Hopefully the Cleveland Guardians don’t lean on Emmanuel Clase in Game 3

The Cleveland Guardians tied up the series against the New York Yankees but the team can’t overly on Emmanuel Clase.

It’s impossible to tell you just how fantastic the Cleveland Guardians pitchers were on Friday. The team really kept the New York Yankees on lockdown and considering how good that team is, and how good Aaron Judge has been, to keep them to just two runs is impressive. Shane Bieber, Trevor Stephen, James Karinchak, and Emmanuel Clase all pitched lights out.

Bieber did give up two runs, but the bullpen were forces not to be messed with. Even though Karinchack almost blew the whole thing by walking three, but the less said about that the better.

Clase, especially, pitched his heart out. He came in during the 8th and finished the game. He had three 33 pitches, went 2.1 innings, and kept the Yankees reeling. It was a spectacular performance but one that should not be repeated.

There are many goals in every season for every team. The Guardians made three happen; go to the playoffs, win the AL Central title and prove yourself against a playoff team. There are a few more they’d like to get to; go to the AL Championship Series, win that and go to the World Series and of course, win that.

Often times that’s all anyone thinks about; sell out and win it all no matter the cost. That’s bullheaded and narrow-minded thinking. One World Series is great, but three or four are better. The hope for any fan is that your club becomes a dynasty and becomes the bane of sports fans outside of your town.

To get there you need a healthy roster, and that’s why we have to urge Terry Francona to lose Clase’s number on Saturday.

The Cleveland Guardians need to think beyond Game 3

The Guardians’ goal is of course to win the Central, the AL, and eventually (hopefully) the World Series. While it’s tempting to sell out and go for broke, being smart and thinking both long and short-term has to be the priority.

Clase threw a lot. He’s a closer, he isn’t built for endurance. Back-to-back games, one inning at a time are fine. Back to back to back games in the playoffs, one inning at a time is acceptable. Anything more than that, especially after the day Clase had, is borderline malpractice.

Burning Clase out does not help you this season or long-term. Let Clase sit tomorrow, no matter what. The Guardians did the same thing in 2016 and frankly, Andrew Miller was never that good again.

The human body doesn’t rebound after it’s been exhausted. Look at MMA fighters, after every hellish fight, that’s usually the end of their run as elite talents. The same is true for pitchers. If you overuse them, they may still be good but they’ll never be what they once were.

As much as Francona may want to, the Guards have to sit Clase tomorrow and save him for Game 4 or a Game 5 if need be. A best-case scenario for Game 4 sees the Guardians go up by 20 and Zach Plesac comes in to pitch most of the game.