The Cleveland Guardians strolled into Dodger Stadium at the beginning of the week with a tall task: take on the two-time defending World Series champions who have assembled one of the best lineups the sport has ever seen. 

The Guardians made a statement to the rest of MLB, taking two of three games from the Dodgers. 

Cleveland came up with several timely hits to score enough runs to win the series, but it was really the pitching staff that proclaimed to the rest of baseball that it should still be considered one of the top groups in the sport.

No one would have blamed rookie Parker Messick if he struggled against the Dodgers. The 24-year-old is still considered a prospect after all. 

However, Messick excelled in his season debut against a lineup that was in the Fall Classic, and became one of eight rookies in big-league history to throw 6.0-or-more shutout innings, issue zero walks, and strikeout five or more batters against the Dodgers.

Tanner Bibee may not have gone as deep as Messick in his outing against Los Angeles the next day, but he still managed to limit any major damage before handing the ball over to the bullpen. 

Bibee gave up just one earned run on four hits in four innings pitched and averaged one punchout per inning. He also did this coming off a start in which he had to exit early due to shoulder inflammation. 

Gavin Williams wrapped up the series with one of the best outings of his career. He threw 7.0 scoreless innings and became the third pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 or more Dodgers in a start. Williams simply dominated the Dodgers with 16 swings and misses throughout the night.

Without the effort of Cleveland’s starters, the Guardians wouldn’t have won this series.

Cleveland’s bullpen picked up right where the team’s starters left off against the Dodgers. In the 9.00 innings they were tasked with covering, the pitchers gave up six earned runs.

Two performances especially stuck out in Cleveland’s series win in Los Angeles: Kolby Allard and Erik Sabrowski.

Allard was added to the big-league roster on Monday ahead of the opener. He pitched one game against the Dodgers, in the middle game, in relief for Bibee. He covered 2.2 innings for the Guardians, allowing one earned run on two hits and striking out five.

As for Sabrowski, the left-hander is showing that he could be the team’s next elite setup man, and his outing against the Dodgers was no exception. Sabrowksi bridged the gap from Williams’ strong start to Cade Smith in the ninth, throwing 1.1 perfect innings of relief after Shawn Armstrong.

Cleveland’s pitching staff may not have the star-studded names it’s had in the past, but it’s certainly one of the most dangerous groups in MLB, and they proved it against the Dodgers. 

Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.