For nearly 60 games everyone has been waiting for Jose Ramirez to get hot. Wait no longer. The Guardians third baseman hit three home runs in their 10-3 win over the Boston Red Sox Thursday night. These were home runs seven, eight, and nine on the season for Ramirez.
Ramirez is the first Guardians player to hit three home runs in a game since Edwin Encarnacion May 2, 2018. The second home run of the night was the 200th of Ramirez’ career, but it was long ball number 201 that moved him into s ninth place all time on the Guardians home run list, passing Travis Hafner. This was also the 21st mult-home run game from Ramirez, which puts him in a tie for fifth-most all-time in Cleveland history.
Joining in on the home run fun of Ramirez was Will Brennan. Brennan’s fourth long ball of the season was just the latest big hit in what has been quite the impressive run from the Guardians outfielder. An extended stretch of good performances at the plate from one of the non-usual suspects is exactly what this ballclub needed. If Brennan is able to keep it going just a bit longer he may be able to go from supporting cast bat to key cog rather quickly.
Also contributing on the Guardians effort was Andres Gimenez, Myles Straw, and Josh Bell. Gimenez had a two-run double, Straw a RBI triple, and Bell a double. Josh Naylor’s 2-3 with a run scored effort is also worth mentioning as he continues to be a solid force in the Guardians lineup. These Guardians bats are coming to life and at just the right time too. June is a pivotal month in the schedule and there are few things they are on their way towards accomplishing that can change the perception of this team from a national perspective.
What matters most right now is that this is a series winning win and it pulls the Guardians within 1.5 games of the division leading Twins. The Guardians have won three of their last four series, the one non-win being a four-game split with Minnesota. Next up is a three game set against the Astros could have a significant impact on the landscape of the American League Central.