The Cleveland Guardians were in a jam on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Shane Bieber just went to the injured list, meaning there was a void in the rotation.
The matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates was given the title of a bullpen game and it would take a group effort for the Guardians to get through the game. The first pitcher that was handed the ball in the opening was Xzavion Curry.
Terry Francona and Carl Willis hoped that Curry could give the team three to four innings of work. If he could get there, they'd be set up nicely for the rest of the game.
So what did Curry do? He pitched three clean innings, only gave up one hit, walked one batter, and struck out a pair. Curry probably could've kept going, he looked shark enough to do it but pitched just two days earlier in Texas too.
This sort of performance is something we've seen all year from the rookie pitcher. Curry continues to step up when the team needs him whether that be in a spot start like Monday night, a multi-inning effort to get to the closer, or to save the bullpen in a game that the team appears out of.
Monday was Curry's first start of the season After the game he said that his approach was the same as any of his other appearances; "be as efficient as I can and you know honestly just go out there and eat up innings without letting them score any runs."
Curry's ERA has now dropped to 2.86 in 25 appearances this season. He's certainly earned the opportunity to make another start or two depending on how the organization manages to get by until they can get a few more starters healthy.
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