Elite Guardians bullpen identified as key factor for Cleveland down the stretch

In case anyone has been living under a rock this baseball season, the Cleveland Guardians bullpen is a pretty good group. So much so that they were recently the focal point of what to watch in the upcoming run to the postseason.

Appearing as part of Kerry Miller's 1 Sentence to Describe Every MLB Team Heading Into Stretch Run of 2024 Season on Bleacher Report, Cleveland's relief corps received the praise they truly deserve based on their performance this season. The contributions the Guardians have received from their bullpen take center stage in Miller's evaluation of the team.

This offense has been struggling for more than a month, but the historically great bullpen anchored by Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith continues to buoy Cleveland's quest for a No. 1 seed, stringing together 23 consecutive scoreless innings of relief in a recent stretch against the Cubs, Brewers and Yankees.

When taking the sizable load this group has had to shoulder all season into account, it makes what they have been able to accomplish even more impressive. Cleveland's starting rotation has been somewhat of a mixed bag at best, with poor outings and early exits putting an additional strain on the bullpen. This has resulted in more use than anyone could have expected from their relief corps this season, and the fact they continue to perform at an elite level is simply stunning.

There is one thing to be concerned with moving forward despite their success. The overreliance Cleveland has had on their bullpen could come back to haunt them in September and October. Pitchers only have so many throws in their arms, a number that is significantly less for relievers. If the Guardians starting rotation is unable to provide a little more length when they are on the mound, a time could come when the bullpen arms have nothing left. This could potentially lead to their biggest strength becoming one of their larger weaknesses, and it would be incredibly disappointing to see that series of events take place.