Last week, after allowing four runs and walking five hitters in a start against the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians left-hander Joey Cantillo’s second-half ERA was 5.02. He was struggling in the early innings of his outings and battling with his own control and command.
The Guardians decided to use him as a reliever after that outing. He has pitched in two games following that stinker, two long relief appearances: one in which the Guardians deployed two hurlers ahead of him, and another one, on Friday, in which they put an opener in front of him and used him as the ‘bulk’ guy.
Both appearances have yielded fantastic results. It’s safe to say that once the Guardians relieved him from facing the top of the order early in games, Cantillo blossomed.
“Cleveland Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo picked up the win tonight, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five A’s batters! Line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO (81 Pitches, 54 Strikes). Last two outings: 10.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 SO, 0.00 ERA,” Guardians Prospective pointed out.
Cleveland #Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo picked up the win tonight tossing six scoreless innings allowing two hits striking out five A's batters!
Line – 6.0(IP) 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 5SO
(81 Pitches 54 Strikes)
Last two outings:
– 10.0(IP) 3H 0ER 2BB 13SO 0.00 ERA #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/NbYixH9SRT
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 19, 2026
Sometimes, the biggest challenge of a manager is getting the best out of his players. This is where Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt thrives.
He gives his players not just complete trust, but also provides them with tools to succeed and puts them in a position to do so. In this case, the Guardians as an organization identified that something was wrong in the early part of Cantillo’s games, so they gave the first inning or two to an opener and let them take over after that. The results, ten scoreless frames, speak for themselves.
Cantillo has looked completely in control in those bulk innings, allowing just three hits and walking just two batters. The 13 punchouts also show that his stuff is as crisp as ever.
On Friday, Daniel Espino had allowed three runs in the first frame, but Cantillo kept the Athletics at the same number until the eighth inning. That’s some incredible work.
The left-hander is expected to be unavailable until late next week, but for the Guardians, it was worth it. They got a key win that separates them from the Chicago White Sox at the top of the AL Central standings.
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