The Cleveland Guardians are officially one of the hottest teams in baseball. After coming from five runs behind and beating the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, they have won six straight games and seven of their last eight to take their record over .500 for the first time in weeks, at 67-66.
Jose Ramirez was, of course, the most valuable player on Tuesday. The surging superstar has gone through a lot in what has proven to be a difficult season for him, but he seems to be trending in the right direction and proved it last night.
The third baseman went 3-for-6 with three doubles and five RBI. He was the driving force behind the Guardians’ run-production efforts on Tuesday and, for a night at least, gave us a glimpse of the player he can be when he’s fully in form.
While Ramirez didn’t hide the fact that he isn’t 100 percent healthy after undergoing hamate bone surgery on his left hand in June, he said he has to go out there and help.
“I’m just trying to compete,” said Ramirez, per Cleveland.com. “I’m not 100 percent, but that’s not an excuse. I’ve got to go out there and help the team any way I can.”
Hamate bone fractures often result in the loss of power, and Ramirez certainly experienced one. He has been stuck on 10 home runs since early June, before the surgery, and hasn’t gone yard since returning on July 22.
Lately, however, he is finding ways to produce and help the Guardians despite his mediocre 101 wRC+ for the season. Since August 15, he is hitting .316 with a 112 wRC+: the sample is tiny, but he appears to be coming around.
The three doubles he hit on Tuesday night tell us that the power stroke is slowly coming back. Evidently, he is not yet back to his best, but he seems to be taking a step forward in recent games, and that’s excellent news for a Guardians team that badly needs vintage J-Ram.
Ramirez getting truly hot would catapult Cleveland to the postseason and, with the talent around him, who knows how far they can go. For now, everybody is taking a cautious but optimistic approach with the superstar and his rhythm and timing at the plate.
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