In the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night, José Ramírez hit his fifth career grand slam, helping the Guardians to a 14-1 victory. Despite having a losing record, the Guardians moved into first place in the AL Central division.
Ramírez’s grand slam came in the third inning off a first-pitch cutter from Royals pitcher Austin Cox. Cox had started the inning by allowing a single and two walks. Even though the Royals manager, Matt Quatraro, acknowledged that the pitch wasn’t necessarily bad, Ramírez’s hitting prowess was evident. He has been recognized as one of the best hitters in the game for several years.
Ramírez’s grand slam set the tone for the game and allowed the Guardians to relax at the plate. He also contributed with an RBI double in the seventh inning. Overall, Ramírez has hit 13 home runs this season and has been on a hot streak, batting .411 with 14 extra-base hits in his last 18 games.
The victory over the Royals propelled the Cleveland Guardians past the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central standings. Despite their losing record, the Guardians have won seven of their last nine games.
Josh Bell, another standout player for the Guardians, hit a two-run homer and a two-run double in the game against the Royals. His home run was a massive 464-foot shot into the right-field fountains. Bell expressed his satisfaction with hitting a ball so far and hopes to replicate such performances in the future.
Cleveland’s manager, Terry Francona, missed his second consecutive game due to hospitalization for feeling lightheaded. The team continued to perform well in his absence.
Looking ahead, the Guardians aim to complete a three-game sweep of the Royals in their next matchup. Shane Bieber will start for Cleveland, while Zach Greinke will take the mound for Kansas City. First pitch at 1:10 on KTTN AM 1600 and FM 98.3.
In St. Louis, the Houston Astros staged a comeback, fueled by a three-run homer by José Altuve in the eighth inning, to win the game 10-7.
The Astros had lost three out of their previous four games but managed to overcome a 7-5 deficit in the eighth inning. Altuve, who had missed the two previous games due to a heel injury, reached base five times in his return. His three-run homer off reliever Giovanny Gallegos gave the Astros an 8-7 lead, and two batters later, José Abreu added a two-run homer to extend the lead further.
Altuve spent his time recovering from the injury studying and working on his timing, which paid off with his crucial home run. Houston manager Dusty Baker expressed his confidence in Altuve’s ability to perform well after a brief absence, and Abreu also praised Altuve’s impact on the game.
Abreu, who had a total of three RBIs in the game, including his 900th career RBI in the first inning, has been on a hot streak with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 22 games this month.
The victory was significant for the Astros, who had struggled recently, winning only 7 out of their previous 21 games. Altuve emphasized the team’s resilience and determination to never give up, and he believes that every win is crucial going forward.
Altuve has had great success against the Cardinals throughout his career, raising his batting average against them to .383, the highest against any team.
Seth Martinez earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief, and Ryan Pressly closed the game, securing his 15th save of the season.
Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Brendan Donovan hit home runs for the Cardinals, but their efforts weren’t enough to secure the victory. Gallegos, who gave up Altuve’s home run, suffered the loss.
The Cardinals’ rookie Jordan Walker, who currently holds the longest hitting streak in the majors with 16 games, was given the day off.
Nolan Arenado left the game in the sixth inning due to tightness in his lower back and is considered day-to-day.
The game featured the oldest and youngest managers in the majors, with Dusty Baker at 74 years old and Oliver Marmol at 36.
In the series finale, Adam Wainwright was scheduled to start for the Cardinals, while J.P. France was set to start for the Astros.
The MLB scoreboard for Wednesday, June 28, 2023:
Texas Rangers 10, Detroit Tigers 2
Pittsburgh Pirates 7, San Diego Padres 1
Cleveland Guardians 14, Kansas City Royals 1
Milwaukee Brewers 5, New York Mets 2
Chicago White Sox 11, Los Angeles Angels 5
Philadelphia Phillies 8, Chicago Cubs 5
New York Yankees 11, Oakland Athletics 0
Colorado Rockies 9, Los Angeles Dodgers 8
Atlanta Braves 3, Minnesota Twins 0
Washington Nationals 4, Seattle Mariners 1
Cincinnati Reds 11, Baltimore Orioles 7 (10)
Toronto Blue Jays 6, San Francisco Giants 1
Miami Marlins 6, Boston Red Sox 2
Houston Astros 10, St. Louis Cardinals 7
Tampa Bay Rays 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2