One of the biggest complaints, especially from older fans, about modern baseball is that organizations handle pitchers too carefully. The major leagues saw just 21 complete games this season. Only three pitchers worked at least 200 innings: the Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez, and the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha.
However, the governors have been coming off in the postseason as starters are being used in relief on one day of rest. The Atlanta Braves did it with left-hander Chris Sale to close out their NLWCS win over the Phillies, and the San Diego Padres used Michael King for a two-inning save against the Brewers in an NLDS. And that now includes Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams after Game 4 of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox.
Guardians already used Game 5 starter Gavin Williams in Game 4
On Saturday night, the Cleveland Guardians will put a different spin on the one-day rest trend. Gavin Williams will start the winner-take-all Game 5 of their ALDS against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Williams got the last three outs in Game 4 on Thursday night to finish the Guardians’ 9-5 victory in Chicago that kept their season alive.
Williams threw 18 pitches but told Stephen Vogt he would be ready to pitch on Friday as he walked past the manager’s office in the visiting clubhouse at Rate Field in Chicago.
Pitching the 27-year-old Williams seems risky, especially since starting pitchers often get five days off between outings. However, Williams said Friday that he felt fine and noted that he would normally throw a pre-game bullpen session on Thursday to prepare for a potential start two days later.
Williams made 32 starts and pitched 184.1 innings in the regular season, making him a workhorse by today’s standards. That gives Vogt the confidence to let Williams start less than 48 hours after relieving. The two-time reigning AL Manager of the Year will also keep a close watch on Williams.
“I mean, I think we'll be watching the game. I think we'll be monitoring it,” Vogt said on Friday. “But I think, again, it's a Game 5, win or go home. Gavin wants the ball. We want him to have the ball, and it's his game. And the game will tell us when it's time to move on, or maybe he takes it the whole way. We don't know. We gotta get there and find out.”
Vogt’s Game 4 decisions questioned
Vogt has led the Guardians to the AL East title in each of his three seasons as an MLB manager. However, he raised eyebrows in Game 4 with how he handled the final two innings.
Leading 9-4, Vogt brought in closer Cade Smith to start the eighth inning. That came a day after Smith pitched two scoreless innings in Game 4 to earn the save and help the Guardians stave off elimination after losing the first two games of the series. Smith faltered in the ninth inning and had to be bailed out by Williams.
Smith threw 50 pitches in two games. Yet Vogt feels Smith, who led the big leagues with 41 regular-season saves, will be available for Game 5 and that he won't hesitate to use him.
“I think when you're playing a team that's got the offensive power that (the White Sox) do and as you're managing a bullpen, you always go to worst-case scenario in your head,” Vogt said. “That's how you have to think. That's how you have to operate. All signs pointed to: let's put Cade in this thing and let's stop it right here.”
While Vogt won’t get reckless, he feels he has no choice but to push his pitchers to the max in an elimination game.
“Obviously we need to see how everybody feels,” Vogt said. “But I think if you're a pitcher on our roster, be ready to go. It's all hands on deck. We need to win. We know that.”
White Sox switching to traditional approach
White Sox manager Will Venable and his team are in the same situation. Yet they plan to switch back to a conventional pitching approach by starting right-hander Sean Burke after using an opener in each of the first four games of this series.
Burke started 27 of his 32 regular-season appearances and topped the White Sox with 172.1 innings pitched.
“We talked a little bit about some of the exposure to different parts of the lineup that are a factor,” Venable said. “Just looking at who we have and who we're going to use and how we can transition from one guy to the other. Obviously, Sean is someone that's going to play a big role as the bulk guy. So, yeah, as we evaluated the set of guys that we have and that we'll use, it made sense to start Burkey.”
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