CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a season that appeared lost just weeks ago, the Guardians have engineered one of baseball’s most remarkable turnarounds – and it’s their pitching staff leading this improbable charge toward October.
Just how dominant have the Guardians’ starting pitchers been? The numbers almost seem fabricated.
“In the last 17 games, Cleveland starting pitching is 10-0 with a 1.33 ERA. They have allowed just 16 runs in the last 108 1/3 innings,” revealed Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “It’s just been unreal the way the rotation has responded to being in a race.”
This isn’t just good pitching – it’s historically exceptional pitching arriving at precisely the moment when Cleveland needed it most.
What makes this run even more astonishing is that on September 10th, the Guardians were still 9 1/2 games out of first place. Most teams would be planning for next season at that point. Instead, Cleveland’s rotation collectively decided rewriting history was more appealing.
Perhaps nothing illustrates this pitching dominance better than what happened during a crucial doubleheader against Minnesota on Saturday.
“It was the first time since 1961 where Cleveland has thrown consecutive shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader,” Hoynes pointed out. “That’s what (Slade) Cecconi and (Logan) Allen and, you know, Zak Kent and Kolby Allard did on Saturday. Just a huge, huge performance by those guys.”
For historical context, Hoynes added: “The last two pitchers that do it were Louis Tiant and Sudden Sam McDowell. How about those names from Cleveland’s past? So it’s been a while.”
When analyzing how the Guardians managed to slash 14 games from their deficit in the American League Central Division, Joe Noga, cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter, was unequivocal: “As far as what the Guardians are doing, it’s the starting pitching, and that’s what’s making the difference for this club on this run.”
What makes this run even more remarkable is how manager Stephen Vogt has navigated his pitching staff through potentially dangerous waters. Entering Minnesota, Cleveland’s relievers were, as Noga described, “redlining” from heavy workloads. Yet they’ve continued delivering quality outings while simultaneously benefitting from the starters going deep into games during this final playoff push.
“They came in having pitched a lot of innings in a short span, and you really wondered how Vogt was going to piece together some of those games in Minnesota, knowing that you needed something in the tank when you got back to Cleveland,” Noga explained.
Instead of faltering, pitchers like Parker Messick, Allen, and Cecconi elevated their performances, allowing the Guardians to maintain their momentum without taxing their most important bullpen arms.
The question now becomes: Has this historic pitching run positioned Cleveland’s once-written-off season for a storybook ending? With six final regular-season games at Progressive Field, including a critical series against Detroit, the Guardians control their own destiny.
“This is an out of nowhere team right now,” Hoynes said. “They flipped the switch and something happened and they become a totally different ball club.”
Want to witness baseball history in the making? Don’t miss a second of this remarkable Guardians pitching surge as they fight for a playoff spot in their final homestand. The Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast breaks down every angle of this miracle run.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Nogutt, joined by Paul Poinsey. The Guardians have an off day Monday. Coming off of a 6 and 1 road trip. They lose the finale in Minnesota and really we saw something we haven’t seen in almost two weeks. Guardian starter go out there and give up some runs and, you know, not really make it through five innings at Joey Cantillo. But, you know, we’re not throwing out the baby with the bathwater here. As a whole, the, the starting rotation has been dominant on this stretch. The Guardians still remain a game back of Detroit in the American League Central race. They currently are in position in the wild card chase in the American League thanks to Boston and Houston both losing overall. This, this road trip through Detroit and Minnesota as the. The final regular season road trip couldn’t have gone any better for, for Cleveland. They find themselves holding basically their, their destiny in their hands as they return for the final six games of the regular season at Progressive Field.
Paul Hoynes: Yo, it was a great trip. Six and one. They sweep the Tigers. They take three, three out of four from the Twins. Yeah, you’re right. It couldn’t have gone much better. You know, Joey Cantillo gives up a run yesterday, four and a third. But the rotation has been really, really solid. Last 17 games. Cleveland starting pitching is 100 with a 1.33 ERA. They have allowed just 16 runs in. In the last 108 and third and a third innings. It’s just been unreal the way this, the rotation has responded to being in a race every, every time you go out there, you’re expecting, expecting, you know, great things, the starters to go five, six or seven innings. Cantillo know, he just ran. He just threw a few too many pitches and they had to go get him yesterday in the fifth inning.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And, you know, take nothing away from his effort. He’s. He’s shown over the course of this run that, you know, he belongs and he’s certainly giving them what he needs to in, in all those starts. Just generally when, you know, when we take a step back and we ask how the Guardians did this, how do we get here, how did the Guardians cut, you know, 14 games off of a deficit in the American League Central Division? Obviously, the Tigers had a share in this in terms of their play in the month of September, but as far as what the Guardians are doing, it’s the starting pitching, and that’s what’s making the difference for this club on this run.
