The Cleveland Guardians were starving for a series sweep. They had not had one since just before the All-Star break, when they took a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.
Since then, the Guardians fell out of a first-place tie into fourth place in the AL Central. Starting a road trip against the Colorado Rockies, Cleveland had been 12-20 since mid-July, even after taking two of three from the San Francisco Giants to close a recent homestand.
In winning the first two games at Colorado, Cleveland used seven relievers to cover 7.1 innings. So, entering the series finale, the Guardians needed a good effort from starting pitcher Foster Griffin.
It did not look like they were going to get one, but the left-hander rebounded and gave the team five innings. Cleveland did call on four relievers, but they coasted to a 7-2 victory.
Afterward, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt gave credit to Griffin for the huge win, saying he “stepped up” when the team needed him.
“All the credit goes to Foster Griffin. He threw 46 pitches in the second inning. For him to battle through and give us five innings when we needed it desperately (was huge). On a day when we had a lot of guys running hot (tired) in the bullpen, he stepped up,” Vogt said.
Staked to a 5-0 lead, Griffin almost didn’t make it out of the second inning. After opening the frame with a strikeout, a walk, a single, and an RBI double followed. Griffin got the second out on a ground ball, but two more walks loaded the bases. He was able to escape when Cole Carrigg popped out.
Griffin faced just 11 batters over the next three innings, helped by a caught stealing and no walks. He left the game after throwing 105 pitches, winning his third straight decision since arriving in a trade with the Washington Nationals.
He is not the only deadline acquisition who made an impact during the series. Outfielder Jo Adell had six hits and six RBIs in the three games, coming off a six-RBI game in the series against the Giants.
The Guardians will play a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels, Adell’s former team, before returning home for a crucial 10-game homestand as they look to remain in playoff contention.
NEXT: Foster Griffin Opens Up About Finding His Rhythm With Guardians
