Guardians' pitching factory churning out relievers, not just starters | Jeff Schudel
May 29—The assembly line that starts with a raw model in Lynchburg, Va., adds more parts with the Lake County Captains, gets an engine tune-up in Akron and then is made showroom ready in Columbus, continues to turn out pitching Cadillacs for the Guardians.
It isn't just starting pitching, either. Surely the emergence of lefthander Logan Allen and righty Tanner Bibee have made it easier for the Guardians to absorb injuries to starters Triston McKenzie (right shoulder) plus Aaron Civale (oblique) and the erratic starts made by Zach Plesac. But the bullpen isn't made or broken by what James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase do anymore.
Xzavion Curry pitched for Low-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County in 2021 and last season pitched in Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus before starting two games with the Guardians late in the season. Curry did not allow a run while pitching the last three innings of the 4-3 nipper over the Cardinals on May 28. He has appeared in 12 games and has a 2.22 ERA.
"Good for him," manager Terry Francona said after the game. "He's such a good kid. They hit some balls on the nose, but he did a good job. He throws strikes. He doesn't beat himself."
Enyel De Los Santos is another. He previously pitched for the Phillies and Pirates. The Guardians signed him to a minor league contract in December 2021 with an invitation to spring training a couple of months later. He appeared in 50 games last season, all in relief, and was 5-0. He has relieved in 21 games this season and is 2-0 with a nifty 1.80 ERA.
"I was extremely happy for him last year," pitching coach Carl Willis said on May 28. "I think he performed adequately then, but I think he's even more confident now and he really has picked us up here over the past 10 days or so, maybe even longer.
"The other day he said, "When the manager has the confidence in you to put you in those (high leverage) situations, it really makes you feel good.' And I think it makes your confidence grow. And he's got a lot of it right now and he should."
De Los Santos put the Orioles down in order in the eighth inning on May 29 in Baltimore, but it was not a high-leverage moment. That's because the Guardians strung enough hits together to score four times in the top of the seventh on their way to winning, 5-0.
The win over the Orioles was the fifth shutout of the season for the Guardians, now 24-29. Allen started the game and pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out a career-most 10 batters. It was Allen's seventh career start. He made his debut April 23 and gave up two earned runs in five innings in a 7-4 win over the Marlins. He gave up two runs in five innings on April 30 in a 7-1 loss to Boston. Allen, 2-2 with a 272 ERA, gave up three earned in six innings on May 23 in a 4-2 loss to the White Sox. In other words, he has pitched better than his record indicates.
McKenzie began the season on the injured list. Civale went on the shelf after two starts. Civale made a rehab start with Columbus on May 28. McKenzie is scheduled to start May 30 for the Clippers. One or both could be back in the Guardians' rotation by the end of the week, which will cause one of those pleasant dilemmas — six legitimate starters to fill five spots. The six would be Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, McKenzie, Civale, Logan and Bibee. However, Francona said he doesn't want a six-man rotation because he doesn't want to be limited to seven relievers. Teams can carry only 13 pitchers.
So what is the secret sauce the Indians/Guardians have been using all these years? Corey Kluber was in San Diego's minor league system when the Indians acquired him in a three-way trade in 2010 in which the Tribe traded pitcher Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals.
Kluber pitched at Akron to finish 2010 and pitched 27 games with Columbus in 2011. He ended up winning two Cy Young Awards in Cleveland before being traded to the Texans in 2019 in the trade that fetched Clase.
Bieber came up through the Guardians' farm system. He won the Cy Young Award in 2020. Bieber can walk as a free agent after 2024 if he isn't traded first. Allen and Bibee are proof the ship won't sink if/when Bieber is traded.
"I think the first word that comes to mind is 'communication,' " Willis said. "That communication starts with our scouts and those who are identifying the types of pitchers that we're looking to acquire or sign, and then that communication amongst scouts and player development and then player development amongst each other and being on the same page.
"Our organization really does a good job in searching for resources, people to complement each other. Not everyone has a full perfect skill set. So you know, have someone here who maybe is really strong in analytics, maybe not as strong in the mechanical area, so this guy can fill and help with that void. So I just think it's a team effort that has no agendas other than helping the player become the best pitcher he can be."
Who knows? Maybe Bieber, a California native, will surprise everyone and turn down a mountain of money to stay with the Guardians the way Jose Ramirez did. But it's a good thing Plan B is already in place in case Bieber goes for the cash.
