Insider Says Key Unit Has Quietly Become Guardians’ Biggest Strength

From September 1st to the 9th, a span of nine days, the Cleveland Guardians played 10 games. There were a lot of stressful innings for the team, but they worked their way out of it and came out of that stretch with a 74-73 record.

They remain in possession of a Wild Card spot and are within striking distance of the AL Central lead, just a game and a half behind the Chicago White Sox with a series between the two teams starting on September 14th, next week. Of course, playing 10 games in nine days isn’t easy, and the Guardians couldn’t have come out alive without their excellent bullpen coming up big.

Joe Noga wrote about the underrated unit and called it many positive things, from ‘battle-tested’ to ‘one of Cleveland’s biggest strengths’.

“Ten games in nine days can expose the soft spots in even the most battle-tested bullpen, particularly when starting pitchers struggle to provide length. Cleveland’s bullpen emerged from a heavy stretch as one of the club’s biggest strengths, absorbing a demanding workload while continuing to put up zeros. With little margin for error and a bullpen that has already carried a September-sized workload, the Guardians keep asking their relievers for outs. So far, they keep getting them,” Noga wrote.

What the bullpen has done since September 1st has been nothing short of amazing. They have pitched the most innings in the league since that day, at 44.1, and posted the second-best ERA at 1.83, only behind the New York Yankees’ 1.80.

Led by the always reliable Cade Smith but also getting contributions from the rejuvenated Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Matt Festa, Craig Yoho, Franco Aleman, Slade Cecconi, and Daniel Espino, the Guardians’ bullpen is going through its best stretch of the season.

Everybody knows his assignment and does his job to the best of his abilities. Everybody is pitching well, covering the late innings with aplomb but also serving as a bridge in the third or fourth innings when a starter fails to pitch a long game. The synergy in this unit is top-notch, and it’s giving Cleveland a chance to stay in games or protect even the smallest of leads.

If the Guardians’ relievers continue to pitch like this and the starters bounce back, this team can definitely go places.