Ramírez and Guardians look to keep momentum going

It’s been a less-than-stellar Major League Baseball season for the Cleveland Guardians, who had high hopes following an unexpected playoff run last year.

Kicking off the 2023 campaign with a 10-9 record in a mediocre AL Central division, the Guardians looked to build momentum in June when their offence began to heat up, with José Ramírez continuing to lead the charge in the second half of the season. Now, the Guardians look to close out their series against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, Aug. 6, in a game streaming live on Peacock.

Since making his Guardians debut in 2013, José Ramírez is a cornerstone of the Guardians franchise. Ramírez has consistently put on display an elite on-field performance over the past 10 seasons and, with a career batting average of .279, he has consistently come through with clutch hits and more than 200 home runs. He has also stolen over 180 bases, making him a constant threat at any point in the game.

Proving he’s worth every penny, the Guardians recently signed Ramirez to a $141-million contract extension. He was the team’s lone representative in this year’s All-Star Game (teammate Emmanuel Clase opted out due to family obligations), and he has led the team in multiple offensive categories, including slugging percentage and home runs. Impressively, Ramírez has, as of this writing, managed to pick up a hit in 76.7% of 86 games played.

Those are solid stats, but the White Sox know how to slow him down. In their first three meetings, the White Sox walked away victorious, and Ramírez managed to pull off only one hit in those three meetings — something Ramírez will surely look to change in Sunday’s match.

After wrapping their weekend series against the White Sox, the Guardians will have to quickly shift their focus to a visit from the all-offensive Toronto Blue Jays. Look for Ramirez and the Guardians to come out swinging and get on the board early when the Jays take on the Guardians in a four-game series beginning Monday, Aug. 7, airing on ESPN.