CLEVELAND — As they prepare for the final month of the regular season and a division title race, the Cleveland Guardians are bringing in reinforcements.
The Guardians have claimed pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore off of waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. All three players come to Cleveland as the Guardians attempt to catch the Minnesota Twins, who currently lead the American League Central Division by five games.
The headliner of Cleveland's trio of newly acquired pitchers is Giolito, who is no stranger to the American League Central Division as the right-hander previously spent the bulk of his career playing for the Chicago White Sox. The 2019 All-Star was traded to the Angels ahead of the MLB trade deadline last month and has tallied a 1-5 record and 6.89 ERA in six starts for Los Angeles. In 27 appearances on the season, Giolito lays claim to a 7-11 record and 4.45 ERA.
Moore and Lopez, meanwhile, are both relief pitchers who will join a Cleveland bullpen that currently ranks fifth in all of baseball with a 3.48 ERA. In 41 appearance this season, the left-handed Moore has tallied a 4-1 record and 2.66 ERA, while the right-handed Lopez has amassed a 3.93 ERA in 56 combined appearances with the Angels and White Sox this season.
With Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie having each missed the majority of the 2023 season due to injuries and Aaron Civale having been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Guardians' rotation has been anchored by a trio of rookies in Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen.