With Jose Ramirez back, Guardians eye series win vs. Twins

The Cleveland Guardians survived the five-week absence of Jose Ramirez caused by a broken left hamate bone. Will his return be enough to spur them to a third straight American League Central Division crown?

Ramirez will be in the lineup for the second day in a row on Thursday afternoon when Cleveland wraps up a seven-game homestand against the Minnesota Twins.

Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (10-5, 4.00 ERA) takes on Twins righty Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.85) in the finale of the four-game series.

Ramirez had been on the injured list since fracturing his wrist on June 13 against the Detroit Tigers -- requiring surgery to remove the hook on the hamate -- before being activated Wednesday. He did not go on a rehab assignment.

The seven-time All-Star third baseman went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run in Cleveland's 10-6 loss. The Guardians went 15-15 with him on the shelf, remaining in a neck-and-neck battle with the first-place Chicago White Sox.

"I'm very happy to be back and thank God for be able to be back," Ramirez said through interpreter Agustin Rivero. "I was a little anxious to be back with my teammates.

"The sensation of not being able to be in the lineup is something you can feel. It's hard to explain, but it's real."

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt wasted no time with the face of the franchise, putting Ramirez in his customary second spot in the batting order. He received a very warm ovation from the home crowd, then promptly singled and scored.

"In the first inning, he showed you what we missed and his presence lifted up the whole group today," Vogt said. "It was just fun to have him back, and it's not a shock to see him come out of the gate this well."

Ramirez was charged with an error when first baseman Kyle Manzardo failed to pick his throw off an Alan Roden grounder, but it hardly was significant as the Guardians lost for the first time in the series against division rival Minnesota.

Williams will pitch against the Twins for the third time this season, splitting his first two decisions with a 4.85 ERA. He has worked against them nine times (all starts) in all four years in the majors, compiling a 4-3 record and 3.27 ERA over 44 innings.

Minnesota pulled within three games of the Boston Red Sox for the final AL wild-card spot Wednesday, fueled by a four-RBI performance from Brooks Lee and three more by Trevor Larnach. Both also homered in the Twins' top scoring night since July 4.

It wasn't all roses, though, as Bailey Ober continued their woeful stretch of starting pitching by giving up four runs in a season-low tying four innings.

The swoon began on July 18, when Bradley gave up five runs in five innings in a 6-2 loss at the Chicago Cubs that snapped his three-start winning streak. In four career games against Cleveland, he is 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings.

--Field Level Media