With Thursday night's win, the Guardians secured a playoff berth, joining an American League field that includes the Rays, Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox, with one spot still to be decided. In the final days and weeks of the regular season, Cleveland has been in a back-and-forth tussle with the White Sox for the division title, and that race seems destined to go down to the wire. For now, they'll take a playoff berth for the third time in Stephen Vogt's three years as manager.
Going back into Terry Francona's tenure, the Guardians have now qualified for the playoffs in eight of the last 11 seasons. While many hurdles remain, the Guardians will be angling to win the franchise's first World Series title since 1948. That's the longest current title drought in Major League Baseball.
It's baseball, which means any team in the playoffs has realistic designs on going all the way, and the Guardians in particular have some factors in their favor. Here's a quick look at why that's the case. As starting pitcher workloads continue to decline, the work of the bullpen becomes more and more important.
That's especially the case in the playoffs, where contemporary managers focus on getting their starters out before damage happens as opposed to being reactive. That means more heavy lifting for the pen. All of this is to say that the relief corps is exceptionally important in the postseason, and the Guards are well-equipped on this front.
Consider how the Cleveland bullpen ranks this season: Given the strength of the bullpen at the forward-looking FIP and K% levels, you can argue this is the most playoff battle-ready bullpen around. Cade Smith is a true dominator at closer -- probably the best closer in baseball this season not named Mason Miller. There's also good setup depth from both sides, what with right-handers Matt Festa and Hunter Gaddis and lefties Tim Herrin and Erik Sabrowski.
They're also hoping to get Colin Holderman (wrist) back from the injured list before the playoffs begin. As well, Vogt's usually a pretty skilled handler of his bullpen. This could be a key difference-maker and allow Cleveland to outplay expectations next month.
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