CHICAGO – A starting rotation, finally made whole, is an image that keeps floating in front of manager Stephen Vogt and his boss Chris Antonetti, Guardians’ president of baseball operations.
It has proven to be a hard thing to make happen.
There are 19 games left in the season headed into Monday’s opener of a three-game set against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Guardians have a 2 1/2 game lead over the Royals in the AL Central and the safety net of three wild card spots below that.
Still, nothing has been settled.
After hitting the All-Star break at 58-37, the Guardians have gone 23-25. They went 12-17 in August, their first losing month of the season. In September, they’re 4-3.
Like many teams the Guardians have had different versions of the rotation through the first 144 games of the season. Shane Bieber made two starts before his season ended with Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen are at Class AAA Columbus. Carlos Carrasco has been on the injured list since Aug. 8 with a strained left hip.
The current configuration has offered promise, but not consistency.
The Guardians’ front office did well when it signed veteran free agent Matthew Boyd on June 29 when he was in the final stages of recovery from last year’s Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. They struck again when they traded for another veteran in Alex Cobb just before the deadline.
While Boyd (2-1, 2.20) has give the Guards five strong starts, Cobb (2-1, 2.78) has taken the mound only three times. He’s pitched well, but he spent 15 days on the injured list with with a torn finger nail on the index finger of his right hand. He came back from that to retire 18 straight Pirates in a 6-1 win Sept. 1, but has not pitched since because of a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.
The idea of Boyd and Cobb joining a rotation of rookie Gavin Williams, second-year right-hander Tanner Bibee and steady Ben Lively is intriguing. But Vogt and Antonetti can’t seem to get their arms around it for more than one a second or two.
Over the weekend, when the Guardians were sweating in the heat of Los Angeles, it looked like they’d open this series against the White Sox with Lively, Cobb and Boyd. Cobb certainly was questionable, but Lively and Boyd seemed to be set.
Then things took an unexpected turn.
After Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Dodgers, Vogt told reporters that rookie lefty Joey Cantillo would start Monday and that Tuesday and Wednesday’s starters were undecided. Vogt delivered some clarity Monday, saying Lively would start Tuesday and Boyd on Wednesday. Cobb, however, was still day to day.
When asked if Cantillo was added to the rotation because of Cobb’s absence or Lively needing an extra day of rest, Vogt said it was a little of both. Lively (11-9, 4.07), who has never pitched more than 88 2/3 innings in a big league season, is at 135. In his last two starts, he’s allowed 10 earned runs and 16 hits in 8 1/3 innings.
“It’s been an interesting year with our rotation,” said Vogt. “We lose Shane Bieber six days into the season. And we’ve had a number of guys step up and contribute. We’ve used a number of guys in different ways.
“It’s been an interesting year to say the least.”
Thirteen different pitchers have started at least one game for the Guards this year. The rotation is 45-51 overall. It ranks 12th in ERA at 4.61 and 12th in innings pitched at 720 2/3.
Vogt said the rotation is “just getting started.” With 19 games left and a division title waiting to be won, indeed, there’s no time like the present.
As for the feint of heart, Antonetti said, “Someone once said, pressure is a privilege. If these games didn’t mean as much, there might be less pressure, but it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
“This is why we play. This is why we compete to win a division, to have an opportunity to play in October. We wake up every day with the goal of winning a World Series. The only way I know how to win a World Series is to get into the postseason.”
That makes sense, even if it’s with a rotation whose best version of itself has yet to be seen.
