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Grading the Cleveland Guardians at the All-Star Break

ByJames Mastrucci|
Chicago White Sox v Cleveland Guardians - Game One
Chicago White Sox v Cleveland Guardians - Game One | Jason Miller/GettyImages
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4. Pitching

On the surface, the pitching staff of the Cleveland Guardians looks like it should deserve a somewhat respectable grade. With a team ERA of 3.71 that ranks ninth, in addition to their 347 earned runs allowed being the sixth-fewest in baseball and having the sixth-most strikeouts (842), the overall performance has been fantastic. But when evaluating the differences between the starting rotation and the bullpen, red flags start to emerge rather quickly.

The Guardians have just 26 quality starts this season, the fourth-fewest in all of baseball. Barely edging out the pitching staffs of the Milwaukee Brewers (25), Oakland Athletics (24), and Miami Marlins (20) is not an accomplishment by any means. This just goes to show how reliant the Guardians have been on their bullpen to keep them in and win games.

Of the five most-used Guardians starters this season, only two have an ERA below 5.00, Tanner Bibee (3.77) and Ben Lively (3.58). Meanwhile, Logan Allen (5.67), Triston McKenzie (5.11), and Carlos Carrasco (5.02) have struggled to find consistency in their starts, with Allen and McKenzie being optioned to Triple-A to address those issues. Whether or not that will work remains to be seen.

Turning to the bullpen, that is where the Guardians have received their most consistent and dominant performances this season. Only one of their five most-used relievers has an ERA above 3.00 this season (Scott Barlow: 3.52). The other four heavily used relief arms have been very impressive, with Emmanuel Clase's 0.81 ERA in 44.1 innings leading the way, while Hunter Gaddis (1.19), Cade Smith (2.28), and Tim Herrin (1.45) all playing a key role in the Guardians being able to shut down opponents late in games.

If it was just the rotation being evaluated here, the grade would be significantly lower. In fact, the only thing preventing the Guardians' pitching staff from flirting with a failing grade is the performance of their bullpen. It is abundantly clear that their rotation needs help if they are going to compete come October, but for now, their grade reflects the current state of their overall pitching staff.

Pitching Grade: C-