Ramírez at center of Guardians offense firing on all cylinders

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians’ offense is most dangerous when José Ramírez is at the center of its run production. While this hasn’t been a typical season for the 33-year-old, Cleveland is counting on him to lead the way as it pushes to secure a postseason spot.

Sunday was perhaps as good as an example as any of what Cleveland’s lineup can do when it’s firing on all cylinders, with its superstar at the center of its attack.

The Guardians beat the Royals, 11-1, at Progressive Field to avoid a three-game sweep. Ramírez went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and four RBIs, bringing his career totals to 296 homers and 997 RBIs.

The Guardians improved to 69-68 and hold a 1 1/2-game lead on the Blue Jays for the third American League Wild Card spot.​ Cleveland sits 3 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading White Sox (72-64).

“I think you saw everyone in that dugout, the clubhouse, everyone that's a Cleveland Guardians fan, cracked a smile when we saw that ball go over the fence,” said starter Parker Messick, who allowed one run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings.

“The biggest smile was on José’s face. When you get that guy going, we all go. He gives us all the confidence in the world. When he leads us out there, we feel like we're unstoppable.”

Ramírez’s home run was his first since June 6, though the caveat is he spent five weeks on the injured list (June 13-July 22) with a left hamate fracture. He has been working to return to form since he came off the IL last month, all while trying to recover strength post-surgery and dealing with pain. He has shown some good signs of late.

Including Sunday, Ramírez has a .293/.358/.447 slash line his past 15 games.

“Many times you feel that weakness when you're hitting,” Ramírez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero of his return from surgery. “It's only been two months. People forget that that's a very serious injury. It takes some time to recover, but we want to be in a good spot trying to find ways to get better every day.”

Ramírez got the Guardians on the board with a game-tying sacrifice fly off Royals starter Seth Lugo in the first inning Sunday. In the fourth, he got a 1-0 curveball from Lugo that hung over the plate. Ramírez drove it a Statcast-projected 380 feet over the right-field wall to give the Guardians a 9-1 lead.

Ramírez now is just four home runs away from becoming the ninth player with 300 career long balls and 300 career stolen bases, following Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Steve Finley.

Ramírez’s recent surge has come alongside a strong month offensively for the entire Guardians lineup. They ended August with a .264/.337/.385 slash line in 27 games. In 111 games through July, Cleveland collectively slashed .230/.309/.368.

A game like Sunday is a microcosm of why this group has fared better.

Steven Kwan went 2-for-3, as he continued his incredible second-half surge. Chase DeLauter went 4-for-4 (his third career four-hit game), in another standout performance during his strong rookie season. Trade Deadline acquisitions Jo Adell (3-for-4 with a double) and Nathaniel Lowe (1-for-4 with a two-run home run) each had four RBIs.

With Ramírez on the upswing, Kwan and DeLauter remaining steady and Adell and Lowe contributing, the Guardians’ lineup has been tougher to navigate. When those guys are rolling, this mix feels a lot deeper than it has at times.

“You're going to have games where pitchers shut you down,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “You're going to have games where you just don't put it together. But we like what this offense is. We like what it's trending to be, and we're getting contributions up and down the line.”​

The Guardians ended August with a 9-3 burst to hold serve in the AL postseason picture. The next time they take the field, they will kick off a 25-game sprint to the finish line that they hope includes clinching a spot in the postseason.

The Guardians can’t score 11 runs every game, but they like where their offense is heading into the final month. Ramírez looking more like himself is a key reason why.

“In general, as a whole lineup, I think we have a really good team,” Ramírez said. “Obviously we’re getting to that point where everybody's going to be able to contribute. I'm confident we're going to be in a good spot, and all of us are going to be able to contribute to good things.”