Cleveland Guardians Rookie Pitcher Impresses Again

Joey Cantillo gives the Cleveland Guardians another solid start, days after he took a perfect game into the seventh inning.

Sep 14, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo (54) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

With about two weeks left in the regular season, the Cleveland Guardians are still facing uncertainty with their starting rotation. Injuries have forced the team to look deeper into the organization for starting pitching, and one of those options has been Joey Cantillo.

Cantillo entered Cleveland's rotation early last week as Alex Cobb went to the injured list with a blister on his finger. The rookie pitcher has been downright impressive in his latest stint with the Guardians.

Cantillo started for the Guardians on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He pitched 5.0 innings, gave up just three hits, allowed no runs, issued three walks, and struck out six batters. His changeup was especially impressive, tallying seven swings and misses.

The 24-year-old is truly starting to find his groove with the major league team. This latest start comes just a few days after Cantillo took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox and struck out a career-high ten batters.

Aug 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo (54) walks off the mound after being relieved during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cantillo did have a tough start to his major league career. His first five starts came against current playoff teams and some of the best lineups in baseball. It was almost expected that Cantillo would struggle against these opponents.

However, the rookie is starting to have more confidence in himself and his pitches, which has been key to these last two starts. A lot of that has to do with who is calling the pitches behind the plate.

"We talked about confidence, that's important, and I think throwing to all of those guys, but especially [Austin Hedges]. Just have the ultimate trust in him."

This relationship between a catcher and a pitcher can't be understated. A pitcher such as Cantillo, who throws a lot of off-speed and breaking pitches, needs to know if whoever is behind the backstop can catch and frame the pitches and when the best time to call them is.

Saturday, it was Hedges, and earlier in the week, it was Bo Naylor. Cantillo may only get better as he continues to build trust with his backstops.