Paul Hoynes: Oh, no doubt about it, Joe. And you know, the offense has really, really been, you know, hot when it comes to driving in runs with runners and scoring position. On the last, like, 23, 24. They are hitting, you know, 331 with runners in scoring position. You know, we’ve seen this, this team get, you know, hot and cold all season, Joe, and right now they are on a heater at the right time of the season. You know, combining starting pitching, excellent defense, you know, timely hitting, and a bullpen that, you know, should be really, really rested coming into this crucial series with the Tigers starting Tuesday.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I think if at how the starting pitching went in Minnesota. They came into that series, as Stephen Boat said, redlining. They came in having pitched a lot of innings in a short span, and you really wondered how Stephen Boat was going to piece together some of those games in Minnesota, knowing that you needed something in the tank when you got back to Cleveland to start this week. Even though you have the off day, he goes out and he gets, you know, just incredible efforts from guys like Parker Messick and Logan Allen. They step up. Slade Saccony steps up in both ends of that double header. Two shutouts on Saturday in that doubleheader and allowed them to pitch Kobe Allard to close out a game. And allowed them to pitch Zach Kent to close out a game. You know, they didn’t really use any of the big guns or overuse any of the big guns at the back end of that bullpen, you know, throughout the series or tax them to the point where, you know, you’re wondering where all these innings are going to come from in these final six games.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just first time since 1961 where Cleveland has thrown consecutive, I mean, you know, shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader. That’s what Sacconi and Allen and, you know, Zach Kent and Kobe Allard did on Saturday. Just a huge, huge performance by those guys. And the last two pitchers that do it, Joe Louis Altiante and Sutton, Sam McDowell. How about those names from Cleveland’s past? So it’s been a while.
Joe Noga: Yeah, certainly it’s. It’s really amazing just to see what they are been able to do just over this. This recent run. And it feels like every time they go out there, you know, they’re passing that baton and saying, you know, I’m not going to be the one to sort of let things drop. Not just the starters, but the guys out of the bullpen as well. They’re sort of pulling for each other. And that’s. That’s the feeling you get, you know, My question is, does Stephen Vogt deserve consideration for manager of the year right now just based on his performance over the month of September?
Paul Hoynes: You know, I, Joe, I think he does. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. I mean, kind of. The Tigers did the same thing last year with A.J. hench. You know, they, he came in late, you know, they, the Tigers got hot late, kind of, you know, they, they became the team to watch. But you know, the, the award went to, to vote, you know, obviously. But he certain, I think he’s going to get some votes. Joe, you, you know, they pulled the rabbit out of the hat here. No one saw this coming. And if they tell you they did, you know they’re not telling you the truth because you know, this, this is an out of nowhere team right now. They just, you know this, they flipped the switch and something happened and they become a totally different ball club.
