Foster Griffin has been hit or miss as a starter for the Guardians, but, tonight, he has a chance to be a hero.
The Guardians will play the Orioles tonight, the Twins, the White Sox, the Athletics, the Red Sox and the Royals to conclude the season. Tonight is their last chance to impact a team in (somewhat) competition with them for the third wildcard and a chance to steal a road series while the White Sox play a spunky Pirates’ team. Getting this series would be crucial to giving the Guardians a boost
going into the final leg of their road trip.
Griffin’s best pitch this year is his cutter. The Orioles are ranked 27th against cutters this season (don’t look at who is ranked 28th). Of course, the competing issue in this realm is that the Orioles are tenth against LHP this season with a 102 wRC+. Coby Mayo has a 212 wRC+ and Christian Encarnacion-Strand has a 196 wRC+ vs. LHP this season, and, of course, Pete Alonso is one of the best right-handed sluggers in the game; he has only a 117 wRC+ vs. southpaws this season but this include nine homers. Griffin is going to need to navigate these three hitters effectively to survive five-six innings and give the bullpen (which had to pitch four and a third innings yesterday) a chance to do their part. Though the Orioles, as a whole, hit sinkers well, Alonso, Mayo and Encarnacion-Strand have struggled vs. sinkers and cutters this year, all below average. If Griffin can locate those two offerings well, he will give himself a chance to neutralize these three biggest threats to his ability to deliver a good performance.
With that said, a word to Stephen Vogt – if Griffin can get through four innings with the lead, don’t be afraid to have a quick hook ready for him if he runs into trouble in the fifth. Griffin has been a LOT worse in the fifth and suffers a good bit with the third-time-through-the-order-penalty (5.47 ERA compared to 2.77 ERA in innings 1-4). Tim Herrin and Craig Yoho both threw 17 pitches yesterday so should be available if needed for a limited appearance, and Cade Smith should be fine with the off-day approaching tomorrow. Hunter Gaddis threw over 20 pitches, so it’s likely Erik Sabrowski should be seen as the eighth inning guy. With the expanded roster, giving Daniel Espino, Franco Aleman or even Matt Festa a clean inning in the fifth and then bridging the next two innings with whoever is not chosen for that task and having Yoho and Herrin available to finish off a handedness-based matchup in the sixth or seventh should be feasible if the team even makes a predetermination to remove Griffin in the fifth with a lead or tie.
Griffin reportedly turned down an extension offer from the Nationals to see if he can land a bigger payday in free agency. Good for him, it’s likely his only shot for a payday. This kind of game tonight – in a tight playoff hunt against a solid offensive foe – is a chance for him to demonstrate to all prospective teams in the offseason that he’s a reliable option who deserves to get a multi-year, lucrative deal. Last start, Griffin was demonstrative toward Angel Genao after a groundball got through the infield. Tonight, he needs to worry about his own darn self. This is your chance to show why Cleveland acquired you and why you should be considered one of the top free agent starting pitchers in November. The ball’s in your glove.
