CLEVELAND -- Tanner Bibee let out a primal yell and pumped his fists. The Guardians’ starter leaped off the mound and practically glided back to Cleveland’s dugout, to the tune of a roaring Progressive Field crowd serenading him in celebration.
Bibee’s strikeout of Wenceel Pérez in the sixth inning on Wednesday put a ribbon on his strong start against the Tigers. It was the latest impressive outing by Cleveland pitching this month -- a stretch that has fueled the Guardians’ surge and put them on the doorstep of earning a postseason berth.
In the Guardians’ 5-1 win over the Tigers, Bibee allowed one run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings. It marked the 19th straight game in which Cleveland’s starting pitcher allowed two runs or fewer -- the longest such streak by any team since the 2019 Rays.
On Thursday, the Guardians could tie the MLB record (since 1893, when the mound was moved to its current distance) that is held by the 1917 White Sox.
Cleveland, meanwhile, also can clinch a postseason berth as soon as Thursday, with a win over Detroit and a loss by the Astros against the A’s.
“We’re out here to win games, each and every day,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of the rotation dominance. “Those guys compete with each other, and that’s the truth. When they take the mound, they want to give us a chance to win. And, man, have they stepped up the last few weeks.”
No kidding. The Guardians (86-72) were 11 games behind the Tigers (85-73) in the American League Central division entering Sept. 5. Cleveland has won 17 of its past 19 games, dating to a 7-1 win over Tampa Bay on Sept. 5, to take a one-game lead over Detroit -- which has lost eight straight games.
It is tied for the Guardians’ largest division lead this season; they also were one game up on March 30, when they were 2-1. The last time the Tigers were in second place was the morning of April 23, when they were 14-10.
During this 19-game surge, the Guardians’ rotation has recorded a 1.35 ERA over 120 innings, both of which lead MLB. A six-man staff of Bibee, Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo has paved the way to bring Cleveland back from the brink.
The Guardians pivoted to a six-man rotation in September in part to combat potential fatigue during their stretch of 24 games in 24 days, which ended with Monday’s off-day. It worked out tremendously. Take a look at how each of those guys has performed over the past 19 games:
Bibee: Four starts, 1.30 ERA, 27 2/3 innings
Williams: Four starts, 1.88 ERA, 24 innings
Cecconi: Three starts, 0.87 ERA, 20 2/3 innings
Allen: Two starts, 0.69 ERA, 13 innings
Messick: Three starts, 2.08 ERA, 17 1/3 innings
Cantillo: Three starts, 1.04 ERA, 17 1/3 innings
Messick (who has a 2.08 ERA through his first six career big league starts) will take the ball on Thursday.
“I feel like whenever I go out there every five, six, seven days -- whatever it is -- I’m going to leave it all out there,” Bibee said. “Tonight, I didn’t really have my best stuff the first couple innings and threw a lot of pitches, and then the last two innings I kind of figured it out.
“... We always talk about getting six, all that kind of stuff. Just a good battle day, I'd say.”
Bibee’s emergence has been a huge development for not just the rotation this month, but the Guardians as a whole. The right-hander was an anchor for the staff last season, which earned him a contract extension this March. He has had an up and down season, with moments of excellence mixed in with some struggles.
Vogt noted he felt Bibee’s command “fell apart” in the third and the fourth on Wednesday. He threw 26 pitches in the former and allowed three singles and a sac fly. He threw 25 pitches in the latter, when he issued a leadoff single and one walk.
He allowed just one base hit the rest of the game.
“That's what big-time pitchers do when they don't have their best stuff or their best command,” Vogt said. “They find ways to get wins, and they find ways to give their team a chance to win. And Tanner did exactly that by giving us six great innings despite not feeling at his best.”