The Guardians had a breakout bottom of the 4th inning on Sunday that all started with a Jose Ramirez solo shot and ended with Cleveland batting around for nine runs in the inning!
Andres Gimenez got two hits in the inning, a double, and a single for 3 RBIs.
Gavin Williams earned his third win of the season going six innings only giving up four hits and one run.
Josh Naylor keeps grinding out the season as so far in September he is swinging for a .378 average and had another single today. In 13 games, Naylor has at least one hit in eleven games so far this month.
The three lit candles atop the baseball-shaped cake remained unclaimed as José Ramírez skipped his postgame media availability, having celebrated his birthday earlier. On this special day, Ramírez marked his 31st birthday with a homer, kickstarting Cleveland’s explosive nine-run fourth inning, ultimately securing a 9-2 victory and completing a three-game sweep of the playoff-contending Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Ramírez led off the fourth inning with a home run off the rookie pitcher Cody Bradford (4-2), setting the tone for the Guardians’ relentless offensive display. In that remarkable inning, Cleveland unleashed a barrage of hits, including a home run, two doubles, and six singles, resulting in nine runs and nine hits—a season-high for them in a single inning.
“We just kept getting hits and kept going,” remarked Guardians manager Terry Francona.
The Rangers found themselves powerless to halt Cleveland’s offensive onslaught, with manager Bruce Bochy expressing a sense of helplessness: “We just got in one of those innings when we just couldn’t stop it. It’s a helpless feeling. What could go wrong, did.”
Despite entering Cleveland with a six-game winning streak and vying for postseason contention in the AL West and wild-card races, the Rangers managed to score just six runs over the weekend.
“Sure it’s disappointing,” acknowledged Bochy. “We’re all disappointed with how the games went. But we had a winning road trip. You get swept, and you’re like wait a minute. The best thing you can do is look at the silver lining. We’re coming off a 4-3 road trip and heading home.”
Cleveland’s Andrés Giménez contributed three RBIs in the fourth inning, Gabriel Arias added two more, and Ramírez himself chipped in with a run-scoring groundout during his second at-bat of the inning, as the Guardians sent a staggering 14 batters to the plate.
The nine-run explosion in the fourth inning took the pressure off Guardians rookie Gavin Williams (3-5), who delivered a strong performance by limiting the Rangers to just one run and four hits over six innings, striking out seven.
Cleveland’s playoff aspirations were hanging by a thread in the AL Central, leaving them to play the role of spoilers in the final three weeks of the season.
In contrast, the Rangers were actively seeking to extend their season into October. They began the day just half a game behind the first-place Houston Astros in the division race and occupied one of the three wild-card spots.
Additionally, the Rangers’ loss secured playoff berths for both the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays.
José Ramírez’s 431-foot home run in the fourth inning not only tied the game at 1-1 but also moved him up to fifth place on Cleveland’s all-time career home run list, alongside Hall of Famers Larry Doby, Carlos Santana, and Hal Trosky. Ramírez has consistently shone on his birthday, boasting a batting average of .333 (11 for 33) with four home runs and nine RBIs in eight birthday games.
Reflecting on Ramírez’s performance, manager Terry Francona expressed, “You can use any superlative just about you want, and he checks that box. That’s the kind of player he is, stating the obvious.”
Josh Naylor followed Ramírez’s 24th homer with a single, and Cleveland strung together six consecutive hits before the Rangers removed Cody Bradford from the game. Bradford, who had been pitching in relief since his last start on July 30, summed it up, saying, “The first three innings we were grooving and the fourth I went out and made a pretty good pitch to José Ramírez, I thought. But he put a better swing on it. After that, it was some balls over the fat part of the plate, and they did what any MLB team should do and made me pay for it.”
Shane Bieber didn’t allow a hit over 3 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus at Toledo. Bieber, who hasn’t pitched since July 9 for Cleveland due to elbow inflammation, will likely make one more start in the minors before he’s activated.
Up Next
Open a three-game set in Kansas City on Monday. RHP Cal Quantrill (3-6, 5.40) starts the opener against Royals RHP Brady Singer (8-11, 5.51).
Monday 9/18 2:10 PM EST – Game 1 of Series vs Royals
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