This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- When Slade Cecconi tossed seven scoreless innings on Sunday, it paved the way for the Guardians to knock off the A’s, 3-0, and clinch a second straight series victory. On a grander scale, it marked a continuation of one of the most noteworthy developments for Cleveland in June: The starting rotation has been stellar.
“I feel like our starting pitching is in a phenomenal place right now,” manager Stephen Vogt said this past weekend.
The Guardians’ rotation featuring Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, Cecconi and Logan Allen has not only been steady in June, but the staff collectively has been one of the best in the Majors. Entering Tuesday, Cleveland starters ranked second in the Majors in ERA this month (3.19), tied for sixth in WHIP (1.17) and 12th in innings (110).
Allen went on to allow four runs (three earned) on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in Tuesday’s series opener against the Blue Jays.
The June numbers are indicative of the overall progress the Guardians’ staff has made as a group as this season has gone on. Consider how it performed in March/April and in May:
March/April: 4.84 ERA (27th in the Majors), 1.47 WHIP (27th), 152 1/3 innings (23rd)
May: 3.60 ERA (tied for 13th), 1.39 WHIP (26th), 137 2/3 innings (27th)
“We have five young, very raw starting pitchers that continue to get better each time out,” Vogt said. “There’s going to be games just like any pitcher where they don't have their ‘A’ stuff. But we're starting to see the consistency building and building and building.”
The rotation’s success has proven key as Cleveland’s offense has scored four or fewer runs in 18 of 20 games in June. And its consistency was on full display last week, when the Guardians won back-to-back three-game series against the Giants and A’s.
June 17 (3-2 win over Giants), Cecconi: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K
June 18 (4-2 win over Giants), Allen: 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K
June 19 (2-1 loss to Giants), Williams: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K
June 20 (5-1 loss to A’s), Bibee: 8 IP, 11 H, 5 R (4 ER), 10 K
June 21 (4-2 win over A’s), Ortiz: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
June 22 (3-0 win over A’s), Cecconi: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The progress of Williams, Ortiz and Cecconi in particular has been promising. Williams recorded a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings over his first seven starts. He has a 2.49 ERA in 43 1/3 innings over his past eight turns.
Ortiz (whom the Guardians acquired from the Pirates on Dec. 10 in a trade involving Spencer Horwitz) is in his first full season as a big league starter. He’s recorded a 4.30 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 41 walks in 81 2/3 innings over 15 starts. When he’s commanding the strike zone, he’s proven tough to hit, as he showed against the A’s.
Cecconi had a 6.66 ERA in 77 innings over 20 games (13 starts) with Arizona last season, and Cleveland acquired him in the Josh Naylor trade on Dec. 21. He has recorded a 3.38 ERA in seven starts this season, all of which have come in the rotation place of Ben Lively, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery last month.
“What [pitching coach] Carl [Willis] and the pitching group have done with these starters is incredible,” Vogt said. “I’m excited because I feel like we're accelerating. We're not heading back.”