Analyst Says Stephen Vogt May Have Found His Trusted Reliever

Coming out of the bullpen, it’s the late-inning relievers who get most of the acclaim, and, when they fail, all of the blame. They are the high-profile pitchers who find themselves on the mound in the most crucial situations.

But there are many points during the middle innings that can be just as important to the outcome. That is why it is vital for Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to have someone he can rely on to cover that part of the game.

Analyst Pat McGuire recently said Vogt may have found his trusted reliever in veteran Matt Festa.

“Terry Francona had Bryan Shaw. I think Stephen Vogt has Matt Festa, where you just have a guy, and they’re like, bring him on in, give me a chance, put him into the ballgame, any sort of situation. He’s not necessarily your fireman, though,” McGuire said.

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"Terry Francona had Bryan Shaw, I think Stephen Vogt has Matt Festa."

– @p_mcguire18

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Shaw was a consistently used reliever in two stints for Cleveland, from 2013 through 2017, and again in 2021 and 2022. In those seven years, he appeared in 70 games in all but one, when he pitched in 60. He reached 80 games twice, 79 once, and 75 and 74 in two other seasons.

Festa is in his second season with Cleveland after time with the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and Texas Rangers. In his first year with Vogt as his manager, he appeared in a career-high 63 games, throwing 54.2 innings, with 38.0 of those in the sixth and seventh innings.

This season, he has been used in 11 of Cleveland’s 29 games, pitching 13.1 innings, with 8.1 in the sixth and seventh. He has proven to be effective, allowing 14 hits with 14 strikeouts and two walks, posting one save but an ERA of 5.40.

Using Festa in this manner allows Vogt to utilize Erik Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis as an effective lefty-righty tandem in the later innings as they get more high-leverage outs, setting up closer Cade Smith. The bullpen has been rounded out by Peyton Pallette, Shawn Armstrong, Connor Brogdon, Tim Herrin, and Colin Holderman, with 18 holds and eight saves overall so far this season.

As a former catcher, Vogt and longtime pitching coach Carl Willis have proven to be very adept at handling a staff over the course of a season, with clearly identified roles one of the benefits of their approach.