Guardians bullpen fails first test without Emmanuel Clase 

Monday’s game had the perfect set up for the Guardians. They entered the ninth inning leading by one against the lowly Rockies, with Cade Smith set to enter the game. While the sting of Emmanuel Clase’s suspension still hung over the air, Smith's entrance signified to a one run game in the ninth signified a new era that had been forced upon the Guardians. 

It didn’t go well. 

After Cleveland stormed back to take the lead in the seventh inning, Smith coughed it up in the ninth inning, a blown save that serves as one final reminder for how Clase’s suspension seems to have upended a season on the rise. 

Guardians bullpen fails first test without Emmanuel Clase 

The ninth inning started with a double from Warming Bernabel, who came around to score on a throwing error from Smith. He eventually gave up the go-ahead hit to Tyler Freeman before being relieved for Tim Herrin, who allowed two runs in his first action since being recalled from Triple-A. 

Yikes. 

Prior to the game, manager Stephen Vogt said the Guardians were going to go with a “closer by committee” in Clase’s absence, but it makes sense that Smith got the first crack. He has closing experience and is coming off one of the most dominant relief seasons in Cleveland baseball history (non-Clase category), but all of those appearances came with the safety blanket of having Clase ahead of him/on the roster. Monday’s game was a different experience. 

And it’s not like the other options showed anything great. Hunter Gaddis is another guy who makes a lot of sense as a closer, but he surrendered a home run to Hunter Goodman in his lone inning of work. 

The bullpen implosion ruined another solid start from Slade Cecconi, who bobbed and weaved his way through seven innings while only allowing one run. Cecconi’s start may not be the prettiest, but he’s now gone at least six innings in all five of his last starts, and he went out in the seventh inning despite being at 87 pitches. 

His starts may not be the prettiest you’ll ever see, but he provided the team with some important length when they needed it, and the bullpen couldn’t pick him up. 

The Guardians have a chance to enter the trade deadline at .500 if they can pick up wins over the Rockies in the next two days, but it may not be enough to save the roster restructuring that could be on the horizon. 

While this may not be the statistical rock bottom the Guardians reached earlier this season, it sure feels like the emotional one.