This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell's Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- Much of the attention has gone to the Guardians’ offense this year, but the spotlight is starting to turn toward the pitching staff.

The bullpen has been excellent, aside from some hiccups over the past three games. After Tuesday's series opener in Houston, the group had the best ERA in the Majors (2.49). Cleveland's relievers took on a hefty workload in the first month, but they were able to keep the offense in contention night after night.

But then, there’s the rotation. Some nights, it looks like the starters of Cleveland’s past. Others, the Guardians are struggling to get their starting pitcher through the fourth or fifth inning. Without Shane Bieber and Gavin Williams, and with little pitching depth behind the current five starters, this is quickly becoming the biggest liability on the club.

Let’s hear what pitching coach Carl Willis has to say about the state of the staff.

Topic: The starting rotation

The skinny: Only five of the Guardians’ 29 games this year have featured a Cleveland starter pitching at least six innings (two of those belong to Bieber).

The quote: “They’re obviously aware, and while we’re trying to address it, we’re not trying to put too much pressure on them. The last thing we want them to do is to press. … At the end of the day, yeah, we miss Shane, we miss Gavin, but our guys that are here can get this job done. They just need to be the best version of themselves and not try to take pressure to, ‘I've got to replace Shane.’ We’re not looking for that.”

Topic: Triston McKenzie

The skinny: The Guardians needed McKenzie to rediscover his 2022 form after missing almost all of last year due to injuries, but it’s taken him some time to get rolling. His velocity has been down a tick and he hasn’t been as unhittable as he has been in the past.

The quote: “I really was encouraged by his last outing. I know we took him out of the game after four innings and 75 pitches, but his fastball, that was the best fastball we’ve seen out of Triston in a long time, just in terms of the profile, the [vertical movement], the ride he was getting. And then he worked the curveball right off it. His slider was good. … It was a very encouraging outing, not only for us but I think in Triston’s mind as well.”

Topic: James Karinchak

The skinny: Karinchak has been out since the start of Spring Training, when he reported to camp with right shoulder fatigue. He’s been with the team for the past few games, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll stay for much longer.

The quote: “We thought it’d be good for James to be back around the club, for us to get a chance to see him, for our training staff. … He’s going with us to Houston for a couple days to just have us see him throw. He looks really good. He’s moving well. His arm’s moving well. Then he’ll go back to Arizona on Tuesday or Wednesday evening to continue his progression.”

Topic: Ben Lively

The skinny: It’s only been three outings since he came off the IL, but Lively has been everything the Guardians could’ve asked for. His velocity isn’t overwhelming, but he’s been able to record outs.

The quote: “He’s not going to beat himself. I do think, from a delivery standpoint, from his approach angle, there’s a lot of deception with the fastball. And one of things he’s done a really good job of since Spring Training is really solidifying the consistency of his slot with all of his pitches. So now all of a sudden that slider is coming right out of the same window of the fastball. … That’s something that, to a certain extent, you can create deception with your delivery, but other areas of it [are] kind of God-given a little bit. I think just his confidence in who he is and what he does, and not trying to do more is really beneficial for him.”

Topic: Scott Barlow’s escape

The skinny: The Guardians couldn’t have defeated the Braves on Saturday without Barlow’s Houdini act in the 10th. He intentionally walked the first batter to put an opponent on first behind the automatic runner at second. A single to left loaded the bases with no outs. But a forceout at the plate, a strikeout and another groundout allowed Barlow to escape unscathed.

The quote: “I don’t know if I can really tell you that,” Willis said with a laugh when asked what was going through his mind during the jam.

“I think that it goes back to that experience. … He knows how to not beat himself and keep the pressure on the guy in the batter’s box. You can’t say enough about what he did [on Saturday]. I mean, that was absolutely phenomenal.”