Guardians bring every arm to White Sox ALDS Game 5

The Game 5 plan got scrambled late Thursday in Chicago. Williams was only supposed to be throwing his normal between-starts bullpen session while Cade Smith closed out Game 4.

Zack Meisel

@ZackMeisel

And now that side work is turning into a ninth-inning appearance because Cade Smith's pitch count was over 30 and the White Sox are threatening.

Zack Meisel@ZackMeisel

Gavin Williams is throwing his normal between-start bullpen session right now as Cade Smith handles the 9th inning. Williams was available in relief tonight, but if he didn't get in the game, the plan was for him to throw his side session so he's ready to start Game 5 Saturday.

Smith had already gone 2 innings to close out the game before, and this time he gave up a solo shot and a walk to start the ninth. So Cleveland sent its Game 5 starter out for the first relief appearance of his pro career, and he got the last 3 outs of a 9-5 win. A team that was down 0-2 in the series was suddenly going home for a winner-take-all game.

Talkin' Baseball

@TalkinBaseball_

Gavin Williams is making his first career relief appearance

Friday morning everyone started adding up the cost. Williams threw 18 pitches. Smith threw 31 and has pitched in every game of the series. Foster Griffin threw 53 back in Game 3. When your bullpen looks like that going into an elimination game, the pitch counts are the story.

Jon Morosi

@jonmorosi

For the Guardians: Foster Griffin threw 53 pitches in Game 3. Gavin Williams threw 18 pitches in Game 4. Cade Smith has thrown in *every game* of the ALDS, including 31 pitches in Game 4. Their pitch counts for Game 5 will be a major factor in the result. @MLBNetwork

Not everybody liked how Stephen Vogt got there. On Foul Territory, AJ Pierzynski wanted to know why the Guardians' closer was even warming up in the eighth with a big lead, the night after he'd already thrown 2 innings.

Foul Territory

@FoulTerritoryTV

"You have a five-run lead going into the ninth. Why is your closer up in the eighth after he pitched two innings the game before?" @AJPierzynski12 questions a few of Stephen Vogt's decisions in Game 4...

Fair question, but Cleveland didn't flinch. By Friday afternoon Williams was named the Game 5 starter anyway, side session turned save and all. Vogt's explanation was simple: "Gavin wants the ball. We want him to have the ball, and it's his game." He's earned it, too. He went 14-8 this year and led the AL with 248 strikeouts. Chicago countered with Sean Burke, who held Cleveland to 1 run over 5 1/3 innings in the White Sox's Game 2 win.

Talkin' Baseball

@TalkinBaseball_

Sean Burke vs. Gavin Williams will be the Game 5 pitching matchup

That brings us to Saturday at Progressive Field. Cleveland's lineup came out a few hours before first pitch, with Steven Kwan leading off, José Ramírez hitting second and Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell right behind them.

Zack Meisel

@ZackMeisel

Guardians lineup, ALDS Game 5 1. LF Steven Kwan 2. 3B José Ramírez 3. RF Chase DeLauter 4. DH Jo Adell 5. 1B Nathaniel Lowe 6. 2B Travis Bazzana 7. C Patrick Bailey 8. CF Petey Halpin 9. SS Brayan Rocchio SP Gavin Williams

Then came the bullpen news. Every Guardians pitcher is available tonight, and that includes Parker Messick, a starter who could soak up innings if Williams' arm feels that 18-pitch save. This is the all-hands version of an elimination game.

First pitch is 8 p.m. ET, and the winner goes to Tampa Bay for ALCS Game 1 on Monday. Keep an eye on Williams' pitch count early. If he's laboring by the fourth, you'll see Messick getting loose, and every move Vogt makes after that gets picked apart like Game 4 did.