Guardians notes: Cade Smith stepping up in bullpen

CLEVELAND — Imagine where the Guardians would be without Cade Smith. When the MLB suspended closer Emmanuel Clase for suspicion of gambling, Smith seamlessly stepped into that role. "Nothing shakes Cade," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "The first time I met him, he told me he wanted to be an eye surgeon. When I heard that, I was like, 'This guy's willing to operate on eyes, he can handle any situation on the mound.' " Smith, 26, is 5-4 on the season with five saves, 19 holds and a 2.68 ERA. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Vancouver, B.C., has 74 strikeouts and 18 walks in 53 2/3 innings. On Tuesday, the right-hander worked 1 1/3 innings for the victory in a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins. He said he's not adverse to pitching more than one inning. "I've done it multiple times," Smith said. Vogt said it's not easy working more than one inning. "Throughout last year, we knew he didn't get rattled with sitting," the manager said. "It's hard to come in and get one big out, then sit and come back out. Not everyone can do it." Smith is an integral part of the majors' best bullpen since July 1. Since then, Guardians relievers lead the majors in ERA (2.21), opponent batting average (.166), hits allowed (72), on-base percentage (.253), OPS (.557) and WHIP (0.93). Cleveland relievers have allowed one or fewer hits in four of their last six games (before Wednesday). "Our job hasn't changed," Smith said. "When the phone rings, we have to do everything we can to help the team win. When the phone rings, are you ready to compete?" A start to remember Right-hander Gavin Williams' last start before Wednesday was his one-hit gem against the New York Mets Aug. 6. He carried a no-hitter into the ninth before allowing a solo homer to Juan Soto. "I rewatched the game two or three times to appreciate it," Vogt said. "What a special day it was for Gavin. The way he has progressed this year from the first 10 starts (is amazing). We didn't know what we were going to get from him. "We're watching a guy turn into a very consistent starting pitcher. It's been a lot of fun to watch that growth." Vogt allowed Williams to throw a career-high 126 pitches. "I didn't know what I (was) doing," he said. "I had never managed a no-hitter before. I didn't talk to anybody. I didn't know if I was allowed to. None of us talked about it. I didn't know if I was going to get yelled at after the game or told, 'Nice job.' It was unchartered territory for me, too. "No one tapped me on the shoulder and told me to slow him down. I thought he was going to do it." Coming on strong Second baseman Brayan Rocchio has hit safely in nine of his previous 10 games (before Wednesday) since Aug. 1. He's batting .324 (11-for-34) with two doubles and five RBIs in his nine games this month. His nine games with a hit this month are tied for the American League lead. Rocchio has stolen bases in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Vogt said Rocchio's confidence is the biggest factor in his resurgence. "He's taking borderline pitches because he trusts himself more with two strikes," he said. "He's had great at-bats. He's embraced the move to second base with a smile on his face and a hunger to get better every day. "There have been a number of plays he's never made before and he's making them. I couldn't be more thrilled." Rocchio is batting .230 on the season with one homer and 27 RBIs. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com.