CLEVELAND, Ohio — When José Ramírez steps to the plate these days, everything stops. The crowd rises. Phones come out to capture the moment. The opposing pitcher takes a deep breath. Baseball is witnessing something special, and the Guardians’ third baseman is delivering a performance for the ages.
Since April 30th, Ramírez has been on an absolutely torrid pace, reaching base in 34 consecutive games. During this stretch, he’s batting an eye-popping .394 with 18 extra-base hits, including 10 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. He’s added 17 RBIs, 14 walks, and 13 stolen bases for good measure. After having his 21-game hitting streak snapped, he has gone on to hit in eight straight. The six-time All-Star has hit safely in 29 of his last 30 games.
“Yeah, he is so fun to watch right now,” Paul Hoynes gushed on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “It looks like he’s become like a cricket player. I mean you can’t throw the ball low enough because José is going to golf it somewhere.”
What makes this run so impressive isn’t just the numbers, but the way Ramírez is adapting to whatever pitchers throw at him. His swing has become a marvel of versatility, allowing him to handle any pitch in any location.
“His swing is adaptable, he’s hitting for power, he’s stealing bases,” Hoynes continued. “We’ve seen him in so many good stretches, but I can’t remember something like this before.”
The sustained excellence has Hoynes drawing parallels to one of baseball’s most hallowed records. “In 1941, DiMaggio, Joe DiMaggio had a 56-game hitting streak … and then he came back and hit in 16 more after that. It just kind of reminds me of the same pattern,” Hoynes noted, referring to how Ramírez has immediately started a new streak after his previous one ended.
The impact goes beyond the stat sheet. Ramírez has reached that rarefied air where fans expect something spectacular every time he comes to bat. His presence in the box creates a palpable shift in energy throughout the ballpark.
Joe Noga captured this phenomenon perfectly: “Every time he steps to the plate, everybody stops. Everybody watches because you’re expecting him to do something now in every plate appearance. It’s pretty impressive.”
Even opponents recognize his dominance. In Saturday’s game against Houston, the Astros walked Ramírez in his first two plate appearances before he collected a single and then blasted a game-tying home run. That’s the kind of respect reserved only for the game’s most feared hitters.
The only downside to Ramírez’s heroics is that the Guardians aren’t surrounding him with enough offensive support. He ranks eighth in MLB in weighted runs created plus (wRC+) according to Fangraphs.com at 163, but no other Cleveland player is even in the top 50. Opposing teams know this and aren’t afraid to pitch around him in critical situations.
To truly appreciate what we are witnessing, tune in to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast where Noga and Hoynes break down Ramírez’s historic streak in greater detail and discuss whether anyone in baseball is playing at a higher level right now. This is baseball artistry at its finest, and you won’t want to miss a moment of it.
Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga 0:04Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynesy. The Guardians escape with the one win in the series finale against Houston. They beat the Astros four to two on Sunday. Tanner Bybee. Really an outstanding performance right up until the.7th inning sort of mirrored the the previous start in New York. He went in or went out there for the 7th inning, gave up a couple of base runners, didn’t get the call on a third strike to Cam Smith and the very next pitch was sent into the gap for a.Double gave up two runs, kept him from getting a win in a game that he really deserved one. He looked really strong in the early going, but the Guardians come back, score two runs in the bottom of the 7th with a little bit of guards ball magic. Take the game four to two as Emmanuel Classe gets his 14th save. Just would you?Like about the way they they bounce back after what could have been a very frustrating time for Tanner Bybee there in the top of the 7th.
Paul Hoynes 1:14Yeah, good start by Bybe. Obviously 6 opens with six scoreless and like you said, Joe, he runs into trouble again in the 7th. Did not like thought he had Smith struck out. The plate umpire Paul Clemens disagreed.And when Smith follows with the double, they they kind of exchanged some words coming off the mound. It looked like Clemens and and Bobby. That’s unusual for Bobby. I think we haven’t seen that in a while. So you know, it just showed you he was frustrated. But you’re right, they come back.In the game and that was they needed that win Joe. I mean they they’ve been struggling offensively. So to come out and beat a beat a really a hot ball club like the the Astros that has to prepare them for.Cincinnati coming to town for this three-game series.
