Bibee's quality start helps bail out Guardians' thin bullpen

MIAMI -- A few hours before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Marlins, manager Stephen Vogt was asked about the state of his team’s bullpen.

“Thin,’’ Vogt said with a nervous grin.

The Guardians, certainly, needed a big start from Tanner Bibee and most definitely got it.

Bibee went 6 2/3 innings, helping Cleveland secure a 4-1 win at loanDepot park.

Miami, which had won six straight before losing the series opener on Friday, scored its lone run once Bibee had left the game, although he was still responsible for it.

“We needed this from Tanner. He stepped up,” Vogt said. “Three times through the order, did his job and then some. Again, on a day where he did not have his best command, his best stuff, he just did not let them score. He was outstanding.”

Cleveland came into this final series before the All-Star break off a road win against the Twins, which had snapped a five-game losing streak.

Going up against Miami’s best pitchers -- Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez -- in the opening two games of this three-game set certainly did not set Cleveland up well for continued success.

Yet on Friday, Parker Messick pitched 5 1/3 innings without giving up a hit, before Bibee stepped up and gave Cleveland another solid outing.

“That’s a really tough lineup,” said Bibee, who was charged with one run on five hits and four walks to go with three strikeouts. “A gritty, contact lineup. Those guys are always hard to face.”

Bibee certainly was the benefactor of some timely hitting from the Guardians -- and some terrific defense as well, including one heads-up play by Steven Kwan.

Miami appeared to take a 1-0 lead in the third after Xavier Edwards singled with two outs, but Kyle Stowers was caught lingering off second on a sharp throw from Kwan to Travis Bazzana before Otto Lopez had crossed home plate.

“The instincts -- [Kwan] knows he is not going to get the guy at the plate,” Vogt said. “He sees Stowers rounding kind of hard, and for Baz to be there, that was the play of the game by far. It stopped all the momentum they had. Unbelievable. He’s a Gold Glove [winner] for a reason. Best left fielder in the game.’’

Kwan said afterward that he did not know if Lopez had crossed the plate and was just trying to get his team out of the inning.

“On those kinds of plays, I am always trying to look for the back pick at second, saw he took a decent turn on the bag,’’ Kwan said. “Thankfully, Baz was there. The second baseman is not always there. I just took a throw at it. Doesn’t always work, but that was one of those times. Perfect storm getting him there.’’

Bibee said we should not be surprised Cleveland’s two products of Oregon State University teamed up for the big play of the game.

“Two Beavers connecting right there,’’ Bibee said with a laugh. “I mean, Kwan has been doing it for a long time. He is one of the smartest people on the baseball field. Obviously, it showed on that play. And for Baz to be there, that’s a really good mental connection, just knowing the game. They both did a really good job there.’’

Cleveland took the lead for good in the fourth after Gabriel Arias and Petey Halpin both singled with one out as Kwan laced a shot into the left-field corner for a two-out double, scoring both for a 2-0 lead.

The Marlins did score in the seventh after Joe Mack doubled with one out, then moved to third on a groundout. Bibee was pulled with two outs, and Miami’s Liam Hicks made it a 2-1 game with a bloop single into left off reliever Shawn Armstrong.

The Guardians padded their lead in the eighth with Patrick Bailey (batting .178 coming into the AB) hitting a two-run double to make it 4-1.

“He shortened up his swing, just trying to put the ball in play,” Vogt said. “Just testament for all of our guys, our young guys, too. Patty stepped up huge and got us much needed insurance runs.”

Now, Cleveland, which secured its first road series win since taking two of three from the Yankees on June 2-3, gets a shot to go into the break on a nice winning streak while handing Miami a rare home sweep. The Marlins, who had won six straight series at home, have not been swept here since Colorado did so on June 2-4, 2025.

“That’s just baseball,” Kwan said. “They were hot coming into it, we had lost a couple in a row. Our pitching and bullpen has been carrying us. Get them a couple of runs, let them work, and good things will happen.”