Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez have awakened in the Cleveland Guardians lineup

The Cleveland Guardians’ interior duo of Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez have awakened.

We tell you every summer, wait. Be patient for the Cleveland Guardians. Ever since Terry Francona arrived, they don’t truly start to perform until the summer months. And that belief has been once again proven. The Guardians, heading into the end of May were 22-25 and only won five series, and only two of which were back-to-back. Since then they’ve gone 21-19, won six series, tied a seventh, and won back-to-back series twice. They also went back-to-back three times without a loss in a series.

It may not seem like a lot, but those small improvements matter. Especially as the Guardians start to see their top hitters start to show life. Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor struggled earlier but have since turned into All-Star caliber hitters once again. They were hounded by fans early but both have been super effective. Two other names dogged by fans early were Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario.

Gimenez was flat-out struggling, while Rosario was coming up short in big moments for the team. Yet, both men have come alive as of late. Gimenez has seen his average go from .241 in June to .252 in July, a month that’s been very kind to him. So far in July, Gimenez is hitting .381, with two home runs, four RBIs, three walks, three hit-by-pitches, and six stolen bases – all in just six games so far. He has eight hits already, just 13 shy of what he hit in all of June.

While he’s overall been very effective in July, it’s the stolen bases that jumped out. In the first 77 games, Gimenez had just eight stolen bases. In the last six games, he’s got six more for a total of 14. At this rate, he may double his season total of stolen bases in July alone. At the rate he’s going, 16 in a single month isn’t out of the question.

Gimenez isn’t the only one really upping his game, as Rosario has been dynamic for a while now. Rosario ended May hitting just .233, and since then has hit .309 in June and .321 in July. These two most recent months have seen Rosario up his batting average to .263.

Not only that but April, May, and June Rosario hit just five, seven, and nine RBIs per month respectively. In July, he’s already swatted in 11. It’s unlikely he hits 21 RBIs in July alone, but clearly, he’s found his rhythm against pitchers.

The Cleveland Guardians offense is coming alive when it needs to most

Ramirez and Naylor are hitting .289 or higher, with Naylor just shy of .300. Rosario and Gimenez are tearing it up right now. Steven Kwan isn’t hitting as well this year as he did last year but he’s still very effective.

Myles Straw is hitting just shy of .240, which for him, is solid. The only real disappointments are Josh Bell (.222), Gabrial Arias (.187), and Bo Naylor (.149). If the Guardians can somehow improve their DH, and bring in a hitting-catcher, this team would rocket to the front of the AL Central.

Even if it doesn’t, the improved hitting by every major contributor should at least get the Guardians to 90 wins minimum, and the AL Central crown.

• Published on 07/08/2023 at 02:00 AM
• Last updated at 07/08/2023 at 07:51 AM