Joe Noga 2:12Yeah, and Brandon Walter, the the lefty making his second start for the Astros. He was actually pretty good except for, you know, a couple of pitches there in the in the in the the second inning he he gave up the two run homer.To Bo Nailer after Gabriel Arius had gotten on base. Just it’s not just the the frontline starters now that are taking the the Guardians deep into games and and holding them.Scoreless for long stretches, this team is struggling to beat good starting pitching.
Paul Hoynes 2:49Yeah, and and I think Walter was a left-hander and left left-handers. You know, Joe, like they corrected the problem last year against left-handed starters, but this year it seems to have returned going into that start. Sunday start, there were three and 11 in games started by lefties.
Joe Noga 2:57Mhm.
Paul Hoynes 3:08And lo and behold, what is? What are the three? What hand do the three pitchers the the Reds throw with in in this three upcoming series left wing? Yeah.
Joe Noga 3:18Yeah, Terry Francona knows it all too well and and they couldn’t line up their lefties fast enough now for this this upcoming series against the Reds. But we’ll get to that in a few minutes. Still want to talk about some of the things that went on at the ballpark on Sunday, including Jose Ramirez extending his.His on base streak with a base hit. I I believe Hosey, yeah, he he he singled in the third inning with with two outs, got stranded there. He was also intentionally walked in the 7th inning, but he’s been on base 34 straight games since April 30th.And he’s batting 394 in that stretch with 18 extra base hits, including ten double S, a triple 7 home runs, 17 RBI S, 14 walks, 13 steals. All that since April 30th.And and if you take away the over that snapped his his his hitting streak at twenty-one games, he’s he’s hit in twenty-nine of his last 30 games. Hoinsey, he’s just really become one of the the top hitters in the American League right now.
Paul Hoynes 4:33Yeah, he is so fun to watch right now. It looks like Joe, he’s he’s kind of a he’s become like a cricket player. I mean, you can’t throw the ball low enough because Jose is going to golf it, you know, somewhere. I mean, he, you know, he’s his swing is is adaptable. He’s hitting.For power he’s stealing bases. You know it’s just it’s really it’s it’s you know this is I don’t know if this we’ve seen them in so many good stretches but you know like sustained A sustained stretch like you said 30 games. I can’t remember something like this before and just and I’m there’s no in no way.comparing this but you know in in 1941 DiMaggio, Joe DiMaggio had a 56 game hitting streak. It got stopped in Cleveland at at the old Cleveland stadium and then he came back with 16 and hitting 16 straight and more. And it just kind of reminds meOf the same pattern, at least. You know, Jose hits in 21 straight, gets stopped on May 30th, and then he hits what, an eight straight more? He’s got another eight games, eight game hitting streak alive and cooking right now.
Joe Noga 5:48Yeah, and I think every time he steps to the plate, it’s everybody stops, everybody watches because you’re expecting him to do something now at at every every plate appearance. It’s pretty impressive. You go back to that home run on Saturday in the 7th inning.Guardians down three to one with one out in the 7th and Stephen Kwan on first base and it was almost expected that Jose was going to Homer and and he did. He he he belts one out to to right field. Guardians tie the game at three, eventually go on to lose in in extra innings. Hunter Gaddis.With a wild pitch that gives the Reds the lead and they’re unable to to score in the bottom of the 10th. Just, you know, just the way that that game sort of went back and forth, you were kind of expecting Jose to to to come up again and and do something later in that game.
