The Cleveland Guardians earned a convincing, come-from-behind 8-6 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday to take the series in the nation’s capital.
The team has won seven of its last nine games and is fiercely chasing the Detroit Tigers for the top spot in the AL Central standings.
Jose Ramirez hasn’t had the best of seasons, but several Guardians players have taken a step forward and provided more production than anticipated to help make up for J-Ram’s modest campaign.
Carlos Santana is heating up, Kyle Manzardo is enjoying a power breakout, and Bo Naylor is also beginning to figure things out at the plate.
Let’s not forget about a player who is finally enjoying the good times after years of struggles: versatile infielder Gabriel Arias.
Arias, 25, had a huge game on Wednesday to help Cleveland hold off the Nationals, with four hits in five trips to the plate.
Gabby was swinging the hot stick today in DC. 🔥#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/i0tvhI1ZDV
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 7, 2025
One of them was a double, his seventh of the season, and he scored a run to reach 19 on the season.
He was already sporting a rock-solid 113 wRC+ before taking the field, but with his impressive effort against Washington, the number increased all the way to 126.
It means he has been 26 percent better than the league-average hitter.
Considering his career mark was 81 entering Wednesday, Arias must be very pleased with his progress this year.
He is now hitting a robust .287/.339/.452 in 2025, not bad at all for someone capable of playing all over the infield.
Arias has given manager Stephen Vogt plenty of choices in putting together the lineup each day.
As long as he keeps hitting, his name will keep appearing in the batting order.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Sends Clear Message After Impressive Comeback Win
