Three Positives From the Week of April 27th

Some highs and lows lead to another winning week for this scrappy Cleveland ball club.

Another winning week for the Guardians has them in a good spot heading into another full month of baseball.

20-Win Team

Thanks to a 4-3 week, the Guardians are one of eight teams to hit the 20-win mark. Just 1.5 games behind the first place Detroit Tigers, Cleveland continues to stay in the fight early into the season. They have a three game lead over the Kansas City Royals while the Minnesota Twins sit seven games back. The Guards also hold the third-highest winning percentage in the American League, higher than all of the AL East. While it’s still early in the season, getting these wins early gives the team a nice buffer for the tougher parts of the season.

Schneeman is a Demon

Perhaps one of the most exciting and unexpected developments of this season so far is Daniel Schneeman. Hitting .274/.348/.548, the infielder has blown his expectations out of the water so far this season. He’s got four home runs on the year, his biggest coming in Saturday night’s contest against the Toronto Blue Jays. Down 3-0 in the top of the eighth inning, Schneeman came up to bat and put the Guards back in it with one swing. He hit a 375 foot home run to right field, pulling Cleveland within two runs. Back at the plate in the top of the ninth, he decided he was tired of being behind. With the bases loaded, he hit a 395 foot home run to right field putting the Guardians ahead. The Blue Jays failed to score in the bottom of the inning and Schneeman almost single-handedly won Cleveland the game. Funny enough, half of his 10 RBIs on the season came with just two swings in this game.

Ramírez Back in the Lineup

Cleveland fans sat through a scary moment during Friday night’s game in Toronto. Third baseman José Ramírez fell while running to first base and had trouble getting back up. He held his leg and the team’s trainers approached - it was clear something was wrong. While he was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power, fans knew that he wouldn’t be returning to the game. To raise worries even more, he was held out of the lineup for Saturday’s game. Fans breathed a little easier prior to Sunday’s closer, however, when it was announced that he would return to the lineup that day. While he went 0-4 with a walk, all that matters is that he is presumably healthy and able to play. Hit bat and his spirits are very much needed by the team, especially heading into the heat of the season.