Joe Noga: And you think back, you try to look as somebody who’s covering the storylines of this team throughout the year, you look back and you try to, to see, you know, what sort of those flashpoint moments are. And you got to go back to losing Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase to the gambling investigation. They might have sort of galvanized the clubhouse and given them focus to go forward. And really ever since then they’ve been one of the best teams in the majors in terms of record since the stopping, since ending that losing streak, that 10 game losing streak on July 7th, they have an American League best record of what, 44 and 24. And since the trade deadline passed, they’re the best record in the American league, you know, 31 and I believe like 14. So they’re, they’re getting the job done over the long stretch there also this idea of this, you know, they’re, it’s the fourth time in club history that they’ve had a 10 game winning streak in a season and a 10 game losing streak in a season. They did so also in 2008, in 1979 and in 1931 the last time a major league team had two 10 plus game streaks, one winning and one losing, was the 2017 LA Dodgers. So the numbers are weird. It feels like, you know, something special is going on. But this is, this is the team that they’re rolling with.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, this is Joe on, on September 10th, they were still nine and a half games out of first place. September 10th, when they started this past road trip, there were six and a half games out of, out of, you know, first place, you know, in, in, in the Middle of September. I mean, usually, you know, that. That’s the white flag. That’s when you, you know, you start playing the kids and you, you start preparing for next season. They caught, they just got hotter and, you know, ran down the Tigers. They took through. You know, we, we were in Detroit when they swept them at Comerica park. And, you know, the, the, the game I thought that turned things around was that first game in Detroit where they win an extra inning, seven to five. You know, Cade Smith comes in, gives up the tide, the tying home run, and then they turn around to force extra innings. Then they score four runs in the seventh. I mean, in the four straight extra base hits, and they win that game. And then they just steamrolled. They’ve been. They, you know, they steamrolled the Tigers and, you know, they, they took the first three from the Twins lost yesterday. But, you know, Joe, I was in that locker room yesterday. The music’s playing. These guys are confident, Joe, that no one, you couldn’t, you couldn’t tell that they just lost the ball game. They believe they, They’ve got the fever.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s, it’s been pretty amazing to be around the club and feel that the vibes heading out of Detroit. You wondered at that point if they were ever going to lose another game. Just the way that they had been playing and the way their confidence was up at that point. A lot to. A lot went on over the weekend. And Jose Ramirez hit his 30th home run of the season in, in Saturday, I believe, in the opener on Saturday. Yeah, first inning. Yeah. Came off of Joe Ryan. It’s his third career season of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He also did it in 2018 and 2024. He’s the first player in franchise history with three seasons of 30, 30. It’s, it’s pretty impressive, the list of names that he joins to do it multiple times. You’re talking, you know, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Alfonso Soriano, only Ramirez, Bobby Bonds, Barry Bonds and Soriano are the only players in major league history to do that, you know, 30 home runs and 40 steals. At least. He’s, he’s chasing down his career high again in 40 in steals as well. At age 33, he’s, you know, lighting up the record books again. And right now he’s doing it in meaningful games that are, that are, you know, pushing his team towards the postseason.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just, you know, really a huge accomplishment. I think Howard Johnson and, and Ramirez are the only switch hitting third baseman to have, you know, more than three or more 30, 30 seasons. Just, you know, Joe, in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, you saw the real Jose Ramirez. They had a, you know, they won the game with a six run fifth inning and there was two outs. They had already scored like two or three runs. And Ramirez, you know, beats out an infield single the first base. And you know, the, the Tigers kicked, I mean, the Twins kicked the ball around, but that, but by doing that he kind of set the, set off the second stage of the inning and they went back, they went on to score four more runs. And you know, it was just an example of his hustle, you know, in a big inning. And it just kind of ignited the, of the offense and you know, that’s what we’ve seen from Jose for, for as long as he’s been in Cleveland.
Joe Noga: And any other superstar, any other veteran player, you know, might have dogged that, that ball up the line. But Jose was hustling out of the box on that very play. And he made the play and you know, with his hustle, with his, his effort there and the team takes its cue from that and they go on, you know, if their best player is hustling out every ground ball, then there’s no excuse as to why any of them don’t do the same. And if you play like that, if you play like your hair’ the whole time, you know, good things will happen. And that’s certainly what happened in Saturday in the, the doubleheader sweep. Speaking of playing like your, your hair’s on fire, we saw Bo Naylor foul a ball off his leg on Sunday. And I think everybody sort of held their breath because Bo Naylor has been the, the engine in this offense at times, especially during the 10 game winning streak. He’s had multiple, you know, multi RBI games. He’s had a multi home run game. He’s basically locked in at the played over, over these last couple of weeks here. Just what are we seeing on a Bo Naylor? He’s pretty much on his mind right now.
