CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Jose Ramirez woke the slumbering lumber company known as the Indians offense Wednesday afternoon with two big bangs.
Ramirez clobbered a pair of two-run home runs, Shane Bieber struck out a dozen Royals and the Indians secured a split of their brief two-game series with the Royals, 4-2 at Progressive Field in front of 5,908 paying customers.
“This just in, Josey’s pretty good,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
It was the 17th career multi-homer game of Ramirez’s career and 17th game with 10 or more strikeouts for Bieber, passing CC Sabathia for eighth-most in franchise history.
Ramirez helped lift a weight off the shoulders of a sputtering offense with his big afternoon.
“I don’t feel that pressure,” Ramirez said through his interpreter. “We’re a team and we’re supposed to do this all together.”
In what was supposed to be a bullpen day for Kansas City, Jakob Junis threw five shutout innings, allowing just one hit. He walked two and struck out six.
The Royals struck first off Bieber, who was in command for most of the afternoon.
Salvador Perez hit the first offering from Bieber of the fourth inning 419 feet into the shrubs in center to give the Royals a 1-0 lead, his second home run of the season, but that is the only damage done against the 2020 Cy Young award winner.
Bieber’s afternoon ended with one out in the seventh following a walk to Kyle Isabel and a single to left from Michael Taylor. He allowed just the two runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings fanning 12 and walking four.
“I thought he was terrific,” Francona said. “He knows we’re not throwing a bunch of runs up on the board so it’s not the easiest way to pitch.”
In his first two starts this season, Bieber has pitched 12 1/3 innings and allowed eight hits, five earned runs with 24 strikeouts and seven walks.
After sending a drive deep down the line, but foul, Ramirez straightened out his next swing, drilling a ball 355 feet to the seats in right with a man aboard to give the Indians a 2-1 lead with two out in the sixth.
“He has a funny way of doing that – foul ball, homer, foul ball, homer,” Bieber said. “You know he’s on it and he’s going straighten it out. Sure enough, he did.”
He connected again in the eighth with one out, a man aboard and the game tied at 2 to give the Indians a 4-2 lead.
James Karinchak relieved and promptly gave up an RBI single to center to Nicky Lopez, scoring Isabel, to tie the game at 2.
Josh Naylor and Jake Bauers tallied back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the seventh but Royals reliever Scott Barlow struck out the side to keep the game tied at 2.
Ramirez broke the tie with his second blast to the chairs in right field in the bottom of the eighth on a 3-2 count off of Royals reliever Greg Holland.
“He’s a gamer, man,” Bieber said. "It never turns off. Whether it’s going good or it’s not, he’s the same guy and he brings that same energy and that’s why we rely on him so much. Not just physically, but as a leader in the clubhouse, the way he goes about everything.
“Really can’t say enough about the guy. He comes up in big moments like he did today and that’s why he’s our guy.”
Emmanuel Clase, who hit triple digits on the radar gun with regularity, pitched a scoreless eighth and struck out a pair to earn the victory.
Nick Wittgren pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to collect his first save of the season.
