The Cleveland Guardians have spent the first stretch of September leaning hard on their bullpen, and the results have kept them right in the race.
Over a nine-day span from September 1st to the 9th, Cleveland played 10 games, survived plenty of stressful innings, and still emerged with a 74-73 record. They remain in a Wild Card spot and sit just a game and a half behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, with a series between the two clubs set to begin on September 14th.
That run would have been much harder to navigate without a relief group that has become the team’s clearest edge. Joe Noga described the unit as “battle-tested” and “one of Cleveland’s biggest strengths,” and the numbers back that up.
“Ten games in nine days can expose the soft spots in even the most battle-tested bullpen, particularly when starting pitchers struggle to provide length. Cleveland’s bullpen emerged from a heavy stretch as one of the club’s biggest strengths, absorbing a demanding workload while continuing to put up zeros.
With little margin for error and a bullpen that has already carried a September-sized workload, the Guardians keep asking their relievers for outs. So far, they keep getting them,” Noga wrote.
Since September 1st, Cleveland’s relievers have thrown the most innings in the majors at 44.1, while also posting the second-best ERA in baseball at 1.83. Only the New York Yankees, at 1.80, have been better in that span.
Cade Smith has been the steady headliner, but the support has been broad. Erik Sabrowski has looked rejuvenated, and Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Matt Festa, Craig Yoho, Franco Aleman, Slade Cecconi, and Daniel Espino have all played a part in what has become the group’s strongest run of the season.
The structure of the bullpen has made a difference too. Everyone appears to know his role, and everyone is getting it done, whether that means locking down the late innings or stepping in early when a starter can’t get through much of the game. That kind of balance has helped Cleveland hang around in tight games and protect slim leads.
If that level of relief pitching holds and the starters begin to settle in, the Guardians still have a path to something bigger.
In Other News...
Stephen Vogt Is Giving Guardians Fans One Less Thing To Worry About
Stephen Vogt has quickly given Guardians fans a stabilizing presence in the dugout, and a recent Bleacher Report analysis backed up what has been easy to see from the outside. Even amid the ups and downs of the season, Vogt has drawn praise for the way he has handled a roster that continues to ask a lot of him, especially on the pitching side, while keeping Cleveland in the postseason conversation.
For a fan base that has already had enough to monitor on the field, the manager situation is not one of the concerns. Industry opinion has settled in on Vogt as one of the safest bets in the game when it comes to job security, and that matters for a club trying to keep its footing in a tight race. The bigger question now is whether that stability can help the Guardians turn a solid year into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Tanner Bibee Is Creating An October Decision Guardians Fans Didn't Expect
The Guardians pitching picture looked a lot clearer after the front office added Foster Griffin before the trade deadline, giving Cleveland seven healthy options to work with as the calendar turns toward October. Even so, Tanner Bibee remains one of the names most likely to stay in the postseason mix, a reflection of both how much trust the staff still has in him and how much the club values his ability to take the ball and work deep into games.
That is a little different from where Bibees stock seemed to be when he first emerged as a possible ace. His recent regression, marked by a higher ERA and more home runs allowed, has made the conversation more complicated than many expected. But in a playoff race, reliability matters, and Bibees experience could keep him in the rotation even as Cleveland weighs a crowded group of healthy arms. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Decision Puts Stephen Vogt In A Late-Season Spot
The Guardians made another late-season bullpen tweak, optioning Franco Aleman to Triple-A Columbus and bringing Conor Brogdon back to the major league roster. It is the kind of roster move teams make when every inning starts to matter a little more, especially when recent performances have forced a hard look at who can be trusted in leverage spots. Aleman had been struggling, and the club decided it needed a different look as the schedule tightens.
Brogdon gives Cleveland a familiar option, since he has major league experience and has already moved between Columbus and Cleveland this season. For Stephen Vogt, the decision adds another layer to a bullpen that is being managed carefully with critical games ahead, and it leaves the Guardians continuing to sort out which arms can steady the back end when the margin for error gets thin. [Read more 🡒]