Guardians Skipper Encouraged By Intriguing Pitcher's Season Debut

Allen allowed seven hits, gave up four runs, issued five walks, and struck out just one batter in his first start of the year.

Despite the final line, there was a lot to like about Allen's approach.

Yes, five walks is something that can't happen again, but most of those came toward the end of Allen's outing when he was clearly running out of gas. Overall, he threw 61 percent of his pitches for strikes.

As Vogt said, Allen used the defense to get out of multiple jams, and it was clear that this was done by design. The lefty was pounding the bottom of the strike zone, which caused weak contact and groundouts.

As the fifth starter in the rotation, the Guardians don't need Allen to throw like an ace to be an effective pitcher.

If he can limit a few of the walks in the future, then what Allen did against the Padres is exactly what can help Cleveland's pitching staff moving forward.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage