ST. PETERSBURG -- The Guardians’ 2024 season has been a first half to remember, even as it concluded Sunday amid a stretch that everyone around the club would like to forget.

They have five All-Stars headed to Arlington for Tuesday’s All-Star Game. They have MLB’s batting leader. They have a lineup that is flexing its muscle much more often compared to last year. They have promising young players stepping up at the plate, a shutdown bullpen and a lead in the AL Central.

It’s important to not lose sight of that even after the Guardians lost for the 11th time in their past 18 games Sunday, with a 2-0 defeat against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

“We'd all sign up to be where we are,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Maybe not how [the All-Star break] got here or why or whatever. But we would have all signed up for this.”

The Guardians, at 58-37, reached the break with a .611 winning percentage, their best during the first half since 1999. Cleveland’s success has been a true group effort, but a handful of players have stood out and are worth spotlighting.

It starts at the top with outfielder Steven Kwan, who opened the ninth inning Sunday with a single that raised his average to an MLB-best .352. That’s the highest average by a qualified Guardians hitter at the break since Roberto Alomar hit .358 in 2001.

Angel Martínez, who has made his presence felt through his first 13 big league games, followed with a single of his own. Often batting behind Kwan since he debuted, Martínez is soaking up everything he can learn from the on-deck circle.

“It's a great experience to be right there and see him work the count, see good pitches, get into deep counts and also sometimes hit for power,” Martínez said of Kwan via team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “I think it's a good experience for me to see somebody hit the way he does.”

The next three batters -- José Ramírez, Josh Naylor and David Fry -- were all retired by Rays closer Pete Fairbanks to halt Cleveland’s rally. But more often than not, that trio of All-Stars has come through for Cleveland.

Ramírez, headed to his sixth All-Star Game and fourth in a row, has continued to be one of the most dangerous bats in the junior circuit. Naylor’s 22 home runs are already a career high. Meanwhile, Fry has become one of this year’s most unexpected breakout stars. His clutch homers back in May against the Tigers and Mets were two moments that outfielder Will Brennan said were two of the first half’s most memorable for him.

“Everyone in this room knew that he had that in him,” Brennan said of Fry. “Finally, the rest of the world gets to see it.”

Although Cleveland’s bats have really struggled over the past few weeks, averaging just 3.4 runs per game during their skid, the power provided by Ramírez, Naylor and others are big reasons why the Guardians already have 109 homers this season. They had just 124 all of last year.

On the mound, the Guardians’ starting rotation has received big boosts from unheralded sources. They got another one Sunday as right-hander Ben Lively allowed three hits and struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings. However, two of those three hits left the yard as Jose Siri and Brandon Lowe ambushed Lively’s first offering of the third and sixth innings, respectively, for solo homers. Still, the 32-year-old owns a 3.58 ERA through 16 starts.

“I’m feeling strong,” Lively said prior to his start. “I’m feeling 23 instead of 32.”

Although Lively wasn’t happy to leave Sunday’s game after only 76 pitches, he handed the ball off to the best bullpen in the sport. And the Guardians’ relief corps continued to do what it does best as it got 2 2/3 scoreless frames from Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis.

Cleveland’s ‘pen leads the Majors with a 2.62 ERA. And arguably no reliever has been better than Emmanuel Clase, who has converted 16 straight save opportunities. His 0.81 ERA is the lowest by any Cleveland pitcher during the season’s first half since ERA became official in 1913 (min. 40 innings). Clase’s first half has also included limiting hitters to a .417 OPS, the second-best mark in team history.

“Seeing those guys take the mound is pretty electric to watch,” Lively said.

Clase will join Kwan, Ramírez, Naylor and Fry for Tuesday’s All-Star Game. The rest of the Guardians will look to use these next few days to reset for what’s ahead and try to tap back into what made them so formidable for the majority of the season’s first few months.

“We've had a blast,” Vogt said about his club’s season thus far. “... They are just fun to watch, and what this group has accomplished already is great. We're not even close to being done.”