CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – As the latest round of inclement weather moved through Northeast Ohio Sunday afternoon, postponing the Guardians’ series-finale with the Detroit Tigers, it meant two things.
First, it ensured yet another double header on the schedule later this season, but it also sent the club into the All-Star break a day early, providing an opportunity for some much-needed rest for a team that has been pushed to the brink in the first half.
The Guardians have played eight doubleheaders this year, most recently against the Yankees on July 1st. Cleveland is 7-9 in those games with another twin-bill coming right out of the All-Star break scheduled for Saturday against the White Sox.
Not lost in the chaos of the first half is the fact that Cleveland is sending three players to the MidSummer classic in LA: second baseman Andres Gimenez, closer Emmanuel Clase and third baseman Jose Ramirez, who is also participating in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday evening.
Ramirez’s home run swing appears to be in top form ahead of the Derby, as the Guardians slugger sparked an offensive eruption against the Tigers on Saturday with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. The four-time All-Star leads the American League in RBIs with 75.
The Guardians clubhouse leader will square off against the Nationals’ Juan Soto in the opening-round of the Derby. Soto has belted 19 home runs this season and has been on a tear recently, batting .425 with five homers and 10 RBIs in July.
Hours earlier, Ramirez’s fellow infielder Gimenez learned he’d be starting in place of Jose Altuve who won’t be playing in Tuesday night’s game. The 23-year-old left Saturday’s game against Detroit with a foot injury after he was hit by a pitch but was expected to play Sunday before the weather forced the postponement. If Gimenez is in the lineup on Tuesday night, he will be the youngest Clevelander to start an All-Star Game since Bob Feller in 1941.
Clase is making his first All-Star appearance and is tied for the American League lead in saves with 19. The last Cleveland reliever to be selected to an All-Star game was Brad Hand in 2019.
The Guardians hit the break two games over .500 at 46-44 and sit just 2.5 games behind the first place Twins with eight games remaining between the two teams. The Guards are 6-5 against the Twins this season and took three out of five against Minnesota at the end of June.
Cleveland is 23-19 in division games this season and still has 33 more games against Central Division opponents in the second half, including six-straight against Kansas City to close out the year.
What also remains on the schedule in the second half: more doubleheaders. Including Saturday’s doubleheader against the White Sox, Cleveland has three more twin bills slated for the latter half of the season.
The Guardains also host Minnesota for another double-header on Saturday, September 17th.
Sunday’s matinee with Detroit will be played as a traditional doubleheader on Monday, Aug. 15, starting at 3:10 p.m. Fans with tickets to the August 15 contest will be able to attend. Anyone with tickets for Sunday’s game will be able to exchange into one of 30 game options, including the August 15 doubleheader.