The Cleveland Guardians left their four-game set with the Chicago White Sox exactly where they started it in the American League Central: trailing by 1.0 game.
After splitting the weekend series at Progressive Field, Cleveland won the first two games and Chicago took the last two. Sunday’s finale came with its own complications before the first pitch even mattered, and manager Stephen Vogt said the conditions played a role in how the day unfolded.
“Today was really unfortunate,” said Vogt. “That cell hit us harder than we thought, and we needed more time than we anticipated to get the [warning] track ready. When I walked out there, it was not ready; [we] could not safely send players out on the field.”
The game was originally set for 1:40 PM, then pushed back to 2:30 before being delayed again to a 3:30 start. Vogt believed that stop-and-start rhythm affected Tanner Bibee, who gave up six earned runs in four innings and allowed three home runs.
“It's just unfortunate that Tanner had already warmed up and I definitely think it affected him,” continued Vogt. “Anytime you have to stay warm for an hour and a half, after you started, it's going to be difficult, but I thought he battled.”
Even with the pitching issues, Vogt had praise for the way Cleveland’s lineup and bullpen pieces kept showing up. Chase DeLauter stayed hot after coming off the injured list, and Vogt pointed to the way the rookie is adjusting at the plate.
“[Chase] has been swinging about well and he's starting to really learn how he's being pitched and, it was really good to see him turn on that fastball,” said Vogt.
Gabriel Arias also delivered with power, and Vogt kept his evaluation simple: “Gabby can hit. Got a mistake and didn't miss it.”
Sunday was the second time in the series the Guardians had to lean on their relievers in an unusual way, following Friday night’s two-hour rain delay in the fourth inning. This time, Franco Aleman, Colin Holderman, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Shawn Armstrong, Tim Herrin, and Cade Smith combined to give up just one earned run over five innings.
“The whole bullpen was [phenomenal],” continued Vogt.
“I mean, they stepped up on a day. All of them were hot.
I mean, they pitched so much over this weekend. And as soon as the situation with Tanner, they all stepped up.
I got to give so much credit to those bullpen guys. They threw a ton over this 10-game stretch, and they were all fantastic.”
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The idea is easy enough to understand from Clevelands side, since Lindor still carries the kind of impact and familiarity that would make any front office pause. But the contract alone makes the whole exercise feel more theoretical than practical, and the debate has already split opinions, with some seeing a fit and others wanting no part of it. [Read more 🡒]