(Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Guardians rotation has gotten excellent contributions from Matthew Boyd, Alex Cobb and Tanner Bibee in recent games.
The other two starters on the staff, Ben Lively and Gavin Williams, have struggled a bit in their last couple of outings, though.
The Guardians played a rough weekend series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, but the train doesn’t stop: on Monday, they will visit the Windy City to open a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox.
Lively was supposed to start that game on Monday, but the organization is turning to rookie to face the worst team in baseball.
“Cleveland #Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo to be recalled from Columbus to make the start Monday at Chicago. RHP Ben Lively was originally scheduled to start the opening game of the series against the White Sox,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo to be recalled from Columbus to make the start Monday at Chicago. RHP Ben Lively was originally scheduled to start the opening game of the series against the White Sox.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 9, 2024
As of Monday morning, there is no word on why Lively was scratched from his Monday start and when he will take the ball again.
The righty has a solid 4.07 ERA in 135 innings with the Guardians, and those numbers have made him an asset considering how much the team is paying him.
However, he has a 5.80 ERA in his last seven starts and a 5.11 mark in his last 15.
Evidently, the early-season magic is wearing off and has been for a while.
Maybe the organization is giving him an extra day or two to regroup, but we will find out more in the next few hours.
Cantillo has excellent numbers in the minor leagues but boasts a 7.71 ERA in 18.2 frames in MLB.
NEXT: Guardians Drop Finale And Lose Series In Los Angeles
