The Cleveland Guardians have found a true gem in Parker Messick.
The young hurler has looked the part since he joined the team, and he now has four quality starts in five outings in the Majors.
With Messick on the mound, the Guardians survived another tough game against the Chicago White Sox.
The Guardians have stayed afloat in the race for the final wild card spot in the American League, and their six-man rotation has played a huge role in that.
With that in mind, manager Stephen Vogt opened up on his plans of rolling with six starters for this tough stretch of the season, and he’s loved the results so far:
“When we mapped it out,” Vogt said. “It just made a lot of sense for this stretch of 24 [games] in 24 days. With our young starters and how many innings they’ve thrown to this point, it just made a lot of sense for us to do it. Obviously, the results have been great. The work that these guys are able to get in between starts [also has been]. They’re able to get extra work when they have an extra day of rest, and they’re all well rested when they are pitching. So it’s worked really well for this stretch.”
Playing 24 games in as many days can be quite taxing, especially at this point in the campaign.
The Guardians now that they can’t afford to drop many – if any – contests after treading water for most of the season.
Messick has looked like a proven veteran already, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him hold onto his spot in the rotation even when (if) Vogt dials back to a five-man unit.
Even if that’s not the case, he should be a strong candidate, just like Joey Cantillo, to make the team and get a spot in the rotation to begin the upcoming season.
The Guardians are still pushing and fighting hard to get a playoff spot.
It won’t be hard, and the margin for error is slim, but they’re trending in the right direction.
NEXT: Analyst Names Guardians' 'Hidden Gem' This Season
