The Guardians needed every bit of help Friday night before Travis Bazzana finished off the comeback with a walk-off hit, and Daniel Espino made sure the late innings didn’t slip away.
Cleveland erased a 3-0 hole and pulled out a 4-3 win, but the path to that finish was built on a bullpen effort that had to stretch deep into the game. Starter Foster Griffin covered six innings and gave up three runs, then Espino and Hunter Gaddis handled the final four frames. Espino worked the seventh and eighth, while Gaddis threw a scoreless ninth and tenth to keep the door open for the extra-inning victory.
Espino’s arrival came right before first pitch, and he wasted no time showing why the organization has been so eager to see what he can do at this level. Guardians Prospective put it bluntly: “Cleveland Guardians RHP Daniel Espino struck out three Tigers batters tonight over two scoreless innings of work, topping out at 101.7 mph!
🔥 Line - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO (26 pitches, 18 strikes). Fastball averaged 99.5 mph.
Slider averaged 93.1 mph,” Guardians Prospective reported.
The outing came in a game where Stephen Vogt had to squeeze a lot out of his relief corps, with the bullpen covering 6.2 innings overall. Espino answered that call with two clean innings, and the radar gun backed up the eye test. His fastball was humming, his slider had bite, and he looked fully in command.
For a pitcher who has battled through a long list of surgeries and health problems, the performance stood out even more. It was the kind of night that reminded everyone why he was once viewed as such a big talent.
His MLB numbers now show a 3.38 ERA over eight innings, but the more eye-catching mark is the strikeout-to-walk ratio: 15 strikeouts and just four walks. That kind of swing-and-miss stuff gives him real late-inning value if he can keep the free passes down.
Espino has also been strong in Triple-A, where he has posted a 3.68 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. The stuff is clearly there. The question, as always, is the command.
Even so, with the roster expanded, he looks like a pitcher the Guardians can keep leaning on for tough outs when the game gets tight.
In Other News...
Former Guardians Outfielder Suddenly Back In The Middle Of Seattle's Push
Stuart Fairchild is back on a major league roster again, and this time the opportunity comes with a little more urgency for Seattle. After putting up strong numbers at Triple-A Tacoma, Fairchild was brought back by the Mariners to fill a roster spot opened when Victor Robles was placed on the family medical emergency list, giving the club another outfield option at a time when every healthy bat matters.
For Fairchild, the move adds another stop to a season that has already taken him through brief stints with both the Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians before he returned on a minor league deal with Seattle. His path has been anything but settled, but the Mariners clearly liked what they saw in Tacoma enough to pull him back into the middle of their push, even if the longer-term answer in the outfield remains to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have Another Chase DeLauter Health Concern
Chase DeLauters latest interruption came in the middle of a game, when the Guardians outfielder left after injuring his right wrist in his second at-bat. Stephen Vogt said DeLauter is expected to be day-to-day and is already getting treatment for soreness and stiffness, another reminder that Cleveland has had to keep recalibrating around one of its most intriguing young players.
The wrist issue arrives just after DeLauter sat out a series against the Los Angeles Angels because of hamstring tightness, extending a stretch in which availability has been the bigger question than production. For a player trying to build momentum, the timing is frustrating, and for the Guardians it adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster that could use some stability from him. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep Ignoring A First Base Answer Fans Want To See
Ralphy Velazquez has done enough in Triple-A to keep his name in the conversation, especially with the Guardians still looking for more offense at first base. The prospects production has made him an obvious candidate for a look in Cleveland, and general manager Mike Chernoff even acknowledged that Velazquez has earned a promotion based on performance.
For now, though, the path is blocked by roster fit rather than merit. Chernoff said there is not a role for Velazquez on the major league club at the moment, and he also pushed back on the idea that any looming labor concerns are driving the decision. So the question around first base remains the same one fans have been asking: if Velazquez keeps forcing the issue, when does Cleveland finally make room? [Read more 🡒]