– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — In-line with his quiet demeanor on and off the field, Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez continued his stealth ascent up the franchise’s record books on Monday evening. Also possibly in-line with Ramírez’s demeanor, the Cleveland Guardians quietly continued their red-hot form on the diamond.
Ramírez hit a tie-breaking solo home ruin in the sixth inning while starting pitcher Tanner Bibee allowed an earned run in six innings of work as the Guardians defeated the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Monday evening. Three Cleveland relievers combined to not allow a hit in the final three innings as the Guardians won their sixth straight. .
The matchup between the franchises on Monday was historic as, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time the two clubs ever met in a game when both were at least 20 games over .500. To mark the occasion, Ramírez made history with one of the charter franchises of the American League with his 236th career home run while leading off the sixth inning against Orioles starter Cade Povich. The homer tied Manny Ramirez for third all-time in franchise history with 236, and Jose is just six homers away from Albert Belle (242) for second.
“It’s another milestone for me,” Ramírez said through an interpreter. “I’m really happy with my work and the effort I always give and just keep moving forward. The goal is to win and that is what I’m focused on.”
All the Guardians have done lately is win, and the victory moved Cleveland eight games ahead of second-place Minnesota in the American League Central. Cleveland did not have the services of regular closer Emmanuel Clase, who had pitched in four of the last five days and earned the save in each of his last three appearances. Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis worked the seventh and eighth, respectively, before Scott Barlow struck out the side in the ninth for his second save this season.
“I’ve had calmer games,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “But we’ve talked about it all year, that’s the beauty of this bullpen is every one of them can pitch in leverage. Mr. Barlow’s had his fair share of saves as well, so he’s in a very comfortable situation for him.”
Baltimore has now lost a season-high four consecutive games, coming back home after getting swept in a three-game series in Houston. Povich, who threw 31 pitches in the first inning, allowed an RBI single to Ramírez just three batters into the game, which came after the rookie hurler gave up a single to Steven Kwan and walked Andres Giménez to start the game. Baltimore tied the game in the bottom of the frame after Ryan O’Hearn singled home Gunnar Henderson, who began the inning with a double.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Monday evening’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 26 pictures in total.
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