Cleveland Guardians Lean on Elite Bullpen Arms to Beat Cincinnati on Saturday

The Cleveland Guardians showcased one of baseball's best reliever combinations on Saturday night, with each locking down late innings to help push the team to a 7-4 win.

May 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) follows through on pitch in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians may have just shown Major League Baseball it's best bullpen combination.

On Saturday, May 16, with the game in the hands of the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2, Cleveland turned away from starting pitcher Joey Cantillo and handed the ball over to the bullpen. From there, the coaching staff relied on its late-game arms to keep the game under control.

While the offense broke things open with runs to pull away from the Reds in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, Cleveland’s relievers slammed the door shut in the process.

Following Cantillo’s exit after the fifth inning, Colin Holderman got the call in the sixth and wound up covering 1.2 innings of work.

"Colin, since he's come back, we talk about after every outing, how good he's been," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "And it's electric stuff. It's electric stuff. When he's pounding the strike zone like he was today, it's tough to square up, and I mean, that's one and two-thirds on 13 pitches...That's not easy to do. And so a phenomenal job by Colin."

Holderman allowed just one hit and struck out one batter, throwing just 13 pitches along the way. That type of effectiveness in just a short amount of tosses is impressive, with him continuing to display that he can be trusted in high-leverage situations since his return to the big leagues a few weeks back.

After Holderman, for 0.1 innings, Erik Sabrowski pitched for the Guardians.

He struck out one batter on just five pitches before exiting the contest and not returning. At first glance, it seemed like a head-scratching decision to use Sabrowski for such a short burst, but it showed the Guardians were willing to do whatever it took to keep the game under control.

In the eighth inning, Hunter Gaddis went out and pitched another strong showing.

He struck out none, but got Sal Stewart to ground out, Spencer Steer to fly out and JJ Bleday to pop out. Following a few tough showings since his return from the injured list to begin the year, Gaddis has slowly but surely started to look like his former self.

With the Guardians ahead, 7-4, following an insurance run found in the bottom of the eighth, it was a straightforward finish for closer Cade Smith: just get the job done.

And as he has done many times this season, he recorded a save.

"I mean, Cade's been one of the best relievers in the game for the last two-plus years," Vogt said. "Just getting back to being himself, it's been fun. I mean, his stuff's there. The command is there. We feel really good when we bring Cade into the game."

Smith started the ninth by striking out Matt McLain in four pitches, before sending Will Benson down in six. He did hit a bump in the road, walking Tyler Stephenson, but responded a batter later by throwing a heater down the heart of the zone that Nathaniel Lowe lined out on.

After giving up four runs in the first five innings, Cleveland's arms allowed nothing but one hit and one walk over the last four.

It's hard to imagine many of the other teams in the league would be excited to face this combination of relievers, especially when they are on their A-games. Each of them brings a different arsenal to the mound, with a mix of speed and movement that can send down some of the league's best bats.

If this squad can find a way to enter October, this will certainly be a combination Cleveland flexes in big moments.