Paul Hoynes 6:43Yeah.Ramirez in that game, Joe, he reaches base in four straight times. They walk him the first two times he comes to the plate. He gets a single in the 6th and hits the homer in the in the 7th. And then with the game on the line in the 9th inning, Quan on 2nd.Martinez on 1st, he pops up, but you know, I guess he is human, Joe. But you know, that’s just what kind of a run he’s on. I mean, and and people are really, you know, the opposition knows it. They’re pitching and very careful and you know, they they aren’t afraid to, you know, pitch around this guy.
Joe Noga 7:09Yeah.Yeah, and and and the the rest of the lineup around Jose Ramirez is sort of allowing them to do that because with with the exception of maybe Carlos Santana, definitely Steven Kwan, there’s there’s not a lot of, you know, not much of A threat sort of protecting him there. Bo Naylor did a a nice job, the bottom of the lineup.Actually did a nice job on Sunday. They produced all the runs. The the six through 9 hitters for Cleveland sort of produced and and scored all of the runs in the game. So yeah, a positive step, a positive sign, but this is something that needs to happen a lot more often. Jose, you’ve been noticing some some interesting.Patterns with the with the run scored and the the run differential for this this team and the teams that they’re chasing in the American League Central.
Paul Hoynes 8:10Joe, they they need the the bottom of the order. That’s about time they did something because in June, Joe, they played only obviously only seven games in June, but they are dead last in the American League and runs scored with 19.That’s 2.7 per game, Joe, and you’re just 2.7 runs per game. You’re not going to win like that. You can’t. That’s not winning baseball in the American League Central. Here’s here’s the breakdown on runs per game.First, Detroit obviously is in first place in the division and they they’re they’re scoring 4.9 runs per game. The Twins are second. They’re scoring 4.23 run 4.2 runs a game.The Guardians are third. They’re scoring 3.9 runs per game, Joe. They they played 64 games and they’re not even averaging four runs a game. The White Sox 3.53 runs a game. And this is a shocker to me, Kansas City.3.42 runs per game. I think I picked Kansas City to win the division, Joe, in my preseason predictions. So I don’t know what’s going on with the Royals, but we do know what’s going on with the Guardians. They’re not scoring runs. They need. They need help, Joe. They need some consistency besides Jose.Ramirez.
Joe Noga 9:40Yeah, if you look at Fangraphs has a a a stat called weighted runs created plus it’s the runs per plate appearance scaled to where 100 is the league average and both park factors and and all these these other things are adjusted to the weighted on base average and the Guardians.Have Jose Ramirez. He’s he’s 10th in the league or he’s not. I’m sorry, he’s 8th in the league in weighted runs created plus according to fan graphs with a 163. Aaron Judge leads the leads all of baseball with a 246 weighted runs created plus that is.Otherworldly right now and guys like Cal Raleigh, Pete Crow Armstrong are are up there, you know, pretty high. It’s just, you know, a telling stat that Ramirez is 8th in the league in in waiting runs created plus.And then there’s there’s basically no other, you know, Cleveland player within the top 50 to to to speak of. And it’s that that’s sort of an indication that leads to, you know, why they’re they’re unable to to to score runs on a on a regular basis.
Paul Hoynes 10:57Yeah, they they have a -19 run differential, Joe. Probably, you know, one of the few teams that could still be called a contender with a negative run differential. And you know, I I’m not sure what that means or how they’re still winning games.You know, but eventually, you know, Steven Vogt is going to run out of rabbits to pull out of his hat. So this offense has to improve and I don’t think they’re going to, it’s going to be, you know, they’re not going to do a massive injection of outside talent that the people on this roster.Right now in this lineup, we’re going to have to get better if this season is going to go where they want it to go.
