The Cleveland Guardians were in desperate need of a fresh arm after burning through the bullpen in a 14-inning win over the Houston Astros on Friday night. Decisions such as this one are never easy to make, but it's part of the business.
The organization elected to option James Karinchak to Triple-A Columbus and call up left-handed reliever Tim Herrin .
James Karinchak
Karinchak has had a rough season to this point. He may lead the league in appearances, but he hasn't looked sharp in a majority of those.
Through his 32 games pitched, Karinchak owns a 3.90 ERA, 5.63 FIP, and a 1.229 WHIP. He's continued to struggle with his command which was clear in his latest appearance on Friday night.
Karinchak pitched the eighth for the Guardians in a tie game. In that inning, he struck out one, but walked two batters and gave up one hit, and allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate on a sacrifice fly.
Karinchak was once a dominant reliever through his first two seasons in the Big Leagues, but he needs to figure out how to get that command back.
Tim Herrin
Herrin started the season on the Big League roster and had a historic debut. He only gave up three total runs in his first six appearances. Herrin started to struggle after batters began to get a good read on his release point.
The lefty has had a solid year in the Minors showing he is still ready to contribute to a Major League team. He has a 3.63 ERA in 13 appearances with the Columbus Clippers.
It's still unclear whether this a long-term move, or if it's just to get a fresh arm in the bullpen a day after the team used up everyone they had.
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