The Guardians are trying to finish September with their best arms intact, and that balancing act has become the real story of the week.
On one side is Cade Smith, one of the most trusted relievers in Cleveland’s bullpen and one of the most heavily used. The workload has piled up quickly.
As Joe Noga noted, “Cade Smith has been used a lot over the last week to 10 days,” adding, “He’s had, two or three outings where he’s gone more than three outs in a game. You want to ride the your best players and you want to use your best players, but you don’t want to break your best players.”
Paul Hoynes put numbers to it. Smith has gone more than one inning in five of his eight September appearances, including a recent stretch against the White Sox when he worked one and two-thirds innings and then followed that with a two-inning outing. That kind of usage adds up fast, even for a pitcher who seems built to handle pressure.
“He is taking great care of himself,” Hoynes said. “Everybody raves about his pregame preparation, but he is human.
He is not a machine. I’m sure he welcomed yesterday’s day off and if they could not use him tonight in a critical situation, so much the better.”
At the same time, Cleveland keeps getting exactly what it has gotten from Parker Messick all year: steady production. The rookie left-hander is set to start at Fenway Park with a 2.5 ERA, 186 strikeouts, and a 2.21 road ERA. For a pitcher in his first full big-league season, that’s a serious line.
And what stands out most is the consistency. Hoynes said the usual late-season dip you might expect from a rookie just hasn’t shown up.
“As a rookie, you expect to see a fade here, kind of a downturn at some point in the season. We have not seen anything like that.
He’s been so consistent.”
The Guardians still have to manage him carefully, though. Noga pointed out that Messick hasn’t often been pushed beyond 90 pitches lately, raising the question of whether Stephen Vogt would still have a short leash even if the lefty is cruising. Hoynes said efficiency could be the deciding factor; if Messick is moving quickly and getting outs, there’s a path to six innings and a much-needed breather for the bullpen.
The rest of the rotation picture for the final six games remains unsettled. Foster Griffin is lined up for the middle game in Boston, and the third start is still up in the air between Tanner Bibee and a combination of Daniel Espino and Joey Cantillo.
For Cleveland, the target is clear: get Parker Messick and Gavin Williams ready to start games one and two of a postseason series. The hard part is making sure the Guardians get there with everybody still standing.
In Other News...
Guardians Clinched But Boston Still Holds A Huge Playoff Swing
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Former Guardians Arm Is Back In Limbo At The Worst Time
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Now the question is whether another club sees enough to put in a claim, or whether Curry clears waivers and gets pushed toward a more complicated next step. If he goes unclaimed, he can reject a minor league assignment and become a minor league free agent in the offseason, leaving his immediate future hanging at a time when every bullpen spot matters. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Reached October On A Fenway Swing Fans Wont Believe
Angel Martinez gave Cleveland the jolt it needed at Fenway, sending a 319-foot homer into the night and lifting the Guardians to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox. The victory punched their ticket to the postseason and kept them one game ahead in the AL Central, with the division still within reach as the final stretch tightened.
For a club that has leaned on run prevention all season, the formula held up again in Boston. Clevelands pitching staff blanked the Red Sox from start to finish, and the kind of slim-margin win that can define October left the Guardians with both a playoff berth secured and a division race still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]