José Ramírez homers as Guardians rally in Game 4

The Guardians were able to stave off elimination with a victory in Game 3 on Wednesday and they’ll run back an almost identical lineup as they try to do the same in Game 4. The only change will be Hedges catching instead of Patrick Bailey. Here’s the full lineup for the Guardians in a must-win spot against Hagen Smith and company on Thursday evening in Chicago: Steven Kwan (CF), Jose Ramirez (3B), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jo Adell (DH), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Angel Martinez (LF), Travis Bazzana (2B), Hedges (C) and Brayan Rocchio (SS).

Ramírez helped Cleveland stave off elimination at Rate Field with a multi-hit performance after going hitless in six at-bats through the first two games of the best-of-five series. The 34-year-old franchise cornerstone snapped out of his brief postseason funk by scalding a 106.5-mph double off White Sox rookie Noah Schultz in the fifth inning. He swiped second base and crossed the plate thanks to a brilliant slide on a fielder’s choice later in the frame. He extended Cleveland’s lead by supplying a pair of key insurance runs with a triple down the left-field line with two outs in the eighth inning. He also made a phenomenal defensive play at the hot corner to take away a potential bases-loaded hit from Miguel Vargas in the sixth inning. The Guardians need one more victory in Game 4 on Thursday evening to keep their season alive and send it back to Cleveland for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday.

Ramírez, who did manage to walk and score a run in this one, has gone 0-for-6 with three strikeouts during the first two contests of the best-of-five series. The Guardians have mustered just three runs on seven hits combined during that span. They’ll attempt to stave off elimination when the series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday evening.

With the American League Central wrapped up, Guardians’ skipper Stephen Vogt is using Sunday as an opportunity to give several of his regulars a day off including Ramírez, Steven Kwan, Chase DeLauter, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio.

Ramírez doubled to begin the fourth, advanced to third on a flyout and scored on Jo Adell’s tapper in front of the plate. The steal, his 35th of the year, came later in the eighth. He’s seventh in the majors in steals, and with just four caught stealings, he has the best success rate of any of the 12 players with 30 steals.

It’s been a down year for Ramírez based on his surreal track record of first-round fantasy production that stretches back nearly a decade. However, he’s come on strong approaching the finish line when the Guardians, and fantasy managers, have needed him most this season. The 34-year-old stalwart came through with a game-tying RBI single in the fourth inning before extending Cleveland’s lead with a solo homer in the sixth inning. It was his 12th big fly of the season. He also picked up his 34th stolen base of the year in this one. With the victory, the Guardians remain in a virtual tie with the White Sox for the AL Central division title with just over one week left in the regular season.

J-Ram has struggled badly since returning from a fractured hamate bone earlier this summer. Wednesday’s doubles were his first extra-base hits in September. While he has somewhat salvaged his fantasy performance with 33 stolen bases, his .230 batting average and lack of power have taken their toll on teams where he was a first-round selection. Determining to what degree his second-half struggles can be attributed to the injury will go a long way toward setting his 2027 ADP and bounce-back potential.

Ramírez hasn’t delivered his usual first-round fantasy production this season, mostly due to the lingering impact of a mid-June hamate fracture. However, he’s still managed to reach the lofty 30-steal plateau for the third consecutive season.

The 33-year-old superstar has really struggled since returning from a broken hamate bone, slashing a woeful .214/.289/.270 with just one homer, 15 RBI and seven stolen bases in 180 plate appearances across 42 games. Angel Genao will cover third base in his absence and will bat seventh for the Guardians against Twins’ right-hander Joe Ryan.

Ramírez dropped a routine foul popup from Coby Mayo for the error. Mayo then hit the next pitch 407 feet for a solo homer. The hitless game leaves Ramírez 5-for-36 with no extra-base hits this month. He’s hit .227/.304/.287 with one home run in 40 games since returning from a broken hamate bone, an injury that has a history of sapping power from hitters.