Cleveland @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( May 2, 2025 ) Cleveland 3, Toronto 5
The Cleveland Guardians expect to know more about the status of injured star third baseman Jose Ramirez on Saturday afternoon when they continue their series with the host Toronto Blue Jays.
Ramirez sustained a mild sprain to his right ankle in Toronto's 5-3 win in the opener of the three-game set on Friday night. He was able to walk off the field after lunging into the first base bag and tumbling to the ground on an infield single in the third inning. The throw from Toronto pitcher Chris Bassitt hit Ramirez on the back as he reached the bag.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Ramirez told him that he could have continued. Vogt played it safe.
"We can't take that chance," Vogt said. "We have good reports so far. He is really sore. So we'll have to see how he feels in the morning."
Ramirez, a six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner, has 260 career home runs and 251 stolen bases.
"He's our leader for a reason," left fielder Steven Kwan said. "He plays the game 100 percent. He never takes a day off, and with that comes those risks, so it's scary to see him go down."
Ramirez was 2-for-2 before leaving in the third inning, and his replacement in the lineup, Daniel Schneemann, doubled in his lone at-bat.
Cleveland, which has been dealing with a tired bullpen, lost after Jakob Junis allowed a two-out, two-run single to Nathan Lukes in the eighth.
Kwan had three hits after going 0-for-12 across the previous three games. Cleveland's Carlos Santana hit a solo home run and an RBI single, and Bo Naylor also homered.
The Blue Jays will start right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-3, 4.50 ERA) on Saturday as they look for their second consecutive series win on the six-game homestand. Gausman is 4-5 with a 2.91 ERA in nine games (eight starts) against Cleveland.
The Guardians will counter with right-hander Gavin Williams (2-2, 5.14 ERA). He has faced the Blue Jays once, a start, and he came away with a no-decision despite pitching well enough to win. On Aug. 7, 2023, Williams struck out 12 in seven shutout innings against Toronto in Cleveland. He gave us just one hit and one walk.
The Blue Jays, who have won three in a row, got a solo home run, two walks and a stolen base on Friday from George Springer. The four-time All-Star struggled through much of 2024 but is hitting well in 2025.
"I think last year he got caught up in a lot of different stuff, trying to do too much," Toronto manager John Schneider said. "Just having one thing lead to another. He carried us for about a month but wasn't there all year. So, finding peace, I think, having a clear mind, understanding that it is not going to be perfect every single night, and just being invested in every single at-bat."
Springer said, "One swing of the bat can help. But being able to walk or get hit by a pitch or score a run, there is more than one way to help the team. I just got back to who I am as a player."
He improved his on-base percentage to .423 on Friday, fourth best in the majors.
In his 14 home games, Springer has a slash line of .325/.481/.575 with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs and 10 runs.
--Field Level Media