Joe Noga 11:40Yeah, I think the the ironic thing is, is how good the starting pitching has been, not just of late and it’s been very good of late, but really since, you know, after the first home, after the first road trip and that that the first, you know, little stretch there in the the first home stand.The starters have really sort of clicked in and and given the Guardians a chance to win pretty much every game. They’re just not getting enough runs. This this sort of feels like that the the 2021 season, the 2022 season where the offense was down, but the pitching was great.And there were, there were so many opportunities to win games where they just didn’t score enough runs to do that. We’re, you know, we’re wondering if we get close to as we start approaching maybe the trade deadline, if that’s something that they have to address via trade because.Right now you’re standing around waiting for guys in the minor leagues who are dealing with their own issues in terms of injury and development.
Paul Hoynes 12:43Yeah, Joe, they’re going to have to, if they’re serious about contending, they’re going to have to add to this offense. But it’s not going to be a big thing. I I mean, it might not even be kind of a Lane Thomas, you know, level trade that they make. I I don’t know what they’re thinking right now, but.It it kind of you know it has overtones of 2023 Joe when they what when they they had the they raised a white flag in Houston when they were a game or game and a half out of the the race. So I mean this offense has to get turned around or this could be just a season where they.
Joe Noga 13:12Mhm.
Paul Hoynes 13:22Write. Write it off.
Joe Noga 13:24Well, and one move that they made on Sunday, Sunday morning, they announced that John Kenzie Noel, he was struggling with a 147 batting average. He had not really had a lot of opportunities to get in there and and and play on a regular basis and when he did.
Paul Hoynes 13:28OK.
Joe Noga 13:44He was what? He had a bunch of strikeouts off the top of my head. I can’t remember exactly how many, but Noel sent down to AAA Columbus with the instructions from Stephen Vogt to to just go play and and rediscover, you know, what sort of makes him unique, what makes him special.As as a a a guy who can can hit for power but but also you know make contact and and put the ball in play. You know Noel down to to Columbus and Jonathan Rodriguez who had been hitting you know pretty well for the Clippers.Not necessarily the power numbers that he had shown in in previous seasons, but Jonathan Rodriguez back up with the club after going down on April 9th. He had spent, you know, the last two months down there in Columbus. He’s back and yesterday he gets a a base hit.For the Guardians and you know it is part of their their rally there in the the 7th inning to come back and take the leap.
Paul Hoynes 14:50Yeah, Joe, that was that was encouraging. That was his first hit. Big league kid, I don’t think. Well, I think first hit of this season at least.
Joe Noga 14:50OK.Yeah, definitely this season. He only had five plate appearances in the first, you know, two weeks of the season.
Paul Hoynes 15:04And Joe, I just wonder, I mean, you know, I would like to see them give this guy a chance. Is is he an everyday guy or is he just like, are they going to do what they did to John Kenzie Noel, let him ride on the bench, play every once or twice a week and and lose.Swing or whatever swing he had refined in Columbus. Come up here and just, you know, sit and sit and sit and and not get enough, you know, not get enough playing time to stay sharp. I mean, if you’re doing that, you know it just seems.Pointless to me because they did it. They did it with Noel. They did it with Gonzalez. We’ve seen this, this, this play time after time after time. What they need to do to me is they go out and get a veteran outfielder, a guy that’s used to this role.And put him there and and let him let him fill that role instead of doing it, you know, ruining, you know, I mean just kind of ruining your your potential power hitters, your potential everyday power hitters.
Joe Noga 16:09Yeah, and I mean they can look to Oscar Gonzalez and and he’s what he signed a contract to play in Japan. I mean they can look to that and and say, hey, we made the right decision on this guy, but you know, you keep doing it over and over again. Is it, is it the player or is it the the pattern that he’s he’s being subjected to and.To me, it’s kind of funny. You’ve got three games now lined up against left-handed pitching and your your excuse for what what happened to John Hedsi Noel is Oh well, they weren’t facing enough left-handers for him to get regular playing time in this platoon. Well, you you send him down.Right as you’re facing you know your your first out of four consecutive left-handers, he could have been in the lineup every day if you kept him up here. And I just wonder why now? Why is the the decision being made to to to make the change now? I understand that he’s he’s completely lost in in his in his head.And his swing is all all screwed up and he needs to go down to the to AAA to to get things, you know, sort of straightened out. Rodriguez is a is the logical, you know, replacement for him at at this point. But had it not gotten to this.You know this point in in in the season you could have kept him and now would be the time when he would be able to get those at bats you’re talking about.