Paul Hoynes: I don’t know, Joe. Have you ever seen him? Did you ever see the movie the Body Snatchers? I think somebody with someone has exchanged bodies with, with Bo Naylor because he has become the hitter everyone thought he would be eventually. I mean, this guy, what before the, before this trip started on in Sunday in a, in a win over the White Sox, he drove in all three runs. I mean, this guy, he’s hitting home runs in the, in the, you know, in, he’s, he had two Home runs. You know, in, in a game against the Twins over this weekend. He’s driving in runs, Joe. He’s driving in huge runs. You know, we saw him in the Detroit series, you know, just make, you know, just critical runs at late in the game. And you know, he says he’s freed his mind when he goes to the plate. He’s not, you know, thinking about this or that. He’s just, you know, he’s just up there, I guess, in the moment. And I mean, this is, this is a different guy, Joe. This is, this is a guy we haven’t seen before. And hopefully, you know, he keeps at it because they need him. But you know, what, you know, they, you know, vote has moved them up into the fifth spot in the lineup. And, you know, if he had done that during the, you know, earlier in the season, people would have, you know, been scratching their head. But right now it makes perfect sense.
Joe Noga: Yeah. Last 15 games for Bo Naylor, a.913 OPS. He’s batting 300 over 50 at bats in that stretch with 14 batted in and what, three home runs, just, you know, 15 hits. He’s not just, you know, driving the ball. He’s, he’s using all fields and he’s hitting the ball really well. Only 10 strikeouts over that stretch. It’s, it’s a contact oriented approach, but he’s, he’s making an impact when he, when he swings the bat for sure. And this is the bow nailer that, you know, they’ve sort of been waiting to see show up all season over the weekend. On Saturday, you know, Nolan Jones was, was placed on the injured list. Apparently he injured an oblique. They call up Petey Halpin, who was at AAA. He was having a good season. 14 home runs down at AAA this year. This is a young kid, a guy that was drafted in 2020 to high school and he’s made his way up here to the majors. But he was getting ready to go home for the season. Columbus’s season was getting ready to be done. And now Petey Halpin is in the thick of things.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he, you know, made his debut in the second game, Saturday’s doubleheader, got his first hit and as a center fielder, Joe. And he was really fired up. I think he looked, when we were talking to him Saturday morning after he joined the team, he kind of looked like he was, he was shocked, you know, that this had happened. I don’t think, like you said, he was ready to go home. He did not see this coming. But this is a guy that you know, can play all three spots in the outfield, got a great arm, he can run a little bit. So, you know, just, just add him to the mix, you know. Stephen Vogt said they’ll probably use him mostly kind of as a defensive replacement, pinch runner, pinch hitter. And, you know, Halpin said, you know, he’s, he’s, you know, he’s. They, you know, he’s kind of worked at that role and, you know, he’s, he’s excited to be here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, you can’t just, you know, bring a guy up at the end of the year and expect him, you know, throw him out there and say, okay, go steal bases in a major league game as a pinch runner or whatever. There’s going to be an adjustment period. So, you know, I think the guardians are conscious of that. They’re, they’re not going to ask him to do too much, but, you know, if there’s a situation late in the game where they need a guy who’s got, you know, better legs than, say, an Austin Hedges to go out there and steal a base, I think half and is going to get opportunities to go and show what he can do. Another young guy who had a big weekend in Minnesota, George Valera, he goes out there and puts one on the board.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. And, you know, in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, you know, Ramirez hits his 30th home run in the first inning. Then, you know, Naylor starts the second inning with the home run, and George Valera follows with his first big league home run in a game where Cleveland hit five home runs a season high. Valera. You know, Joe, I just love this guy’s swing, man. It’s nice and easy. You know, there’s no, like, you know, he’s not, there’s no, he’s not muscling the, you know, the bat through the, through the strike zone. He’s just got nice, smooth swing and, you know, he knew that ball was out. Unfortunately, the Minnesota right fielder, the ball came back on the field and he threw it up into the stands. So. So I think Bart Swain and the Twins. Twins had to do some. They had to do some detective work to track it down, but they got it and they got his home run ball. It cost him a Jose Ramirez autographed home run ball. So, you know, everybody’s happy.
Joe Noga: Well, you know, that’s real good. When you’ve gotten to go. The negotiating power of, hey, anything Jose Ramirez that you want signed, we can just get it for you. I think, you know, that Bodes well for you getting back your, your home run ball. So, yeah, great to hear for George Valera. Great for, you know, him to, to sort of have that moment and, you know, we’ll, we’ll figure out, we’ve got all winter to sort of figure out where George Valera fits in their, their future plans based on what he’s been able to do here over the last month. But speaking of future plans and speaking of just a glimpse, looking forward, we got to see Daniel Espino get back on the mound over the weekend and, and it was emotional. Yeah.
