Cleveland Guardians at Miami Marlins

A few hours before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Marlins, manager Stephen Vogt was asked about the state of his team’s bullpen. “Thin,’’ Vogt said with a nervous grin. The Guardians, certainly, needed a big start from Tanner Bibee and most definitely got it. Bibee went 6 2/3 innings, helping Cleveland secure a 4-1 win at loanDepot park. Miami, which had won six straight before losing the series opener on Friday, scored its lone run once Bibee had left the game, although he was still responsible for it. “We needed this from Tanner. He stepped up,” Vogt said. “Three times through the order, did his job and then some. Again, on a day where he did not have his best command, his best stuff, he just did not let them score. He was outstanding.” Cleveland came into this final series before the All-Star break off a road win against the Twins, which had snapped a five-game losing streak. Going up against Miami’s best pitchers -- Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez -- in the opening two games of this three-game set certainly did not set Cleveland up well for continued success. Yet on Friday, Parker Messick pitched 5 1/3 innings without giving up a hit, before Bibee stepped up and gave Cleveland another solid outing. “That’s a really tough lineup,” said Bibee, who was charged with one run on five hits and four walks to go with three strikeouts. “A gritty, contact lineup. Those guys are always hard to face.” Bibee certainly was the benefactor of some timely hitting from the Guardians -- and some terrific defense as well, including one heads-up play by Steven Kwan. Miami appeared to take a 1-0 lead in the third after Xavier Edwards singled with two outs, but Kyle Stowers was caught lingering off second on a sharp throw from Kwan to Travis Bazzana before Otto Lopez had crossed home plate.