It’s no secret to anybody that the Cleveland Guardians have an elite bullpen.
It’s, without question, the best in the league, and the main reason behind the team’s incredible performance to this point.
Sometimes, however, it’s good to see the numbers behind Cleveland’s dominant relief corps.
The bullpen is the heart and soul of this team and it masks other weaknesses or inconsistent units.
Cleveland is, in essence, giving opposing teams six innings to score runs and get in a position to win because they just won’t give up many runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth frames.
These standings made by Brooks Gate prove it.
each teams ERA in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings this year pic.twitter.com/6Ae0j7iPCw
— BrooksGate (@Brooks_Gate) August 12, 2024
At 2.50, the Guards have MLB’s best ERA from in the seventh, eighth, and ninth frames, which are the ones that decide many contests.
The second-best ERA in those innings belongs to the Atlanta Braves at 3.17, more than half a run worse than Cleveland.
In your average game in which the Guardians are leading, the seventh is usually Cade Smith’s home.
Smith is, of course, a Rookie of the Year candidate and one of the most underrated relievers of the American League.
The eighth is often pitched by the incredible Hunter Gaddis, who converted into a reliever after being a mediocre starter.
And last, but not least, the ninth: that one belongs to the best closer in baseball, Emmanuel Clase.
Other Guards relievers pitch in during those innings: Tim Herrin, Nick Sandlin, Scott Barlow, and many others.
The unit is deep and talented, and as long as everybody remains healthy, scoring against Cleveland in the late innings will be almost impossible.
NEXT: Guardians Earn Season Tiebreaker Versus Top AL Central Foe
