CLEVELAND -- This isn’t the first time we’ve wondered if the Guardians' offense is starting to gain momentum this season and it probably won’t be the last. But the way the bats have started to string more hits together over the past week and a half forces the question to be raised again.

The Guardians have averaged 10 hits per game over their last 10 contests. They’ve had double-digit hits six times since May 28, which is the second most in the Majors behind the red-hot Rangers offense (seven times). And Cleveland’s latest 10-hit showing led to a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

“For the last few weeks, it seems like we’ve had our backs against the wall offensively,” Guardians designated hitter Josh Bell said. “But [Amed Rosario] coming out with three hits tonight, I know [Josh Naylor] has been going off the last couple of weeks, too. It definitely puts us in a good position.”

How the momentum started

May 28 is the date that the positive vibes seemed to flood back into Cleveland’s dugout. José Ramírez reminded his team and fans what it was like to deliver the clutch, game-winning hit in a walk-off victory over the Cardinals at Progressive Field that day -- something everyone expected all last season.

Ramírez always seems to be the catalyst for this offense. He’s shown time and time again how he’s capable of pulling the team out of a collective funk single-handedly. Once he provides a spark, it’s up to the rest of the lineup to help turn it into a flame.

Why it’s continuing

After his walk-off double, Ramírez logged a few hits in the couple of games that followed, but he cooled off once the club went to Minnesota. On Tuesday, he snapped an 0-for-16 stretch with an eighth-inning single. But when he went quiet, the other key bats started to step up.

Bell returned from paternity leave and has continued to show that he’s trending in the right direction at the plate. Wednesday’s two-RBI performance extended his streak to six consecutive games of knocking in at least one run. Along with that being the longest such stretch of his career, it’s also tied for the longest in the Majors this season.

Naylor, who’s been persistent at the plate despite running into some bad luck early in the season, has gone 14-for-his-last-26 (.538 average) with seven extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in his last seven games.

Will Brennan snapped his seven-game hit streak on Wednesday with an 0-for-4 night, but had slashed .560/.593/.840 during that streak entering the contest.

Wednesday was the blueprint

Two errors wouldn’t be included in the most ideal blueprint for how to win games this season, but the Guardians had margin for error on Wednesday -- something they’ve rarely had this season.

When Naylor dropped the ball during his trot to first after fielding a routine grounder in the fourth inning, allowing a run to score instead of ending the frame, it could’ve been the team’s downfall. Instead, Cleveland prevented the snowball effect, and Naylor didn’t carry it with him to the plate.

“You could tell he wanted to get some payback,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “He had a pretty eventful night. There wasn’t much that happened out there that he wasn’t a part of.”

The Guardians rallied and put up two runs in the bottom half of that frame. They did the same in the bottom of the fifth. And when the offense was clicking, it also had the support from the bullpen.

Some of the biggest difficulties for Cleveland have been getting everyone hot at the same time. The season started with the offense collectively being cold. Then, a few guys heated up but not enough to plate more than a handful of runs. When the bats started going, the bullpen was shaky and the club ended up losing some games in the later innings.

This time, the offense provided five runs of support, gave the bullpen some breathing room and the relief corps answered with four scoreless innings.

Maybe it can’t be that seamless every night. But the Guardians are starting to show that they’re close to putting it all together. And if their big offseason signing, Bell, can pair with Naylor to bring some pop behind Ramírez, the bats certainly wouldn’t be the club’s weakness moving forward.

“I think I’m just getting balls in the outfield,” Bell said. “I think there’s a lot more coming.”