CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Guardians’ manager Terry Francona said if third baseman Jose Ramirez wanted to participate in Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby, he would support his All-Star slugger.
If there were any concern over his participation, Ramirez removed all doubt Saturday afternoon with a pair of home runs in a 10-0 drubbing of the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field.
On Jose Ramirez bobblehead day, no less.
“He’s just a really good player. It doesn’t matter if it’s on bases. He impacts the game everywhere for us. Sometimes in a really big way,” Francona said.
His final line: 2-for-4, two home runs and five RBIs.
The Guardians bullpen has been up against it lately, taxed by double headers mixed in with a short start from Aaron Civale, who left Wednesday’s game after just 20 pitches with right wrist soreness.
In looked like the bullpen could have faced more stress against the Tigers. Guardians’ starter Cal Quantrill surrendered two base hits, a walk and threw 27 pitches in the opening frame.
But he danced out of the bases loaded jam without allowing a run.
“He had bases loaded and he was having a tough time commanding. Carl went out and we got a next pitch out,” Francona said. “It’s amazing how the game can flip and all the sudden we come in and score and then keep scoring. It ends up being a day where you can spread it out a little bit and get some guys out of there.”
What was it that Willis said?
“Be better,” Quantrill said with a laugh. “It was slow, it was a tough start. Kind of an uphill battle the whole day.”
Quantrill tossed six shutout innings and settled in after the rough patch in the first. Having such a large lead was a bit of unfamiliar territory for the Guardians’ starter, but nothing that he’s going to gripe about.
“(I’m) never, ever going to complain about that kind of run support. It’s a different type of challenge between innings, just trying to make sure that you’re engaged, focused, warm,” Quantrill said. “If they want to give me 10 every game, I’ll figure out how to do that.”
Detroit starter Michael Pineda’s day was done after just two innings, but the game was already in the barn for the Guardians. Pineda allowed three straight hits to start the game. Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario led off with a pair of singles before Ramirez cleared the bases with his 18th of the season, a three-run shot to right field.
Ramirez went back to work in the second, belting his second home run of the day. Myles Straw and Rosario added RBI double, sparking a five-run inning and the route was on.
“Even out of spring, that’s kind of the feel that we had.They might not snow us on SportsCenter for very long, but if we’re winning it doesn’t really matter,” Quantrill said. “I feel like we’ve bought into that. We’ll do things the right way. We’re going to grind. We’re going to continue to play good baseball after the fifth inning. We’re going to really show up and do things the right way.”
Ramirez has hit just one home run in more than a month. He hit home runs in consecutive games back on June 9-10, but had just one long ball since then, a two-run shot in a 13-1 win over Kansas City on July 9th.
“I think that I think that Jose has probably led the charge with that (mentality,” Quantrill said. “As a guy with that much time, and that successful. The contract and all that. Continuing to play in that kind of way, really there’s no excuse for anyone else.”
Josh Naylor added a solo home run and Nolan Jones pitched in with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning as the game was out of reach but had Quantrill waivered early it could have been a far different situation.
“I’m so impressed (with Naylor). The injury is just a whole extra side of it, that he’s coming back from such a traumatic injury,” Quantrill said. “I think for a long time I’ve thought that this is what Naylor is capable of. Now, seeing it, I almost feel like ‘Ha I told you guys’ He’s a gifted athlete. His bats-to-balls is plus-plus. I think his desire to win is pretty special.”