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'He's ready for the moment': Kyle Manzardo's production behind Jose Ramirez a key element
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- 'He's ready for the moment': Kyle Manzardo's production behind Jose Ramirez a key element
CLEVELAND — The Guardians lineup over the last few weeks has entirely flipped the script.
In the month of June, the Guardians had the worst offense in the league by a pretty wide margin, scoring only 72 runs in 25 games. No other team scored fewer than 85 runs.
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Since July 7, though, the Guardians have featured the best offense in all of baseball , scoring 78 runs in 13 games. Only the Texas Rangers , with 75 runs during that time, are close.
With that total reversal of production, a 10-game skid was immediately followed by an 11-2 stretch. And because of it, Cleveland is again in the middle of a crowded American League wild card race , only a few games outside of a playoff spot.
All-Stars Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan , of course, have mostly powered the way at the top of the lineup. The Guardians have also received a tremendous boost from Angel Martinez , who just had the best two-week stretch of his young career.
There's another element that will remain crucial if the Guardians are to continue this surge during a light stretch in their schedule: Kyle Manzardo in the No. 4 spot in the lineup.
Cleveland Guardians' Kyle Manzardo celebrates his two-run single against the Baltimore Orioles on Jul 23, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kyle Manzardo settling into cleanup spot in lineup behind Jose Ramirez
The cleanup spot in the Guardians lineup holds some additional value considering it determines who's in the on-deck circle when Ramirez is in the batter's box — and perhaps, just as importantly, when opposing teams are deciding to intentionally walk the star third baseman.
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Opposing managers and pitchers game plan around Ramirez, and when he'll be stepping to the plate. Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona recently said, now from the opposing dugout, that you always feel like you need additional insurance runs knowing he'll strut to the plate eventually. It also impacts decisions for the hitters around him.
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That lends itself to a bit more strategy when it comes to writing out the lineup card with an eye on the No. 4 spot. It also means some additional responsibility for Manzardo.
Now, it should be noted the concept of lineup protection often doesn't lead to as much correlation as one might think. But considering the importance of Ramirez to the total offensive production, and that teams are often desperately searching for any way to not pitch to him, it stands to reason it's as correlative in this sense as nearly any other lineup in baseball.
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"He's got a really tough task hitting behind Jose," said manager Stephen Vogt of Manzardo. "That's not an easy position to be in because either they're intentionally walking Jose or they're pitching around him to get to you. And, a lot of times, you can put a ton of pressure on yourself."
Cleveland Guardians' Kyle Manzardo reacts after hitting a double against the Baltimore Orioles on July 21, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kyle Manzardo stats
Lately, it's been more about not doing too much. Manzardo twice came through with key run-scoring singles during the Guardians' 3-1 series victory over the Baltimore Orioles .
"The world might see, 'Oh, that's a jam-shot single. That's a lucky hit.' Absolutely not," Vogt said. "That is good hitting. That is taking what the pitcher gives you and staying through the middle of the field."
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It's been far from a perfect year for Manzardo, who's hitting just .221 with a .745 OPS in 86 games. Though, over the course of the season, 10 of his 16 home runs have come with the score tied or given the Guardians the lead. And over the last two weeks, as the Guardians have surged back into the playoff race and he's fallen more into a regular role, Manzardo has hit .269 with a .355 on-base percentage , three home runs and nine RBIs, good enough for a 1.009 OPS.
"He's ready for the moment," Vogt said of Manzardo's recent stretch. "What I see with Kyle in those big moments, he relaxes because all the pressure's on the pitcher [or they're thinking], 'Oh, I got through Jose, who's next?' And sometimes there's a little bit of let-off, and Kyle's ready for that mistake pitch."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kyle Manzardo lifting Guardians lineup hitting behind Jose Ramirez
