Logan Allen deserves a chance to stick around in Guardians rotation

All it took was just one start, but Logan Allen looks like he belongs in the bigs. Making his MLB debut Sunday versus Miami, Allen was able to limit the Marlins to just one run on five hits in 6 innings. 

Allen stuck around long enough for the Guardians offense to carry their weight, resulting in his first major league win. From a team perspective this was a much needed win as Cleveland was able to avoid the sweep, holding on for a much needed 7-4 win.

The eight strikeouts from Allen Sunday is the new season-high for Guardians starters. 

The second highest strikeout total by a Guardians starter this season is Shane Bieber’s seven against Oakland in early April. The fact Allen is the new leader is an equally impressive and frustrating bit of information. In fact, Allen’s strikeout total in his debut is only one less than the combined total (9) from Shane Bieber (4) and Zach Plesac (5) during Saturday’s doubleheader loss. 

The Guardians are still down two regular starters in Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale. Cleveland could use someone to come in a fill-in and eventually claim their own spot outright in their rotation. After his performance Sunday, Allen has shown that he at least deserves a chance to stay in the Cleveland rotation. 

If Allen were to get his shot, it would give the Guardians rotation their lone left-handed starter. Having at least one lefty is valuable as it leads to the opponent altering their lineup. The Guardians were forced to go with alternate lineups five times this week due to the volume of left-handers they saw. Being able to do to this proved extremely valuable as Cleveland’s opponents found out as the Guardians stumbled to a 2-4 record this past week.

The fact of the matter is that the Guardians are running out of options to give a shot in the rotation. Two players in particular look like relief arms capable of a few innings and nothing more. Now is the time for Cleveland to find out if they have a starter or another guy to stick in the bullpen. Allen deserves his shot to stake his claim for a spot in the rotation, and there is no time like the present.