Paul Hoynes: What a great thing, A great moment for Daniel Espino. Espino, you know, former number one pick in 2019, the organization. I don’t. I, Joe, I, I’ve got to tell you, I didn’t know how much, you know, Espino has meant to this organization until I was, you know, talked, you know, I talked to, you know, Eric Bind Bender and, and Joe Torres, you know, on Sunday morning about how Espino did Saturday in his first, first official game in over three years. He went, he started for, you know, AAA Columbus. You know, he was on a pitch count, 25 pitches or one inning, and he reached 21 inning, 21 pitches, gave up a couple runs, but got a strikeout. They said, you know, I guess the whole organization, you know, all the, all the minor league clubs, the front offices in Cleveland, they were watching it at Target Field as well, watching him pitch. And they said Ospino was, had tears in his eyes when he, when he left the mound because he’s worked so hard to come back after two major shoulders surgeries, a knee injury. You know, this is a guy that really hasn’t pitched in an official game since late April of 2022. And they were really encouraged by what they saw, but it was just the fact that this guy, you know, has, has undergone so much. He lost his father during his rehab and he’s undergone, you know, so much with serious, serious shoulder operations only to, you know, come back and, and hopefully this is the start of, you know, you know, kind of his career. Of, you know, the second stage of his career. His next, next, his next outing should be in the Arizona Fall League. He’s going to be monitored. But just a great, great story and, you know, everyone, I guess just because he’s such a, a good, a good guy, a good, you know, that he is, that he’s endured this and, and come through it. You know, he’s really made an impression on everybody in the organization and that’s why you know, they were all watching the performance on Saturday against Omaha at Columbus.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I guess. Is he a particularly charismatic guy? Is that what draws people to him? Or is it just the work that he’s put in and the recognition, you know, that this is a guy who works hard and is trying to get to a place where a lot of these guys are trying to go.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think it’s just the persistence, you know, the ability to overcome injuries, to, you know, just keep looking ahead. I don’t, you know, but, you know, Joe Torres, you know, the assistant pitching coach for the, for the Guardians, told me if I could adopt this kid, I would. You know, he is the, he’s a great kid. So, you know, you know, he’s 24. They drafted him out of high school, so he’s got, you know, he’s got, that’s, he’s got age on his side for, for this, but. And hopefully he keeps moving in the right direction.
Joe Noga: Speaking of moving in the right direction, we’re moving forwards. The biggest series of the year taking place starting Tuesday at Progressive field. Gavin Williams vs. Tarik Skubal. The headline matchup in game one. Tanner Bybey vs. Jack Flaherty in game two. The. The Tigers have not announced a starter for game three. They recently just designated Charlie Morton for a sign and releasing the veteran right hander who’s, you know, pitched against Stephen Boat and the Guardians before. Parker Messick will start in that series finale, which could be a huge game depending on how the first two go with Cleveland possibly needing to win that series in that game. So we’ll, we’ll find out who the, the Tigers decide to go with hopefully by the beginning of Tuesday’s game. Coinsey. We’re going to come back tomorrow and break down each game in the series, each matchup and preview that as we head into the biggest stretch of the season. This, this final home stand. Are you ready for it? You ready for these final six games?
Paul Hoynes: Ready or not, Joe here, but yeah, yeah, I’m fired up, man. I, who, who would have thought this would, would happen, Joe, back in August or June or July? Well, you know, when we’re watching this team kind of just grind through the schedule, you know, just trying to keep, keep its nose above water or reach 500. I mean, this is, you know, we, we’ve, we’ve seen this, you know, the, the organization, what. They won, what, 24 straight games? They’ve won 22 straight games. They’ve, we’ve seen them, but those were teams where you expected this. You know, you expected that? Because they were. They. They were, you know, they went into the season as labeled as, you know, divisional favorites or postseason favorites. This team just kind of came out of nowhere. This is. This is really, really a fun. A fun.
Joe Noga: Yeah. It’s one that you don’t want to see end on Sunday with the last game of the regular season. You want to see these guys make the postseason. You want to see them have a chance in either the wild card or the divisional rounds. All right, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. We’ll be back with you tomorrow morning right here, and we’ll talk to you then. Good deal.
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