The Cleveland Guardians are two weeks into a slump that shows no signs of ending, dropping nine of their past 14 games.
The face of their franchise, however, is red hot.
Jose Ramirez extended his on-base streak to 35 games on Monday in a 7-4 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Reds, giving him hits in 30 of 31 contests and a major-league-high 48 total hits since May 6.
The six-time All-Star third baseman will seek to extend that career-best run Tuesday against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-1, 2.18 ERA). The Guardians will counter with right-hander Slade Cecconi (1-2, 4.87).
“This kid (Ramirez) made himself into one of the best players in the game,” Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said. “It’s not just his numbers. They’re spectacular, but it’s the way he plays. And he’s always done that.”
Francona was essentially a surrogate father for Ramirez as the only manager he played for in his first 11 seasons in Cleveland. Francona piloted the Cleveland franchise until 2023 and is the club leader with 921 victories and 1,678 games managed.
Affectionately known as “Tito,” Francona intentionally stayed out of the way of successor Stephen Vogt last year while working as a senior adviser for the Guardians but kept in touch with Ramirez through texts sent through team interpreter Agustin Rivero.
“When I come over here, he’s the first guy everybody asks about because of the way he plays the game,” Francona said. “Some guys maybe slow down a little bit as they accrue veteran-ship.
“Hosey, I think, understands that as the game slows down for you, you don’t have to slow down. It’s really respectful. Then when you take the talent on top of it, it makes him who he is.”
Ramirez is batting .392 with seven homers, 17 RBIs and 14 stolen bases during his on-base streak, which is Cleveland’s longest since Jason Kipnis’ 36-gamer in 2013. His season average has risen to .333, ranking fourth in the big leagues.
The only down note on Ramirez’s performance in the opener of the three-game series on Monday was a throwing error. Second baseman Angel Martinez and catcher Bo Naylor also flung the ball wildly for errors.
“We have a lot of guys trying to do too much right now,” Vogt said. “That’s not our game. Just back off and play baseball.”
Jake Fraley had three hits while TJ Friedl, Gavin Lux, Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson added two apiece for the Reds, who have won four straight. Fraley and Friedl homered.
Abbott has blossomed in his third season with Cincinnati, and he posted a 0.55 ERA in May. His 2.18 overall ERA would sit third in the National League, but he is 13 1/3 innings shy of qualifying for the leaderboard.
“It’s just little things that I didn’t have in the first few starts of the year,” Abbott said. “Hopefully, you can continue to improve on that and the results will follow.”
Abbott beat the Guardians on May 18 when he threw five scoreless innings, fanning five and walking three. He is 2-1 with a 3.65 ERA in three career starts against Cleveland.
Cecconi is 0-2 with a 4.57 ERA in four appearances against the Reds, all starts. He took a loss at Cincinnati on May 17, when he yielded three runs on five hits in five-plus innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk, and he served up a homer to Benson.
–Field Level Media