Paul Hoynes 17:34Yeah. And I just think, you know, they just got tired of watching him, Joe. I mean, I think, you know, they it just.
Joe Noga 17:42Well, that that that makes that makes a lot of us, but uh, OK.
Paul Hoynes 17:45Yeah, but I just think they had, you know, you know, I think, you know, I think they gave him this much of a chance because they knew they put him in a really difficult position. This was a guy like you wrote yesterday. This was a this was a postseason hero.I mean.How many times do we do we do we do this? Do they do this to this guy to players like this? A guy that performed last season when they won the division, you know, had the big home run in the ALCS. You know, there was a lot of there was, you know, he was, you know, there was.Promise with this guy and you bring, he makes the opening day roster and what do you do with them? You put them in the corner and and lock them and shut the door and you don’t play them. I mean, what’s the point of this? And you know that with they’re going to do the same thing with Rodriguez. I mean, I I would bet on it to be just because.Because this is the way they they handle this. And if Lane Thomas comes back, you know, then, you know, does he go down? I mean, is he here for two days? Well, you know, it’s just, you know, sometimes, you know, playing everybody on the roster is a good thing, but sometimes you got to stick with somebody wanting to pick a right fielder.Like Nolan Jones? Is it? Is it Noel? Is it? Is it Rodriguez? Pick one guy, let him play 10 games in a row, no matter what the matchup is, and let’s find out if these guys can play or not.
Joe Noga 19:19Yeah, that’s and and how much did acquiring Nolan Jones really sort of put a monkey wrench in all of this when you know you had to keep him on the roster and you you had to give him playing time and and to his credit he started to hit a little bit more with more consistency as well. So you know we’re.We’re sitting, we’re trying to see what or we’re starting to see what they sort of envisioned with the with Jones. I think they thought maybe he was going to be the guy to to answer that question and be in there consistently when when they acquired him. But you know when he struggled early and you know we’ve we’ve talked about his frustrations at the plate.It sort of threw things into this pattern, right back into the the pattern that we saw with Oscar Gonzalez. So yeah, it’s it’s not a great situation the the right fielders in in in Cleveland historically and and now you know with Rodriguez there, you know Rodriguez.It’s kind of weird. He’s got sort of these these reverse splits against lefties too. His OPS was 0.796 against lefties and and really.It’s just not not great in in terms of righties either. So it’s it’s kind of irrational to to, you know, to platoon him in right field if you if you put him out there.
Paul Hoynes 20:51Yeah, it’s just, it’s a tough situation. You know, they’re trying to, you know, they’ve got to be financially sound. They’re not going to go out and and spend a lot of money on on a guy that they could platoon with that with a veteran guy that they could.Of the.Is used to sitting, is used to getting, you know, his at bat spread across, you know, a week or so, you know, two or three at bats. He knows how to knows a routine, knows how to keep himself sharp. They’re not going to do that. So they they do that. They keep trying to fit a square.Peg into a round hole, and it very rarely does it work, Joe.
Joe Noga 21:36All right, Hoynesy, let’s take a look at this upcoming series against the Reds. We talked about how they’re going to face 3 left-handed starters in the series. That’s that includes veteran Wade Miley and lefty Andrew Abbott.Lodolo announced as the starter on Wednesday against Logan Allen. So three lefties lined up to to face them. But uh really, I think this opening game of the series tonight, Monday, is more about Tito and Terry Francona sort of coming home, makingHis return to Cleveland as the manager of the Reds. I think it’ll be a fun night at the ballpark, but I don’t think it’s going to be the, you know, comfy, cozy, friendly kumbaya moment that a lot of people might expect it to be. I think Terry Franco is coming in here with the.with the Reds to beat the Guardians and and that’s the first thing on his mind.
