The Cleveland Guardians have gotten hot just before the All-Star break and will look to head into the hiatus on a four-game winning streak if they can finish off the sweep of the Miami Marlins on Sunday. Cleveland took the Marlins down 4-1 on Saturday to reach the 50-win mark and keep pace with the Chicago White Sox atop the AL Central and is slated to be in a much better position compared to where it was at last year’s break.
The past month has been up and down largely due to all the injuries to the offense, but reinforcements have been filtering in, particularly in the form of Chase DeLauter who has been raking in the weeks since he came back. Others need to hold things down until Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez get back as well, but one unlikely source has been quietly producing of late.
Guardians Prospective pointed out that catcher Patrick Bailey has been on one of the best stretches of his career lately. After his two-run double on Saturday, Bailey is now hitting .278 over his last 19 games with six RBIs, raising his average to more respectable but still paltry .183.
“Cleveland #Guardians switch-hitting (C) Patrick Bailey came through with a big 2-run opposite field double today in the team’s 4-to-1 win over Miami. Last 19 games: 15-54 8R 3(2B) 1HR 6RBI 4BB AVG .278 OBP .328,” Guardians Prospective posted.
Cleveland #Guardians switch-hitting (C) Patrick Bailey came through with a big 2-run opposite field double today in the team's 4-to-1 win over Miami.
Last 19 games:
15-54 8R 3(2B) 1HR 6RBI 4BB
AVG .278
OBP .328#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/PZNVo0ypxS— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 12, 2026
Cleveland didn’t trade for Bailey expecting him to start raking, but his offense had cratered to unforeseen levels prior to joining the team. He was hitting just .146 with the San Francisco Giants before the trade, but since joining the Guardians he has hit .215, which is more aligned with his career numbers. With the kind of defense he provides, hitting .220 is more than enough for him to be a highly valuable player, but .146 wasn’t going to cut it.
Bo Naylor’s struggles necessitated the move for Bailey early in the season, and his improvement at the plate and work with the pitching staff has been a revelation. He is a steadying force on this roster and at just 27 years old, Cleveland will be lucky to have him for quite some time.
This team has valued defense over offense from its catchers for years now, and there are few, if any who do it better than Bailey. If this newfound hot streak is for real, maybe he can hit his way out of those labels and establish himself as a true cornerstone and one of the best catchers in baseball.
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