A good bullpen can make or break a team’s season. Just ask the Cleveland Guardians, known for consistently boasting one of the best relief pitching corps in recent seasons.
The Guardians know the value of a solid bullpen. This year, the unit is more ‘good’ than ‘great’, and it has battled some bouts of inconsistency. Cade Smith struggled in the early stages of the season before turning his year around, and Hunter Gaddis and Shawn Armstrong have visited the injured list, as has Erik Sabrowski. Additionally, it took a demotion to Triple-A to get Colin Holderman going.
The group needs to really hit its stride if the Guardians want to hold off the pesky Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central race. Every win and loss counts, and a strong, consistent bullpen can really make a difference.
Analyst Cade Cracas analyzed the unit’s performance in the weekend series against the White Sox, with the four-game set ending in a 2-2 split.
“I understand that each guy’s had their rough showing. Guys have to just find some sort of consistency. In one-run games, all the difference in the world is one swing of the bat. They showed it on Thursday and Friday in a positive way. They showed it in a negative way on Saturday and Sunday,” Cracas said.
.@cracascade struggles to understand the inconsistencies with the Guards bullpen.
Will the Guards seek pen help at the deadline? #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/E0ShbWVaZ8
— Cleveland Guardians on SI (@GuardsOnSI) July 6, 2026
The Guardians took the opener on Thursday, with Daniel Espino, Armstrong, and Tim Herrin combining to toss four scoreless frames to allow the offense a chance to come back. And it did.
The same happened on Friday. Franco Aleman, Gaddis, Holderman, Cade Smith, and Erik Sabrowski tossed 5.1 scoreless innings, with the latter working around the “ghost” runner in the tenth. Cleveland won it in extras.
Herrin and Matt Festa failed to keep the game tied on Saturday, and Chicago won 3-1. Then, on Sunday, Holderman allowed a single run that represented the difference, but the group as a whole pitched five frames in which it surrendered that lone run. They weren’t bad, but such is life in the best and most competitive league in the world.
The Guardians could really use a top reliever in the trade market to solidify an already serviceable unit that has the tenth-best ERA in baseball as of Tuesday morning, at 3.80.
NEXT: Analyst Believes One Guardians Weakness Could Be Fixed Soon
