James Karinchak back as Cleveland Guardians bullpen weapon

James Karinchack had been a weapon for the Cleveland Guardians, a crucial part of their bullpen plans and overall success.

However, that had not been the case for approximately a year. He had begun to struggle in 2021, eventually being sent to the minors to finish the season. A strained teres major muscle sidelined him for the start of the 2022 campaign, pushing his major league debut back to July. His first two outings looked like more of the same, as he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in two innings, albeit with three strikeouts.

James Karinchak has found dominant form again with Cleveland Guardians

It turns out that he just needed to find his footing in the majors once again. Karinchak has been utterly dominant since those first two outings, firing 20 scoreless innings as he has allowed just seven hits and ten walks, striking out 37 batters.

The Guardians’ rise to the top of the AL Central coincided with Karinchak’s return to form. They were 40-41 when he fired that first scoreless inning and have been on a 27-17 run since. That has allowed the Guardians to not only overtake the Twins for the division, but to open up a three game lead.

As it is, the Guardians already had a dominant closer in Emmanual Clase. The problem was getting the ball to him in the ninth inning. They needed another shutdown arm to help bridge that gap, a dominant weapon for the seventh and eighth inning as they looked to stifle any hope of a rally.

In short, they needed Karinchak to return to form. They needed him to be that dominant force he had been, giving the bullpen a desperately needed edge. He has been exactly what they needed down the stretch.

James Karinchak is in the midst of a dominant run. It is not a coincidence that the Cleveland Guardians caught fire at the same time.