3 Cleveland Guardians to blame for frustrating Game 4 loss

This Cleveland Guardians team fights like hell, but an 8-6 loss on Friday night has them one game away from elimination. The New York Yankees pulled out the Game 4 victory in dramatic fashion, breaking a tie in the ninth inning to send Cleveland to the brink.

It's not over, but it sure feels over. This was a golden opportunity for the Guardians to tie the series with Game 5 at home, but instead it will take three straight victories to topple New York. That ain't happening. This Yankees team has too much star-power to even fathom a collapse of that magnitude (this was my best attempt at a jinx, good luck Cleveland).

In all seriousness, the Yankees are the runaway favorites now. Cleveland has a puncher's chance, if that. This was a winnable game, which makes it sting all the more. We saw clutch hits from Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor, but the Guardians' typically excellent bullpen couldn't keep the Yankees offense at bay.

That has been a troubling theme all series. The Guardians are supposed to have the best bullpen in baseball, but New York has been able to find plenty of cracks. Here's who we're blaming.

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3. Brayan Rocchio's nightmare ninth inning sealed Yankees' victory

Brayan Rocchio won't have many fans in Cleveland tonight.

The Guardians' shortstop committed a critical error in the ninth inning, which left runners on the corners and no outs after the go-ahead run scored. It was a brain fart at the worst possible time, and it all but guaranteed New York's victory.

To make matters worse, Brayan Rocchio was the final batter of the evening for Cleveland. With a chance to keep the game alive, he grounded out to second base and caught a lot of flack for his light jog up the first base line.

Word to the wise, you can't commit a dire fielding error and run half-speed to first on the final out. It's one or the other, or preferably neither.

The 23-year-old has had his moments this postseason, but Rocchio was an unfortunate source of frustration on Friday night. His glove remains troublesome.

2. Gavin Williams got the snowball rolling for the Guardians pitching staff

Cleveland's stalwart bullpen has been counterbalanced by mediocre starting pitching all October. That was once again the case on Friday, as Gavin Williams lasted a whole 2.1 innings before Stephen Vogt went to the 'pen.

The talented 25-year-old, who made 16 regular season starts for 76.0 innings of work, allowed three hits and three earned runs before Vogt pulled the plug. That set the Guardians' bullpen wheels in motion early, which always comes with risk. Cleveland has been particularly bold with its bullpen deployment this postseason, but a solid five or six-inning night from Williams would have been a godsend.

Instead, Williams allowed a home run in each of the first two innings — a two-run bomb for Juan Soto with no outs in the first inning, then a second-inning solo shot for Austin Wells. That gave New York an early lead and enough momentum to carry over the finish line, despite the Guards' best comeback effort.

1. Emmanuel Clase once again melted down on the postseason stage

What's going on here? Emmanuel Clase was far and away the MLB's best reliever during the regular season. He finished 74 appearances and 74.1 innings with a grand total of five earned runs. In six postseason appearances, Clase has now allowed eight runs. He just does not have his best stuff right now, which puts a major damper on Cleveland's otherwise electric bullpen. It's a snake without its head.

Clase entered in the top of the ninth inning in a tie ballgame. He immediately gave up two hits to put runners on the corners before recording his first out — an Austin Wells K. That brought up Alex Verdugo, who slapped a grounder to Brayan Rocchio at shortstop and reached first via the aforementioned error. That scored the go-ahead run.

Gleyber Torres put the finishing touches on the Yankees' victory, singling to centerfield for an extra insurance run. That was all she wrote. 8-6, Yankees win in the ninth. Cleveland's offense couldn't pull through in the bottom of the inning, but Vogt wasn't planning on a two-run deficit. Clase is supposed to be the Guardians' cheat code — a near-automatic three outs whenever he's called upon.

We can talk about his usage up to this point and speculate about what factors are contributing to his struggles, but the simple fact of the matter is that Clase is not performing when he's called upon. He's coming up small under the bright lights.