I know that it's easy to point out all the injured Dodgers pitchers or all the Orioles starters who won't appear again this year, but people forget that the Guardians are a 1st place team this year, overwhelmingly so, without Shane Bieber, and with minimal input from all of Carlos Carrasco, Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Alex Cobb. Cobb was traded at the deadline while injured, made two pretty nice starts and immediately went back on the IL. McKenzie and Allen tried but couldn't cut it. Carrasco isn't what he was in 2015 and got hurt.
So the Guardians rotation is currently consisting of Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Ben Lively, Matt Boyd...and, uh, a free space. Which is what happens when you flip Xzavion Curry for nothing. I'd assume Joey Cantillo's gonna get called back up eventually but after that last start I'm not even sure. Who else on the active roster can start games? One of the relievers? They gonna call up someone we're not thinking about? Is a waiver deal gonna happen?
I mean, yes, the Guardians can hit their way out of anything at this point, and have the bullpen to leg it out, but this is not the rotation you'd think a sure competitor would have at this point. Gavin Williams got lit up by the Yankees the other day, and he's been in shoddy shape all year. Boyd had been solid since the call-up, but in a way that makes people wish for his mid-2010s Tigers numbers. The surprise depth of last year seems to be counterintuitive. Allen and McKenzie did their best but don't have it, and aren't the immediate option [though honestly they really should go with McKenzie].
The saving grace of the bullpen has been Ben Lively, who the Guardians picked up on a flyer and has been surprisingly consistent. He's made all his starts and has gone 10-8, with a 3.68 ERA and 98 Ks. He's not as flashy as someone like Williams or Bibee, but he can stay in for a while and keep people guessing without overexerting himself. This is a guy who only had so much success in the Korean leagues, and made his way back through consistent work in Louisville, ironically given that the Reds initially drafted Lively back in the day. He just worked hard, played the system, and eventually he got back to the majors and got to start games again. It didn't happen overnight but he worked hard enough at it, and now he's a crucial starter for a competitor.
The Guardians have a month left to pin down three or more trustworthy postseason starters, or else things are gonna get really hairy in October. Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, Steven Kwan and Jhonkensy Noel are all looking ready for the postseason, and it's mostly just looking like a race to see how big Ramirez's season is gonna be, regardless of the fact that he's essentially playing for third in the MVP race at this point. This is a well-constructed, well-managed and well-prepared team, that could do great things if this rotation thing works out.
If not...I can only hope this team figures out how to make things work going forward. Cause that's something you just need to get over.
Coming Tonight: A rookie for a team whose rotation was similarly sparse, who's become one of the marquee hurlers, almost overnight.
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