For the Guardians, Ramírez hit three hits in three visits to the plate, adding two home runs, with two runs scored and three runs batted in.
Dominican shortstop José Ramírez had a perfect afternoon with the bat on Wednesday, hitting three hits, including two homers, and driving in three runs to lead the Cleveland Rangers’ offense in a 7-0 shutout victory over the San Diego Padres.
For Ramirez, it was his third two-homer game of the season, leading the Rangers with 25 home runs.
With his two homers on Wednesday, the 29-year-old star has now knocked the ball out of the park three times in his last four games.
The native of Baní, Dominican Republic, has used his hits to drive in five runs and score two runs in these four games.
Ramirez, who has finished in the top six in American League Most Valuable Player voting in four of the last five seasons, has been instrumental for the Guardians, who have won 13 of their last 16 games.
Ramirez took it upon himself to open the scoring in the first episode when he grounded left-hander Blake Snell (5-7), sending the ball over the left-field wall in the first inning.
The Guardians unleashed a five-run scoring attack in the fourth inning, which practically defined the game.
In the fourth inning, the stellar Dominican shortstop terrorized Snell once again, depositing the ball behind the wall again, with no runners on base, to extend the Guardians’ lead (0-2).
Right behind Ramirez’s home run, his compatriot Oscar Gonzalez repeated the dose by sending the ball beyond the outfield to add the second score (0-3) for Cleveland in that fourth act.
Luke Maile drove in the third run with a single to left field and the final two runs on a Steven Kwan hit to put the Guardians ahead by a six-run margin (0-6),
Ramirez brought the Guardians’ final run on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Right-hander Cal Quantrill (10-5) worked seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out five batters to earn the win.
Snell (5-7), who left the mound after allowing six hits in 3.1 episodes, took the loss for the Padres.
For the Guardians, Ramírez hit three hits in three visits to the plate, adding two home runs, with two runs scored and three runs batted in; González hit a home run in four innings, scored and drove in a run; and Amed Rosario hit a single in four chances with the lumber.
For the Padres, Dominican Manny Machado and Curacao native Jurickson Profar went hitless in four at-bats and Colombian Jorge Alfaro missed three at-bats.
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