How a stint in the bullpen helped turn Logan Allen's season around for the Guardians

For two weeks, Logan Allen waited. 

After allowing four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers on May 25, the Guardians temporarily removed Logan Allen from their starting rotation, where he sat on the sideline outside of a single one-inning appearance out of the bullpen against the Los Angeles Angels. 

It could end up being one of the most important innings for this year’s iteration of the Cleveland Guardians. 

Has Logan Allen turned a corner for the Cleveland Guardians? 

In that one inning, Allen underwent some mechanical adjustments that seem to have helped the 27-year-old unlock something on the mound that's helped him in his turn in the rotation.

He’s posted a 3.73 ERA in 41 innings since that brief cameo in the bullpen, and is coming off a strong start where he allowed just one run in six innings in a win over the White Sox. 

It was the second straight start where he went six innings, recorded five strikeouts and allowed two runs or less.

“In that one inning of relief, he made some adjustments in his delivery,” manager Stephen Vogt told reporters in June after Allen picked up a win over the Giants. “In getting that time off, he was really able to get some good work in. In Logan’s last few outings, his delivery has been more repeatable. He’s getting down the mound quicker and his velocity is up a bit. He’s been throwing really well.”

Allen’s always been one of MLB’s quickest workers on the mound, and it seems like he finally found a way to turn that into a weapon. In his aforementioned start against the White Sox, Allen was visibly keeping the White Sox off balance with his quick pace on the mound. 

The lone blemish he allowed was a two-run home run to Luis Robert Jr. 

After a couple innings, Chicago’s batters started to ask for time and take a bit more time in their at-bats in an attempt to slow the game down. In years prior, that could have been Allen’s undoing. 

Instead it just seemed to make him stronger.

“I threw a bad pitch to Robert, kind of into his nitro zone,” Allen told reporters after the game, per MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. “Probably the one mistake that we had all day. But all in all, I felt good and thought that we executed well, and that was the big thing today.”

Perhaps the most encouraging thing from Allen’s stretch of strong play has been his ability to give the team some much-needed length. Last year, Allen only went 5+ innings in less than half of his starts; this year he’s gone 5+ innings in 12 of his 18 starts. 

“He's going out and competing,” Vogt said after his start against the White Sox, per Stebbins. “And when Logan's in compete mode, he's pounding the zone, he's coming right after hitters. You see the one-pitch outs. When you're getting one-pitch outs, you are making quality pitches on the first pitch.

Allen may only be the sixth percentile in fastball velocity, but he’s a crafty lefty who relies on deception and control. While that makeup can lead to him running into some trouble — most of the trouble he runs into comes from him nibbling on the corners — he can limit hard contact with the best of them. 

Allen may never be a No. 1 starter, but he can be a top-tier No. 3 starter, or even a No. 2 starter in a pinch. And, at the very least, he’s showing that he’ll be able to go deep enough in a game to keep Cleveland’s bullpen fresh.

Last July, the Guardians sent Allen down to Triple-A because of his struggles. He's looked like a different pitcher this July.