De Los Santos an antidote to early bullpen troubles

CLEVELAND -- The packed house at Progressive Field burst into an eruption of cheers -- a decibel level the ballpark hasn’t heard in some time -- as the Guardians plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Bats were finally clicking (if only for that frame), the defense was playing soundly and Shane Bieber turned in a strong outing, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings. But once Bieber handed the ball to the bullpen, there were moments that could have sent Guardians fans into a panic, hinting that another blown save could be around the corner.

The biggest reason why Cleveland held on to a 4-3 victory over St. Louis on Friday night? Enyel De Los Santos.

The Cardinals had just put runs on the board in the sixth and seventh. Trevor Stephan escaped further damage in the seventh by forcing a bases-loaded popout to end the frame. But when he came back out for the eighth, it was clear he was battling command issues, walking his second batter of the night then allowing Brendan Donovan to reach on a single to left. Leading 4-2 with one out and runners on first and second, the Guardians turned to De Los Santos.

Coming into the season, it was clear that Stephan, James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase would be Cleveland’s high-leverage relievers. The trio earned those roles last year, and there was no reason to believe they couldn’t do so again in 2023. But each has run into his own hurdles this season. Karinchak has two blown saves on the year, Stephan has three and Clase has five. But as they work through their early-season kinks, De Los Santos, who emerged as a steady arm in ‘22, has been the consistent force no matter when the team has turned to him.

“He’s been great,” Bieber said. “He was great last year. He’s been great ever since we got him. He fills up the zone, he’s got great stuff and it seems like you can kind of put him in every situation and he’s not going to let you down.”

The Guardians needed this win. The team had dropped seven of its previous nine games and was desperate to prove that it can still right the ship. Some of the last few losses have included devastating blows late in games, and Friday night could have turned into another one. But De Los Santos needed just two pitches to preserve the Guardians’ two-run lead, as Paul DeJong grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

“It feels really good to have that confidence [from manager Terry Francona],” De Los Santos said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “But I feel that it’s not completely on me, it’s in all our members of the bullpen.”

Even if De Los Santos is right, there’s a reason to have a little extra confidence in him right now. He’s figured out ways to induce weaker contact than he saw last season (his hard-hit rate has dropped from 45.2% last year to 34.1% entering the night) and he ranks in the 75th percentile in expected batting average. His slider is generating more swings and misses, and a fastball that had a .229 average against it in ‘22 has only yielded a .162 opponent average thus far in ‘23.

“He’s going to fill up the zone, challenge hitters, he’s not going to beat himself,” Bieber said. “And in a game that can be this difficult against guys that don’t challenge offensive hitters and lineups, it’s great to have him in any situation, either early in the game or late in the game. He came up big for us tonight and he’ll continue to do that, I’m sure.”

De Los Santos lowered his ERA to an even 2.00 with his clutch two-pitch outing to escape trouble -- a performance that ended up being even more critical when Clase allowed a run in the ninth before securing his 17th save of the season.

“[De Los Santos has] been good and he’s earned [these opportunities],” Francona said. “And that’s the best way for me to put guys in that situation, is when they’ve earned it. And he certainly has.”

The Guardians have been looking for that one elusive game that can spark a win streak. Now, they’re hoping that Friday night was the answer.

“Truth be told, we have to build on it going into tomorrow,” Bieber said. “I’m excited to see how we respond. … We’ve got to jump on somebody and then keep at ‘em.”