Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my first season covering Cleveland for MLB.com. |
CLEVELAND -- Not only did Gavin Williams deliver his best start of the season on Monday, but he also showed he may be on to something with a pitch mix that has been a work in progress over the past year. Williams threw his cutter for the first time this season in the Guardians’ 6-4 win over the Yankees, alongside his four-seam fastball, curveball and sweeper. And, as he said after the outing, throwing the cutter "opened up everything” for him. Williams threw 6 1/3 innings and held New York to two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight -- a new season high. “Having four pitches rather than three pitches helps out big time,” Williams said. “Being able to throw [the cutter] back door to a lefty and even down and away to a righty helps out. It opens up everything.” |
Williams featured six pitches last season, and the cutter was his third-most used offering (12 percent), behind his four-seam fastball (51.3) and curveball (19.8). He has simplified his arsenal in the early going this season by almost exclusively throwing his four-seamer (54.8 percent), sweeper (24.7) and curveball (18.9). In his bullpen session before Monday’s start, the Guardians’ coaching staff recommended he bring the cutter back. He only threw it five times against New York, but just having it in his bag and showing it to hitters gives them something else to account for in the batter’s box. “When you can have another pitch to be able to put in the hitter’s mind,” catcher Bo Naylor said, “something that you can attack with and be able to hold through the times that the order rolls over, it just puts a little more pressure on them to find an approach to stick with. It worked well for us. That’s something that we're going to be able to use moving forward.” Williams threw a 2-1 cutter to Yankees catcher Austin Wells in the fifth inning. The pitch spun inside, and Wells harmlessly foul tipped it into Naylor’s glove. It set up Williams’ next pitch: He threw Wells a curveball down and away, which he grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. |
The curveball, which Williams threw 32 times on Monday, was another interesting wrinkle to his start. Its average velocity was 82.3 mph (with a max of 84.6), up from its season average of 81.7. Williams recorded 21 whiffs (a new career high), including six whiffs with the curve (one shy of his career-high). “[It had a] lot of bite, good action,” Naylor said. “He was in-zone with it, and was able to expand with it as well. That’s a strength of his, so it just all came together really well paired with the fastball.” Williams has the stuff to be an imposing starter for the Guardians. Monday’s performance against a good Yankees lineup could go a long way for him this season. “It's a big confidence boost, not for just today, but the rest of the season,” Williams said. “I know my stuff plays a lot, so when I'm around the zone or in the zone, it's definitely a confidence boost.” |
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Cade Smith is both even-keeled and confident. Those two traits help explain his dominance in the Guardians’ bullpen since his MLB debut on March 30 last year. “This guy's heartbeat doesn't change,” manager Stephen Vogt said. With closer Emmanuel Clase down on Monday after pitching three straight days, Smith got the call for the Guardians in the ninth inning, when they led the Yankees, 6-4. It was Smith’s first save opportunity of the season. After Oswaldo Cabrera singled with one out, Aaron Judge stepped up with two outs as the tying run. Smith got ahead 0-2, and Judge laid off a splitter in the dirt. Smith struck him out on a splitter on the next pitch to secure the save. “There's a difference between, I think, fearing a hitter and respecting a hitter,” Smith said of his mentality in that matchup. “Obviously, everyone knows what he's capable of, so you have to approach that, I think, smartly. You want to make sure your misses are safe. I think that's the best way to put it.” Coming off his fifth-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, Smith is off to a strong start this season. After earning his second save in Tuesday night's 3-2 win over the Yankees (with Clase down again), Smith holds a 1.38 ERA and 16 strikeouts with four walks in 13 innings over 13 appearances. “I think everybody in the stadium was like, ‘Oh man, Judge is up. What's going to happen?’” Vogt said. “And Cade’s like, ‘OK, I'll throw a split.’ He is tenacious and he's got the temperament to go out and pitch in any situation.’” |
The Guardians have a series of fun theme nights scheduled for the current 10-game homestand. By purchasing a specific theme night ticket, fans will receive a unique promotional item. • Friday: Grad Party Night -- Guardians cap complete with a graduation cap tassel • Tuesday: Golf Night -- Plush golf club cover of Guardians mascot Slider • April 30: Star Wars -- Green Star Wars beanie featuring Grogu, aka “Baby Yoda” More information on theme nights and how to purchase tickets is available here. |
• The right wrist injury Lane Thomas initially suffered in the Guardians’ home opener has precipitated his move to the injured list. Read more >> • José Ramírez continues to climb Cleveland’s all-time leaderboards -- and he could set a new franchise record in one category this season. Read more >> • The Guardians made the “difficult decision” to designate Triston McKenzie for assignment on Monday. Read more >> • Emmanuel Clase is “100 percent” the Guardians closer as he works through a slow start to the season. Read more >> |
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