Cleveland Guardians Spark Debate by Yanking Erik Sabrowski With Game on the Line

Sometimes, things just make you scratch your head.

And on Friday, April 17, everyone in Progressive Field was scratching their heads due to a late-game pitching decision.

With a four-run advantage in hand, all of which came from the bat of super utility Daniel Schneemann, the Cleveland Guardians collapsed in the top of the eighth inning. Moving between relievers Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski and Connor Brogdon, the Guardians' bullpen combined to give up six runs, three hits and three walks, including a hit by pitch as well.

And there's an argument to be made that Sabrowski should have been able to close out the inning, even if he did look a bit rocky, instead of being yanked out of the contest for Brogdon.

But just a half inning after going up 4-0, the Guardians entered the bottom of the eighth down, 6-4, after Brogdon allowed a three-run blast.

When looking back at what went wrong, Stephen Vogt spoke to the start of the inning, where right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong entered the game with a clean slate.

After getting his number called, he instantly began fluttering, losing his command and control, walking two batters and plunking another. He would load the bases with no outs before the Guardians' coaching staff pulled him out of the game.

"I thought tonight was just the lack of execution there," Vogt said about Armstrong's strugglesome start to the inning. "He’ll probably be the first one to tell you that he wasn’t at his best tonight. But, you know, again, Shawn Armstrong’s been really good for us this year. He’s been really good for a long time.

"Tonight was a one-off, and it’s just unfortunate that that’s how the game unfolded."

When Armstrong exited the game, Sabrowski had a tough task ahead of him: send down three without letting many runs across home plate.

He would force the first batter he faced, former Guardian Johnathan Rodriguez, to sacrifice fly into right field. It did score a run, but an out was able to be recorded. From there, Sabrowski walked Leody Taveras, once again loading the bases.

After a mound visit, Sabrowski then allowed a double to Weston Wilston, his first of the campaign, which brought in two more runs.

If the Guardians were going to pull the 28-year-old, that seemed to have been the time to do it. Instead, the coaching staff left him out there to face Colby Mayo. Fortunately, Sabrowski was able to send him down in a six-pitch at-bat.

But then, after recording two outs with the game still in hand, 4-3, the Guardians made the interesting decision to pull him out of the game.

The Reasoning

The first could be Sabrowski's pitch count, which jumped all the way to 17 relatively quickly. If the Guardians coaching staff wants to utilize him at all during the rest of the series, taking him out at that point would save him for Saturday or Sunday's outings.

The second reason could be due to the matchup, as the next guy in the Orioles' lineup was right-handed bat, Jeremiah Jackson.

Against lefties this season, Jackson is currently batting .500, with six hits in 12 at-bats, including a home run and five RBI. Against righties, Jackson's batting average is a bit more tame at a clip of .273 with 12 hits in 44 at-bats.

By switching Sabrowski for Brogdon, Cleveland could leverage the righty vs. righty matchup, instead of favoring Jackson's lefty vs. righty approach.

No matter what the reasoning is, the decision to take Sabrowski out of the game for Brogdon didn't end up working out in Cleveland's favor. For a second-straight series, the Guardians' bullpen has cost the team wins.

As the rest of the series comes along, the coaching staff is going to be continuing to take note of what areas they need to see improvements in, especially if they want to keep themselves alive for a potential American League Central crown.

And there's no doubt that after today, an especially keen eye is going to be on the late-game pitching.