Here's how the Guardians are preparing to handle the ninth inning in the wake of closer Emmanuel Clase being unavailable for at least a month.
CLEVELAND — Regardless of how long Emmanuel Clase could be sidelined is dependent on the results of Major League Baseball's gambling investigation, but the Guardians know at the very least that they'll have to figure out a new way to handle the ninth inning for the next month.
Clase was placed on paid leave through at least Aug. 31, as he joined Luis Ortiz as part of MLB's sports-betting investigation. It's another gut punch for a team that over the last few weeks had been making up ground in the American League Wild Card race.
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and manager Stephen Vogt spoke with the team ahead of their July 28 game against the Colorado Rockies.
"It stinks, it hurts," Vogt said. "It's not something we saw coming, not something that we anticipated. It's OK to be upset, it's OK to be hurting, but we're in this together, and it's just a reminder that this game is fragile. This game is special, and it was just a reminder of, we have to do this together and we're going to get through it, but it's going to be hard.
"This is for all of us to deal with. I mean, every one of us has different emotions, different feelings, different thoughts towards it, but at the end of the day, we have our jobs and let's go out and compete, and my door is open all the time. … If you need to get thoughts out, you need to get emotions out, come get them out with me so that we can go out and play and be at our best."
If MLB finds any wrongdoing related to gambling with Clase and/or Ortiz, the corresponding punishments could be severe. All the team knows for now is that in the short run, they're without both through at least the games on July 31.
Who is the Guardians closer with Emmanuel Clase out?
Cade Smith can certainly be considered the favorite for saves in Cleveland with Clase unavailable, but for the time being, Vogt has said that the Guardians won't be officially naming a closer for the time being, instead opting to play the matchups.
"You just put guys into positions to succeed like we do," Vogt said. "We always look for three- to four-batter pockets that help the guys have great matchups and to be successful. It might end up being different people in the ninth. It might play out to where it's one person, but we're going to continue to run the bullpen the way we have."
While Smith might not enter for the ninth inning in every save situation, it would be reasonable to expect him to garner the majority of chances.
Entering July 28, Smith was carrying a 3.02 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. He hasn't been quite as dominant as his stellar 2024 season, but a good deal of that damage all came in a disastrous outing against the Detroit Tigers, when a 10th inning fell apart on him. Other than the one appearance, Smith has been among the best relievers in baseball since the beginning of 2024.
It'll likely also mean additional high-leverage situations for Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Erik Sabrowski. With Clase out, the Guardians could at times line up matchups dependent on where they are in an opposing lineup in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
"He's one of the best closers in the world, so it's hard to replace something like that," Vogt said. "But when you have Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herron, Erik Sabrowski, those four particularly … these guys have faced the heart of orders in big spots. The ninth inning is a different beast, but at the same time, that's why we've always pitched all our guys in leverage."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase out. Who closes games for Cleveland?
Category: Baseball
