Stephen Vogt got the Guardians exactly where they wanted to be: Game 5 of the American League Division Series. The catch is that Cleveland now has to sort out who will actually pitch it.
That question got a lot messier Thursday night at Rate Field, where the Guardians’ 9-5 win over the White Sox came with a heavy bullpen toll. Vogt worked through relievers early, pushed closer Cade Smith deep into the game and then, in a twist, called on Gavin Williams to finish things off in the ninth.
Williams had been lined up to start Saturday’s winner-take-all game at Progressive Field. Instead, he made the first relief appearance of his career and threw 19 pitches to close out the series-extending victory.
That doesn’t automatically knock him out of the Game 5 conversation, but it changes the math in a big way.
Before Game 4, Vogt said Williams would throw a bullpen session during the game Thursday if Cleveland was in position to win, keeping him on track for Saturday. But once the game started slipping away from the original plan, Williams ended up warming in the ninth while the Guardians tried to protect a five-run lead.
“Obviously, the script tonight got ripped up in the third,” Vogt said. “And when you have to go to the bullpen early, you’ve got to get creative in a win-or-go-home.”
The early damage began when rookie Parker Messick lost his command in the third inning, forcing Vogt to reach for Shawn Armstrong sooner than expected. Cleveland later used three pitchers in the fifth, which kept draining the available arms and left the bullpen thinner than planned.
By the eighth inning, Vogt had already leaned hard on his highest-leverage relievers. Hunter Gaddis was still an option, and Daniel Espino was another possibility with the Guardians comfortably ahead. Instead, Vogt turned to Smith.
The All-Star closer had thrown only 19 pitches while getting six outs, five of them by strikeout, in Wednesday’s Game 3 win. On Thursday, he needed another 19 pitches to work through the eighth before coming back out for the ninth. That’s when the game finally forced Cleveland’s hand.
Smith gave up a leadoff homer to Miguel Vargas and then walked Munetaka Murakami, prompting Vogt to make the switch. Williams came in, allowed a single to Sam Antonacci, then struck out Andrew Benintendi on three pitches. He got Kyle Teel to ground into a force out, and Braden Montgomery lined out to Steven Kwan in left to end the game.
Vogt said Williams was only available for one inning, even if that wasn’t the preferred route.
“Obviously, didn’t want to have to do that,” Vogt said. “But in that moment, with Cade - Colson Montgomery, it was a great at-bat off Cade pushing the pitch count up. It was time to go get Gavin.”
He added that he wanted Williams to face a batter before the tying run could come to the plate.
Now the Guardians are left weighing the fallout with two of their key pitchers. Smith threw 31 pitches Thursday after working two innings Wednesday.
Williams, who went six innings in Monday’s Game 2 loss, now has just one day of rest after his emergency outing before a possible Game 5 start. Vogt still said Smith would be available Saturday.
“Outside of Cade, don’t feel like we’ve really overextended too many bullpen guys,” Vogt said. “Cade is a warrior and he steps up for these guys every night, and I know he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
White Sox manager Will Venable saw the cost of Cleveland’s push to force a Game 5.
“Small victories there, I think,” Venable said when asked about getting Smith to work and Williams into the game. “I also think that those guys will be ready to go.”
Venable also said Sean Burke will pitch for Chicago in Game 5, though he did not fully label him the starter. The White Sox will sort through their available arms before deciding on the plan.
Cleveland has the same issue, only with its presumed Game 5 starter already used in relief.
Williams could still start Saturday, though it might come with a shorter leash than originally expected. Espino, Joey Cantillo and other available arms could all be part of another unconventional plan.
And if the Guardians win again and move on to Tampa Bay for Monday’s AL Championship Series opener, the pitching puzzle gets even bigger. Vogt isn’t looking that far ahead yet.
“We’ll worry about that on Monday if we’re fortunate to get there,” Vogt said. “This is what playoff baseball is about. It’s about all hands on deck.”
In Other News...
Foster Griffin Gave Cleveland The Outing Nobody Saw Coming
Foster Griffins appearance in Game 3 of the American League Division Series was the kind of surprise outing that can change the feel of a postseason game. In just 2 2/3 innings of relief, Griffin struck out seven, matching the Guardians postseason record for strikeouts by a reliever and helping fuel a night in which Clevelands pitching staff piled up 19 strikeouts, an MLB postseason record for a nine-inning game.
What made it stand out even more was the setting around it. This was only Griffins second major league relief appearance and his first this season, so there was no real reason to expect him to become a central figure in a playoff game with that much on the line. Instead, he gave Cleveland an outing nobody saw coming, and in October, those are the performances that tend to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Kept Their Season Alive And Now Everything Comes Home
The Guardians are headed back home with their season still intact after a 9-5 win over the White Sox in Game 4 of the ALDS. Cleveland had to answer after falling into an elimination game, and the lineup delivered enough punch to force a decisive Game 5, with the offense breaking through in a big way and giving the club another chance to keep its October run going.
Jos Ramrez was right in the middle of it, helping steady a night that could have slipped away and giving Cleveland the kind of lift it needed when the pressure was highest. Now the focus shifts back to home turf, where the Guardians will try to finish the job and move on to the ALCS, with everything in the series now coming down to one more game. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Are Asking A Rookie To Save Their Season
Parker Messick is getting the kind of October assignment that can define a young pitchers reputation fast. The rookie left-hander is lined up to start Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, with the Guardians leaning on him after a steady regular season and a solid showing in his earlier postseason outing.
Cleveland's Game 3 win pulled the club back within 2-1 in the series, and now the path is simple enough to say and hard enough to execute: Messick needs to help keep the season alive long enough to force a winner-take-all Game 5. For a team that has already asked plenty of its young arms, this is one of those spots where a rookie can go from promising piece to immediate postseason answer. [Read more 🡒]