​Jim Ingraham: No time to Hedges their bet, Guardians need to add a starting pitcher

Sometimes when a good team goes bad it is hard to quantify the badness. For example, in the Guardians' 10-1 loss to a bad Detroit team Thursday, which was worse: That the Guardians had to use four pitchers? Or that the best pitcher was a catcher? Hey, it's not like Austin Hedges had never pitched before. Because he had. With the Texas Rangers last year Hedges, a catcher, made three appearances as a pitcher. The scores of the games Hedges pitched: 12-2, 13-6 and 14-1. Throw in Thursday's 12-3 thrashing of the Guardians and the cumulative score in Hedges' four career appearances as a pitcher is 51-12. But don't laugh. When it comes to blowout-game pitchers, Austin Hedges takes a backseat to nobody. In four career appearances as a pitcher he has a 4.91 ERA. In those four career appearances he has pitched 3 2/3 innings, faced 16 hitters and not walked a single hitter. On the other hand, only once in those 16 plate appearances against Hedges' "stuff" did the opposing batter swing and miss. Being an emergency pitcher is a tough gig. Especially for a player who was hired as an emergency catcher. It takes a certain amount of temperament and professionalism for a position player to walk to the pitcher's mound in a game that is all over but the shouting, and face the vicious line drives professional hitters tend to hit when the pitcher is a catcher. But Hedges is clearly doing something right. That makes him a valuable guy when some things are going wrong, as was the case Thursday, when the Tigers took the Vogt-men to the woodshed and administered a 10-1 Motor City mow down. "Obviously you never want to pitch a position player," said Guards manager Stephen Vogt. "But for Hedgy to pitch two innings was huge for us going into the weekend." That's because for most of this season the Guardians' starting rotation, due to injuries and poor performance, has resembled a train wreck. Consider the performance gaps in some key statistical categories between the team's starting pitchers and relievers so far this season: Opponents' team batting average vs. Cleveland's starters (.257) and relievers (.199). Opponents' on-base percentage vs. starters (.325) and relievers (.277). Opponents' slugging percentage vs. starters (.464) and relievers (.320). Won-loss record: starters 31-26, relievers 26-9. ERA: starters 4.59, relievers 2.69. As everyone knows, so far this year the Guardians' starting rotation has been two things: injury-riddled and ineffective. Nine pitchers have started games, and only two, Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively, have been consistently effective. The relievers, meanwhile, have been lights out, except for Hedges, who has been lights dimmed. This much we know for sure: Shane Bieber not only is not walking through that door, but he might have already pitched his last game in a Cleveland uniform. Until further notice, the Triston McKenzie drama continues to feel like a Tommy John surgery waiting to happen. The classy and heroic Carlos Carrasco, now 37 years old, had started 16 games going into Friday and not won 13 of them. Logan Allen has won two games since May 24, and given up more home runs this year than any Cleveland pitcher not named Triston McKenzie. Allen is now in Columbus, searching for his future. Meanwhile, the Guardians' lockdown bullpen continues to resemble Myles Garrett in the other team's backfield. There is still over two months left in the season, but unless the threesome of Bibee, Gavin Williams, and (your guess here) can resemble Corey Kluber (18-4), vintage Carrasco (18-6) and Trevor Bauer (17-9) coming down the stretch in 2017, the Guardians are going to need a bigger boat. Remember at the trade deadline in 2016, when Cleveland smelled enough team spirit to shoot the works for a lockdown reliever named Andrew Miller, and, after telling the Yankees to "name your price," acquired him, and then watched Miller produce an October for the ages? Welcome, potentially, to club deja vu. The only difference is that this time the Guardians need an Andrew Miller version of a starting pitcher, who can step into the breach and produce. They need a Mr. 3 to complete a Big Three capable of September and October greatness. It will not come cheap, but pennants never do. When you are in first place in the middle of July, you are either all in and commit to going for it, or you are wasting your time. Chapter 1 of "The Vogt Chronicles" has a chance to be a memorable one, a historic one — the one that got away in 2016 and again in 2017. If you are going to make the ballpark look better, do the same with the team that plays there. One starting pitcher, the right starting pitcher, might do it. Heck, the cheerleader is already in place. "Party at Napoli's!" meet "Party at Hedgy's!" Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com and follow him @Jim_Ingraham on X.

​Jim Ingraham: No time to Hedges their bet, Guardians need to add a starting pitcher

Jim Ingraham: No time to Hedges their bet, Guardians need to add a starting pitcher