The Cleveland Guardians are thriving when it matters most.
They knew their series with the Detroit Tigers was a must-win, and they haven’t disappointed so far.
They’ve closed out the gap with the division leaders by taking the first three games of the series, including an extra-inning thriller.
Notably, a lot of that had to do with Jose Ramirez.
Once again, the veteran slugger played a huge role on offense, and he’s one of the hottest hitters in the game right now.
When asked about his strong streak, the Dominican third baseman credited all the hard work he put in the offseason:
“You put in the work in the offseason, knowing the results might not come right away,” said Ramirez, through Rivero. “So you just keep working until they show up. Right now they’re showing up.”
Ramirez has now recorded a base hit in 17 games in a row.
That’s the longest active streak in the big leagues right now.
He’s also reached base safely in 21 consecutive games.
The 32-year-old has slashed .381/.451/.683 with five steals, 14 runs scored, four home runs, and 11 RBI during that span.
He was always expected to have a prominent role on Stephen Vogt’s team, and he’s almost single-handedly keeping the offense alive during a somewhat inconsistent stretch.
Notably, the Guardians have been extremely clutch this season.
They’re 4-0 in extra innings this season, picking up things where they left them after going 10-3 in those situations last season.
They entered the series trailing the Tigers by six full games, and they’re now back in second place and have closed out the gap to three games.
LHP Logan Allen (2-2, 3.86) will look to finish the sweep when he takes the mound against LHP Tarik Skubal (4-2, 2.87) for Sunday’s finale.
NEXT: Guardians Rehabbing Reliever Continues To Dominate In Triple-A
