If there’s one thing that has been a constant lately for the Cleveland Guardians, it would be the bullpen.
The bullpen of the Guardians has yet to allow an earned run since August 15.
While the offense has been carried by stars such as Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, Steven Kwan, and Josh Naylor, the bullpen has turned into one of the strengths of this young upstart team.
The bullpen continued its impressive run of success on Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, tossing three scoreless innings after Cal Quantrill gave them six and allowed just one run.
That’s now 30.1 consecutive innings without an earned run, and they’ve struck out 42 batters along the way as well.
Guardians’ Pen Continues Its Run
That’s quite an impressive run.
Performances by relievers such as Emmanuel Clase, Trevor Stephan, and James Karinchak have contributed to this dominant run.
This is what could end up being the strength of the Guardians by the time the postseason comes around, should they qualify.
While starting pitching is usually the foundation of a team in October, a good bullpen is just as important.
This is a bullpen that can give you multiple innings if a starter doesn’t have his best outing on a certain day.
The big three at the back end of the pen, Stephan, Karinchak, and Clase make it a daunting task to come back against the Guardians late in games.
Their dominance was on full display in last night’s game as they continued the Guardians’ impressive bullpen run.
The pen could ultimately be what carries the team into the postseason.
If they continue their dominance, facing the back end of their pen in the playoffs will prove to be a tall order.
More must-reads: