Three Positives From the Week of May 12th

A red-hot 6-1 week was full of good news for the Guardians.

Things are looking up for the red-hot Guardians and there’s much to be positive about this week. Here are the three highlights from the team’s 6-1 run since last Sunday.

José the Hero on Bobblehead Night

Friday night was a big night for the Cleveland Guardians. It was the debut of their City Connect jerseys, José Ramírez bobblehead night, and an evening full of promotions for fans. Regardless of whether or not you like the new jerseys, the excitement surrounding the team leading up to this on-field debut was electric. Ramírez knew this better than anyone, and he did his part to live up to the hype.

During Friday night’s contest against the division-rival Minnesota Twins, Ramírez was crowned the team’s hero after he broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run. After knocking that home run pitch out of Progressive Field, the team was able to close out a 3-2 victory behind closer Emmanuel Clase and his 0.40 ERA.

Fourth to 30

After Sunday’s victory against the Twins - part of a three game sweep - the Guardians are now 30-17. Just the fourth team to reach 30 wins this season, it’s clear to see that the team’s hot start was no fluke. They are now 1.5 games ahead of the second-place Kansas City Royals and opened up a commanding 5.5 game lead on the third-place Twins after the sweep. Even with many key players out for injury, the team is still doing what they need to do and getting the job done.

It looks to be a promising week ahead as Cleveland faces off against the 21-25 New York Mets for a three-game set beginning tonight and the second-worst-in-the-AL Los Angeles Angels in the latter half of the week. Last week’s series against the White Sox made it clear that there are no guaranteed wins, but the team can play a bit more relaxed coming off a sweep of one of their biggest contenders.

Good News for IL

While the team has had to fight through losing many key guys to the IL in recent weeks, it looks like there’s some good news headed their way on that front. According to Mandy Bell, team president Chris Antonetti stated Sunday that Steven Kwan can begin his rehab assignment in the next week. One of the best hitters in baseball prior to his injury, his return will be key to the team’s success heading into the summer.

Reliever Eli Morgan has also made progress after losing time to shoulder inflammation. In four games with Triple-A Columbus, he has thrown eight strikeouts while giving up three earned runs in 5.1 innings. There’s not been any word on when he will return, but he will be a welcome addition when the time comes. Mandy Bell also tweeted Sunday that prospect Chase DeLauter is making progress and is back to on-field activity. There’s been no announcement of his return, but this is certainly the first step in doing so.