AROUND THE HORN
Guardians: Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez will undergo X-rays and other tests on his right shin after being injured during an at-bat in Thursday’s 4-2 home loss to the Reds. Ramírez collapsed in pain after fouling a ball off his shin in the eighth inning. After going down, he rolled onto his back in the dirt near home plate, and the 29-yearold Ramírez needed several minutes to recover. He then hobbled back into the batter’s box and promptly hit a single for his 34th RBI. Ramírez was pulled for a pinch-runner after the hit. Guardians manager Terry Francona said Ramírez, one of baseball’s best all-around players, will have his leg checked for any serious damage. “He’s pretty sore,” Francona said. “Hit above his (protective) pad, just below his knee. For him to react like that, he’s a pretty tough kid. He’s going to get some X-rays, but he’s sore.” Ramírez signed a sevenyear, $141 million contract extension with Cleveland on the eve of opening day. Meanwhile, Francona, who just returned to the team after being out with COVID19, will miss Friday’s series opener against the Tigers to have a minor surgical procedure. He’s expected to be back Saturday. The 63-year-old Francona was sidelined for much of the last two seasons with serious medial issues. He managed just 14 games in 2020 due to gastrointestinal issues, and stepped away last July following foot surgery. Bench coach Demarlo Hale will fill in for Francona against the Tigers.
Mets: Pete Alonso hit a two-run HR in the 10th to lift the Mets to a 7-6 win over the visiting Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt tied the score 5-5 with two outs in the ninth off Mets closer Edwin Díaz with his fourth
RBI of the game. Albert Pujols hit a run-scoring double play grounder in the 10th of the Cards’ first-extra inning game this year. With the automatic runner on second, Alonso drove the second pitch from Giovanny Gallegos (0-2) into the left field second deck for his third career game-ending HR. It was the 10th HR of the season for Alonso, who leads the major leagues with 33 RBIS. Colin Holderman (1-0), who made his big league debut last weekend, got his first big league decision as the NL East leaders moved a season-high 12 games over .500 by winning three of four from the Cards. This was the first time since 2014 that the Mets won the season series against the Cards.
Padres: Yu Darvish escaped a jam and retired $179 million of offense in Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in a key spot, pitching seven shutout innings to lead theadres to a 2-0 win over the host Phillies. The Padres took two of three from the Phillies and moved 10 games over .500 (24-14). Each game included a shutout. Darvish (4-1) struck out five, walked none, allowed six hits and continued a run of solid starts. But it was the veteran right-hander’s work in the sixth that helped the Padres win the series. Darvish allowed one-out singles to Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm that put runners on the corners with the Padres ahead 2-0. Schwarber, who entered batting .189, struck out swinging. Castellanos, the cleanup hitter, grounded into an inning-ending forceout. Phillies star Bryce Harper missed a fourth straight game from the lingering effects of platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow. The Phillies hope he can return Friday against the Dodgers.