The Guardians head into Game 4 of the ALCS with a 2-1 series lead, but nobody around this series is pretending it feels safe. They still need two more wins, and with more bad weather looming, the margin for comfort is gone.
That’s where the old “Four Horsemen” idea comes back into play. Last year, the Guardians’ bullpen earned that nickname for the group of Cade, Gaddis, Herrin and “Death incarnate, he who shall not be named,” a record-setting late-inning unit that helped carry them into the ALCS. For Game 4, the same theme fits again.
The first horse is the White Horse, Conquest, and that points to Steven Vogt. Manager might not be the obvious answer in a spot like this, but the job he’s done has been impossible to ignore.
He has made the right calls on when to pull pitchers, who to trust out of the bullpen, the Halpin starts and pinch hitting Bailey, and that run of decisions has helped Cleveland move from scrapping around .500c to taking down the #1 seed. If the Guardians are going to keep winning, Vogt has to stay on that track.
Then comes the Red Horse, War, and that one belongs to Jose Ramirez. The source material doesn’t exactly soften that image, and neither does the recent evidence.
Ramirez has been the team’s spiritual leader, and the last 10 days have made that clearer than ever. When he produces, the Guardians roll.
When he doesn’t, they sink. In the ALDS alone, the pattern was obvious: two losses in Games 1 and 2 when he went 0-6, then a Game 3 win with a line of 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, 2B, 3B, SB and a classic Jose run created; a Game 4 win with 2-5, 3 RBI, including the two-run homer that put Cleveland ahead; a Game 5 win when his two-run homer supplied all the scoring.
The ALCS has followed the same script. In Game 1, he went 3-5 with an RBI and a steal attempt that got Caminero to move out of the way of an Adell two-run single.
Game 2 was a loss, with Ramirez going 1-4 along with a costly error that led to three runs and a mental mistake he knows he’s better than. Game 3 was another win, with a 2-3 line, a walk and a steal.
The message is hard to miss: if Jose is driving the bus, Cleveland is dangerous.
The Black Horse is Nick Martinez, and here the concern is simple: famine. The Rays starter has already shut the Guardians down twice this season, throwing 13 scoreless innings against Cleveland while allowing seven hits and one walk and striking out nine.
He’s not quite the same pitcher he was in those first two huge months, but that doesn’t make this any easier for the Guardians. With the season on the line, Tampa Bay is likely to lean hard on Martinez to be much more than the JAG he used to be and continue looking like the frontline starter he’s become.
Cleveland’s path is straightforward: get on base, create pressure early, and force the lineup to turn over a third time by the fifth so Cash has no choice but to reach for the bullpen.
And then there’s the Pale Horse, Death, which is Cade Smith in this version of the story. That part hardly needs much explanation.
Smith has been outstanding in this run, appearing in every Guardians win and piling up nine innings with 13 strikeouts while allowing just one run, and that was a meaningless solo homer with a five-run cushion. In seven appearances, he’s been the final answer.
Cleveland’s plan has been simple: get the lead after the fifth, turn it over to the bullpen, and let Cade finish the job.
So Game 4 comes down to the same four forces. Vogt has to keep pushing the right buttons.
Jose Ramirez has to keep dragging the offense into the fight. The Guardians have to avoid getting starved by Nick Martinez.
And if they can get the lead late, Cade Smith is waiting to shut the door.
In Other News...
Guardians Put Their Trust In A Risky ALCS Game 4 Plan
Rain has already pushed back Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, but the delay only adds another layer to a night Cleveland was preparing to approach in a different way. With a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay, the Guardians were set to turn to a bullpen game, with Shawn Armstrong lined up as the opener in a plan that asks a lot from the staff and gives the series a different look at a critical moment.
Tanner Bibee sounded comfortable with the arrangement before the game, pointing to the confidence the Guardians have in their pitching group. It is the kind of move teams usually reserve for a spot where they believe the matchups and depth can hold up, but it also leaves little margin if the game turns into a long grind once the tarp comes off and the first pitch finally gets thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Turn To Unconventional Game 4 Plan With ALCS Momentum Rising
With Cleveland up two games to one in the American League Championship Series, the next step in this matchup is coming with a twist. The Guardians announced Shawn Armstrong will open Game 4 before handing things off to a bulk reliever, a setup that reflects how confidently the pitching plan is being managed as the series shifts back to Cleveland. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is set to counter with Nick Martinez in Friday nights game, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
It is the kind of postseason decision that can change quickly if the weather gets involved, too. Rain is in the forecast, which adds another layer of uncertainty to a game already carrying plenty of weight for the Guardians, who have a chance to push their momentum even further on home turf. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Outlook Just Shifted Around Colin Holderman
Colin Holdermans status is the latest bullpen note to settle in around the Guardians, and it is a significant one. The reliever recently underwent surgery on his right wrist to address recurring tendinitis, leaving Cleveland to plan for life without one of the arms it had viewed as an important part of the relief mix going forward.
Holderman had already been sidelined for the past month with the injury, and the timeline now stretches much farther than a short-term fix. The expectation is that he will be ready for the 2027 season and spring training, which gives the Guardians plenty of time to adjust in the meantime but also leaves a sizable gap in the bullpen picture until then. [Read more 🡒]