The Cleveland Guardians will play the biggest clash of their season so far on Saturday. It’s Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, and it will be at home, at Progressive Field.
Gavin Williams, who had to take the ball in the ninth inning of Game 4 to close it out, will start on Saturday night in front of Guardians fans. He completed that frame on a day when he was supposed to throw a between-starts bullpen, so it didn’t raise much concern.
Closer Cade Smith, who had pitched two innings the night before, was initially called to complete the same assignment on Thursday, but he could only solve one frame, the eighth. When he got in trouble in the ninth, Vogt used Williams.
The fact that manager Stephen Vogt went with him, however, told a much bigger story about his bullpen. Sometimes what you do speaks loud, but what you don’t do speaks even louder.
“Vogt’s decision to use Smith for a second straight game was because he didn’t have enough trust in Festa or Espino with a five-run lead. Don’t overthink it,” AP’s Tom Withers said.
Vogt's decision to use Smith for a second straight game was because he didn't have enough trust in Festa or Espino with a five-run lead.
Don't overthink it.— Tom Withers (@twithersCLE) October 10, 2026
In a series in which Cade Smith has pitched five innings, Shawn Armstrong has 3.2, Erik Sabrowski is at 3.1, and Hunter Gaddis is at three; Espino has just 1.1 frames, and Festa hasn’t pitched yet. Again, actions speak louder than words.
Espino is an electric arm, but he isn’t always reliable yet. He will be a fantastic setup man or even a closer one day, but he might not be at that level at the moment, so he is not as high in the pecking order as some of the mentioned relievers.
When Tanner Bibee entered Game 4 as a member of the bullpen, Festa became the only pitcher on the Guardians roster who hasn’t seen action in the AL Division Series. Evidently, he is the last arm in Vogt’s bullpen, which was the case for large portions of the season.
Festa, however, showed that he can be a useful contributor, posting a 3.78 ERA in 66.2 innings in the regular season.
One thing is being a useful depth arm from March to September, but it’s an entirely different thing to be trusted in a tough October spot against a team that is threatening to score and flip the scoreboard in a win-or-go-home game.
Let’s see where Saturday’s game takes us, but it’s clear who has Vogt’s full trust and who doesn’t.
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