What We Learned About The Guardians After Sweeping Angels

The Cleveland Guardians just won’t stop winning. They swept the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend and have now won nine straight games, their longest winning streak since their historic 22-game stretch in 2017.

Let’s get into some of the biggest takeaways and what we learned about this Guardians team over the last three games.

Jose Ramirez MVP Contender

Jose Ramirez had an incredibly slow start to the season based on his standards. However, he turned it on in the month of May and is solidifying his name in MVP contention early in the season.

After Cleveland’s series against the Angels, Ramirez leads baseball with 52 RBI, tied for the fourth most home runs with 15, and has a wRC+ of 137. It’s a long season but Ramirez is playing like one of the best players in the game right now and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Guardians Finding Multiple Ways To Score

J-Ram, Josh Naylor, and David Fry teamed up to hit back-to-back-to-back for the first time in Cleveland since 2019. The long ball has become a serious threat for the Guardians, but it’s not the only way they’re scoring.

The Guardians hit .240 with runners in scoring position during the series which is lower than their season average of .298. However, this still shows off Cleveland’s versatility in scoring multiple ways whether it be the long ball or stringing together hits which is a recipe for a long-term success.

Ben Lively’s Impact

There's no way to talk about Cleveland's impressive start to the season without mentioning the impact of Ben Lively.

May 26, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Ben Lively (39) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Lively pitched another quality start on Sunday going 7.0 innings (season-high) and giving up just two runs. He just gets the job done every time he steps on the mound and has been exactly what the Guardians needed because of all of their injuries to the rotation.

At some point, Gavin Williams will be healthy and Carlos Carrasco will eventually return, but Cleveland has to keep Lively in the rotation as long as he’s making starts like this.