WASHINGTON -- Carlos Santana didn’t have time to stop and admire the line drive he drilled down the right-field line on Tuesday night in Game 2 of the Guardians’ doubleheader against the Nationals. Before long, it was parked inside the Nats’ bullpen.
Santana, for his part, had a big day, going a combined 4-for-9 with three singles, one walk and four runs scored, including the home run. It continued a stellar stretch for the 39-year-old, who got off to a bit of a slow start offensively this season but has turned in on of late.
“Sixteen years in the big leagues,” manager Stephen Vogt said of Santana. “You’ve got to trust him. He can still hit. That was a great swing he put on a tough pitch. His at-bats have been really good since we got to Toronto [this past weekend].
“He's somebody you're going to trust. He’s somebody you’re going to rely on. He's been doing well.”
From April 19-23, Santana went 0-for-20 in a five-game stretch, and his slash line fell to .204/.272/.290 in 24 games on the season. In 10 games since, he’s slashed .333/.475/.533 by going 10-for-30 with two homers, seven RBIs and eight walks compared to just five strikeouts.
“Getting my pitch, not trying too much [has been key],” Santana said of the recent stretch. “I know my team needs me. I try to have fun in the game. I don't worry when I’ve played this long. This is not my first time [going through a slump]. Take it one day at a time, play hard, prepare and try to help my team win.”
The Guardians and Nationals were locked in a scoreless tie in the sixth inning of the nightcap when Santana delivered his big swing. He came up after Steven Kwan singled and José Ramírez drew a two-out walk.
Santana fell in an 0-2 hole against Nationals starter Brad Lord, after taking a slider for a strike and fouling off a four-seamer. Lord came back with a four-seamer middle-in, and Santana hit a liner with a 21-degree launch angle, according to Statcast, to right field that got over the fence in exactly four seconds.
In the Statcast era (since 2015), Santana’s lowest launch angle on a homer is 20 degrees (11 times). This was the 19th time he homered on a 21-degree launch angle.
"He's a professional,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “He gets ready every day. I've known him for years. He's just a constant professional. The thing is, he's still got really good bat speed, he understands the strike zone really, really well, and when he swings, he swings with conviction."
Santana’s power and plate discipline were two key reasons for the Guardians to bring him back in December on a one-year, $12 million deal. Just as important then and now is the value he brings to the team as an experienced veteran.
Santana ranks second among active players in games played (2,114) behind Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen (2,158). That’s invaluable experience to have in a clubhouse with many players who are in the early stages of their own big league careers. They can learn from Santana’s example.
Santana has played in 34 of the Guardians’ 36 games this season. He’s shown he can impact a game offensively, and in other ways when things may not be going as well at the plate, whether it’s defensively or by drawing his walks and putting together a long plate appearance.
Santana drew a free pass in the eighth inning of Game 2 to cap a six-pitch plate appearance against Washington reliever Eduardo Salazar. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then reached third by making a good read on a Nolan Jones groundout to Salazar. Santana scored on another Salazar wild pitch.
“This guy shows up every single day. He wants to play 162 [games] and he's absolutely locked in to do his job,” said catcher Austin Hedges, who hit his third homer of the season in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
“It’s just like José [Ramírez]. We’ve been spoiled here in Cleveland for a long time, with those two specifically, just how they play the game, and it rubs off on everybody else. Then when everyone's playing the game that way, that's how we win all our games.”