and we had six weeks to play, and we really committed and said we want to see Johnny Aranda be himself, find some comfort, not worried about whether he's in the lineup or not on a given day, not worried about getting pinch-hit for on a given day -- just go compete and try to find yourself a routine and a rhythm. To his credit, he went out and did that.

I still look at last year, that was a devastating blow for us. We were kind of on the outside looking in, but with a good run, we could have got right back into some things, maybe for the wild card. And Johnny breaks his were wrist on a funky play in New York, and it was really deflating.

Q. On the play last night from Mesa, obviously early in the game, but your defense overall in this series, how important has that been?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, I mean, defense becomes so important when you're playing a team like the Guardians, because you don't strike them out. They just don't strike out.

They're having tremendous at-bats. Their decision-making with two strikes has been elite this entire series. So you know they're going to put the ball in play, the more balls put in play, the more pressure the is on the defense to do that.

But I agree. Somebody asked yesterday postgame how big was Mesa's play. It was huge in the moment, and then after thinking about it as the game unfolded, like, to be able to clear the bases right there, pick up two outs -- yeah, we're frustrated we gave up an early run, a quick run like that. But to allow Nick to pitch with nobody on base, as opposed to to a run in and a guy on second, it was a heck of a play.

Q. What has Rodney meant to this ballclub since joining the organization, but more so this season and in the postseason, mainly with Junior, Aranda, Yandy and the guys?

KEVIN CASH: Quite a lot. Rodney's meant a ton to our organization since coming over here. Been very fortunate to have him. My personal interactions with him and talking about pregame, postgame, during game, Rodney is very steady, very calm.

I think there's such great respect and admiration for Rodney, certainly with our Hispanic players. I mean everybody knows Rodney Linares, and the track record speaks for itself and the success he's had as a minor league manager and player development, and coming here as a third base coach and a bench coach.

But he's got a very unique and positive way to dive into those relationships, whether it's just so much trust with the players that they can interact with him on a daily basis.

Q. From your perspective as a former catcher, there's so much built-up equity and trust when it comes to a relationship with catcher and pitcher. Today the Guardians are going with Patrick Bailey instead of Austin Hedges with Parker Messick on the mound. Just from your perspective, how important is that connection that can be bonded between a battery?

KEVIN CASH: I think it's very important. But I think that's why you have to pore into having two to have equal of that bond or that relationship that you're referencing.

And Patrick Bailey, he's as good defensively as there is in baseball. And confident that they'll communicate and be on the page they need to be on.

Q. After the deadline, was there ever any confusion with your team with the various Walls and Wells, and I know you have an equipment manager --

KEVIN CASH: Tyler Wall.

Q. That combination of all three names?

KEVIN CASH: Not for me because I call them all different things. But, yeah, I can see if you look at our roster or what we send to the opposing team, who's coming in, whose bags you've gotta unpack, it can be a little head-scratching.

But they all play massive roles, maybe none bigger than Tyler Wall and what he does.

Q. In a series like this, when you're facing one team, they've got good information, they're going to exploit certain things that they see to their advantage, for a hitting perspective how much maybe tougher, more difficult is that adjustment process? How is it perhaps different than the regular season?

KEVIN CASH: I don't know if it's that much different in the regular season. I think it's unique. They're going to see Ras now again. We're going to see Messick again.

I think you really just trust the guys that have lived it in the box against Messick the night before or five days ago, and they're going to trust their guys. And whatever they can pick up within those Game 1 or 2 at-bats, they can put it into play here in Game 5.

But as far as more information, I don't think we necessarily have that. We came in with our thoughts about their entire pitching staff, and we've trusted our information, and that's what we're continuing to provide.

I don't think there was anything that Parker Messick did that would have changed our thoughts going into, what did he pitch, Game 2? Game 2 now into Game 5.

Q. Was that part of the relievers, seeing relievers more times through?

KEVIN CASH: Well, we are seeing relievers more times through. I think you've got to be mindful of how many of these relievers are facing the same guy over and over.

We were just talking about that 10 minutes ago, that how many times, how many pitches have those specific hitters, what's the cost of that? I don't think anybody knows that, but it's still good information to have.

Q. Over the years, teams have been reluctant to bring catchers onboard maybe during the season, trying to get (indiscernible) to the pitching staff?

KEVIN CASH: Not us.

Q. Not you guys, and Bailey is obviously with Cleveland. Rutschman went to Boston. I'm just wondering why aren't you guys reluctant? And what do you guys do so well to make sure that these guys come in and (indiscernible)?

KEVIN CASH: The confidence and trust that we have in Tomas Francisco, who works hand in hand with our catchers, and then our messaging from Kyle and Jorge Moncada. It's pretty spot on.

And I think it's also a credit to the pitchers that are here to be very open minded and be pretty transparent and be able to communicate and not get stubborn on one specific guy back there.

I mean, Liam got up to speed really quick, and he was catching everybody very quick. Forty has done a tremendous job of ingraining himself with every starter, every reliever. And they've shared messages along the way. There was a lot that poured into helping Liam get off the ground running. And then Liam has done an incredible job after that.

Q. You have Chandler in there today against a lefty. What did you like about his at-bats and how good maybe his at-bats have been?

KEVIN CASH: Chandler, he's such an igniter. He's such a good hitter, the way he hangs in there. Yesterday, again, he had the sac fly. I think he was down 0-2 or 1-2, and he hangs in the way he does.

Whatever I'm feeling in an 0-2, 1-2 count, sitting in the dugout, I can assure you, Chandler's not feeling that, because he backs it up by having such quality at-bats when he's behind in the count.

Definitely different challenges that Messick presents for him or lefties or righties today. But know that Chandler is just going to continue to make adjustment and put pressure on the pitchers.

Q. Aranda question, how has he maybe grown as a hitter? I mean, we've seen the power. We've seen the ability to go the other ways. He's done a lot of different things?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, he knows the league a little bit more now. I think he's a little bit more understanding of certain pitchers with certain characteristics, too, their pitch types. They're going to try to go in different areas to him to get him to expand.

I think definitely at certain parts of the season he's shown the ability to lay off that and kind of wait and take the pitcher's mistake or take a walk.

Q. Do you remember the first time you saw Cam Booser in Spring Training and just what his development in the system has been this year? He was a guy that I don't know even think was on the 40-man roster when the season started. Just looking back to last night and throughout the back end of this year, how important he has been for the back end of the bullpen.

KEVIN CASH: He's been as important as anybody in our bullpen and the contributions that he's made.

I do remember Spring Training. We got a guy that came in -- I think he was on a minor league deal, I'm pretty sure -- that we just wanted to see kind of continue to prove health. The power to the fastball and the cutter and the slider, we knew it was there.

Felt like it was a guy that we had to kind of monitor the workload a little bit, just to keep the velocities in line.

But he has taken off and hasn't looked back. And with some of our injuries to relievers throughout the course of the early part of the season, to be able to rely on him, and now to be a guy to come in and get some of the biggest outs of any game in August/September and now October, we're incredibly grateful for.