Paul Hoynes 22:39Oh, for sure, Joe. I mean, I think he kind of, you know, set the boundaries in spring training last year. I mean at the start of spring training when, you know, the Guardians and Reds were meeting for the first time at Goodyear Ballpark and and Tito said I’m not going to manage that game. I’m going to go to Phoenix.Where they had a split squad game against the Brewers and and Francona went there and managed that club. He goes, I don’t want this to be a hug fest. So you know, and I think maybe they got that out of the way, you know, in in May when Cleveland went down to.To you know the Great American Ballpark and and had the opening series there. You know Tito met with the media is it’s I think everything went well but then he he he comes out and they the Reds sweep the Guardians and really kind of put them on you know the uneven.Ground that they’re still on, really. That sweep really kind of, you know, kind of put them behind the 8 ball and is kind of killed their momentum.
Joe Noga 23:48Yeah, it it sort of started a a stretch for the Guardians where they they’ve struggled and you know they’ve only won two out of the last six games. It’s if the Reds coming into town is is anything, it’s an opportunity for the Guardians here to maybe get right and feel good about themselves against a team that’s.That’s had its struggles. But again, the Reds, the Reds score runs and that’s one thing that they can do. So it’s it’s not like this is going to be in an easy series for Cleveland by any stretch of the imagination and you throw in the emotions of seeing Tito over in that that other dug.Out and it it it’s going to be a a big series. I I want to ask you about you know maybe from Stephen Vogt’s point of view as as all this is going on just you know what is what is voter take away from the you know the way that the fans react, the way that the the media is going to ask questions about you know the.Other.Dugout. He’s done a good job so far of of sort of deflecting and and diffusing any sort of comparisons or or or feelings about Tito or anything like that. But what what do you think the relationship is between Vogt and Tito right now and and since he got hired?
Paul Hoynes 25:09You know, I thought, I thought it was. I think it’s good. I mean, I think it’s, you know, I don’t think there’s any animosity between the two. I mean, it is, it is a little awkward. Obviously, you know, you’re you’re following the guy that nobody wants to follow. If you’re Steven Voight, you know you’re following the winningest manager in in in franchise history.
Joe Noga 25:15No, no, neither do I.
Paul Hoynes 25:29The guy that took him to the postseason 6 times in what, 11 years got to the World Series in 2016, you know, was the what, two times, three time manager of the year. So you know that those those are large shoes to fill and Voda has been more than willing to admit that.But I think now like you said were saying earlier, it’s time to play baseball, Joe, it’s time to win games and you know, just and you know, just kind of just go about your business. But you know, I I think you know Tito was helpful with vote. It sounds like when when he first came on the job they talked.And then, you know, it kind of the relationship, probably it changed a little bit when you know Tito agreed to take the the red, you know, the Reds job.
Joe Noga 26:14Mhm.Yeah, I I think it it feels to me like it’s going to be more handshakes than hugs, you know, sort of thing at the ballpark and and and I kind of like it. I kind of like, you know, this is still as much as they’ve tried to artificially manufacture some sort of rivalry or or whatever between Cleveland and.The years with this series, I think this actually gives it some some weight and some meaning. And you know, yeah, Tito’s team swept the Guardians down in Cincinnati earlier this season. They need to do the same in order to to retain the Ohio Cup and all that kind of stuff. So you know the.
Paul Hoynes 26:55Yeah.
Joe Noga 26:57The the Cup is the the most important part of the matchup. I think what did Stephen Vogt say when they when we found out that that Tito was coming back? I said it. It definitely makes the Ohio Cup something to keep an eye on now. So we’ll do that tonight. We’ll we’ll report back to you tomorrow morning with another edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk.Oinsey will check in with you then.
Paul Hoynes 27:20All right, Joe.