The Cleveland Guardians will turn to Daniel Espino as an opener in their series finale against the Boston Red Sox.
The Cleveland Guardians' pitching plan remains fluid as the team nears a postseason berth, but it still has a handful of regular-season games to play.
All of this includes Thursday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox.
All year long, this spot has gone to Joey Cantillo. However, last season's struggles forced Cleveland to try a new rotation strategy: an opener.
That’s exactly the play Cleveland will go with ahead of its must-win game against the Red Sox.
Manager Stephen Vogt said after Wednesday’s loss that the Guardians will use rookie pitcher Daniel Espino as the game’s opener, with Cantillo prepared to come in to, hopefully, cover the bulk of the innings.
Sep 14, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Daniel Espino (41) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesThis opener strategy isn’t new for Cleveland, but it still needs more data. The return has produced both good and bad results.
Espino technically made his first career start against the Minnesota Twins on September 12.
The Guardians were only planning on him pitching one inning, but the first went so well that Espino went back out for the second. The right-hander only gave up one hit with two strikeouts during that outing.
Espino’s second outing this month wasn’t as encouraging. He threw one inning against the Athletics, but walked three hitters and allowed three earned runs on one three-run home run.
Despite the second outing not going as planned, Cleveland still has a lot of faith in what Espino can provide in a limited role against the top of a lineup. It also helps that the 25-year-old has been a starter for most of his career and knows what it takes to prepare to pitch in the first inning.
On the other side is Cantillo and his recent success coming in behind Espino.
This will be the southpaw’s third game as the bulk pitcher in a game for Cleveland. In his previous two outings, Cantillo has pitched a total of 10 innings, given up zero earned runs, allowed just two hits, and struck out 13 hitters.
Vogt said after Cantillo’s recent outing against the Athletics that Cantillo has been much better at attacking the zone over these last two starts.
Whether that’s because he’s coming out of the bullpen or another mechanical pitch is still uncertain, but the Guardians shouldn’t change something that’s clearly been working for him.
If Espino can be more like the pitcher he was in his first opening experience, and Cantillo can continue to cruise coming out of the bullpen, the Guardians should be in a good position from a pitching standpoint to win Thursday’s game and the series.
If the Guardians can top the Red Sox, they’ll officially punch their ticket to the playoffs.
