Guardians notes: Six-man rotation works for now, but isn't sustainable

CLEVELAND – Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said he doesn't believe a six-man rotation is sustainable over the course of the season. He said the biggest reason it won't work is that it depletes the bullpen. If a team has six starters, then that leaves only seven relief pitchers. Currently, Cleveland has eight relievers only because teams were able to expand rosters to 28 players on Sept. 1 and it added Zak Kent from AAA Columbus. Guardians pitchers have allowed four-or-fewer runs in each of their last 10 games since Sept. 3, their longest streak since 2022 and the longest active stretch in the majors. Since Sept. 3, Cleveland has recorded a 1.62 ERA, best in baseball. Vogt said the Guardians added left-hander Parker Messick to the rotation coming down the stretch since the club had 24 games during a 24-day stretch. "It made a lot of sense," he said. "The results have been great. It gives the starters an extra day of rest." Vogt said teams have utilized six-man rotations in the past. The rest of the rotation is Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi. Two-out RBIs For pitchers, getting the last three outs in the ninth inning is sometimes the hardest in the game. For hitters, the most difficult RBI opportunities come with two outs. "You just have to find the outfield grass," Vogt said. "You have to find a way. You have to put the ball in play and see what happens." The Guardians are also hitting .348 (39-for-112) with runners in scoring position over their last 17 games since Aug. 26, tops in the AL. Learning process Vogt said his job is to win games. However, there are so many other things that goes with being a successful major-league manager. "You have to be ready to attack every day," he said. "You learn from yesterday. Getting caught up with things that might happen is not productive." Vogt was AL Manager of the Year last season. "I was just trying to figure out how to get through each day," he said. Besides winning games, Vogt must also attempt to develop young players. "You have to learn how to toggle back and forth," he said. Enright done? Reliever Nic Enright is currently on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. He's also recovering from cancer. Vogt said an update is coming soon on Enright's condition, but don't expect to see him on the mound the rest of the season. Double dip The Guardians have a day-night doubleheader scheduled on Sept. 20 at Minnesota. That could be when they activate left-hander John Means, who is scheduled to throw 75-80 pitches for host Columbus today against the St. Paul Saints at Huntington Park. "We'll see how he comes out of that," Vogt said. Means is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is on the 60-day injured list. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com.