Guardians notes: Surprise! Cleveland's bullpen has been the big leagues' best

CLEVELAND — Manager Stephen Vogt won't admit it, but the top-shelf performance of the Guardians' bullpen this year has come as a surprise — all things considered. Cleveland lost late-inning relievers Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak to injuries before the season began and has been without another key component for much of the year in left-hander Sam Hentges. Yet, the relief corps has remained on top of its game, entering Monday owning the lowest ERA (2.68), opponents' batting average (.203), OPS (.604) and WHIP (1.05) in the majors. "We had Clase, lost Steph and Karinchak. There's your seventh and eighth inning. We didn't know. We really didn't know," Vogt said of his preseason pen plans. "And then Hentges went down. We didn't know what we were going to do at the back end. And so we put (Hunter Gaddis) and then we had the other guys out there, and, 'Let's see how they develop. Let's see what roles they turn into. And we've used our bullpen the same way all year long. And that's put guys into positions to succeed, whether that's the fifth inning, seventh inning, eighth inning, sixth inning. 'Who can get us out of trouble and then who can get this pocket of hitters out.' "We've tried to put these guys into positions to succeed. And then they've done that and then some and they've kind of carved out a niche. We use everybody still in every situation, and Clase is really the only one with (a specific role). He's got the ninth. Other than that, the plan is different every single night." Outside of Clase, who is in the midst of a historical season as closer, the most effective relievers have included Gaddis (1.44 ERA in 72 games through Sunday), right-hander Cade Smith (2.00 in 71 games) and lefty Tim Herrin (1.96 in 69 games). Smith, who had allowed a major league-leading 5.6 percent of inherited runners to score (2 of 36) through Sunday, was a surprising addition to the opening day roster, making his MLB debut after only 30 games at the Triple-A level last year. "Cade has an elite fastball. We've seen that all year, and the split has come so far, and every now and then he uses the sweeper to keep the, off balance," Vogt said. "Cade's not afraid. He has the same heartbeat today as he did the first time I met him in January. He hasn't wavered. He can handle any situation." Cleveland's bullpen had posted the majors' lowest ERA (1.34) in September through Sunday. Doctor's office Steven Kwan missed his fourth straight game with a sore back. "He's progressing," Vogt said. "Today, he's got some rotational exercises. They're gonna get after it pretty good, so we should know more tomorrow on his timetable, but it's still day-to-day right now." + Vogt said Alex Cobb (blister) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in the next few days, followed by a rehab assignment, but that the Guardians would not rush back the right-hander, who has already spent time on the injured list with a blister and fractured finger nail. "We want to make sure he's able to throw in games before we just throw him back into a major league game," Vogt said. "We want to make sure that he's feeling fully healthy. There's a plan out in place, but it's still day-to-day to see how he's feeling, if he checks those boxes to be able to go out tomorrow. Dealing with a blister, that's not something you can just throw through. I mean, that's legitimate. "So, we have to make sure that he's a 100 percent before he takes the ball, because we're hoping that it's not just a couple starts. We're hoping that it's another month of pitching. We wanted to do right by Alex and not ask him to go out and pitch in pain or risk this thing breaking open even more. I do think there's certain injuries where you can push the limit and there's some where you can't." + Top prospect George Valera sustained a right patellar tendon rupture while playing outfield for Triple-A Columbus on Sept. 10. He is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined for 6-9 months. Division derby With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Central Division race is a tight one. Vogt, whose Guardians led the second-place Royals by 4½ games and the third-place Twins by 6½ through Sunday, isn't surprised. "Every team in the Central plays good baseball," he said. "They play hard. They run hard. They have good arms, good defense. Every team that does that does that a little bit differently, but just the quality of baseball in the AL Central to me is what really stands out." Old friend At 38, Carlos Santana is still producing at a high level, entering Monday with 22 homers and 65 RBIs over 137 games for the Twins. Santana, who spent the first eight years of his career with Cleveland before returning from 2019-20, played first and batted third in the series opener. "His pitch selection has always been his No. 1 tool," Vogt said of Santana, who has made the All-Star team once in his career (2019). "Yes, he's got power. Yes, he's a good hitter, but he swings at strikes. He doesn't chase. And when you're a good hitter that has good strike-zone judgment, you can play this game for a long time, and he's done that probably just as well as anybody in the last 10, 12 (years), however long he's been playing. He takes his walks, very seldom leaves the strike zone. And when you're doing that, you're going to hit the ball hard." Roundin' third The Guardians led the American League with a 45-27 home record through Sunday. Starting with Monday, they play nine of their last 12 games at Progressive Field. … Clase's 0.66 ERA in 68 games through Sunday was the fourth-lowest in major league history in a single season. … Tuesday, 6:40, BSGL; WEOL 930-AM and 100.3-FM, WTAM 1100-AM, WMMS 100.7-FM. Williams (3-9, 5.23) vs. Matthews (1-3, 7.11). Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @CAwesomeheimer.