José Ramírez homers, reaches 1,000 RBIs as Guardians down A's 5-3 to stay atop AL Central

CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez and rookie Travis Bazzana homered and Joey Cantillo pitched six scoreless innings as the Cleveland Guardians rallied to beat the Athletics 5-3 on Friday night and stay atop the AL Central.

Ramírez connected in the sixth inning to give the Guardians a two-run cushion. His 12th homer was also the seven-time All-Star's 1,000th RBI, making him just the second Cleveland player to reach the plateau. Earl Averill drove in 1,084 runs.

Bazzana snapped a 3-3 tie in the fifth as the Guardians came back after falling behind 3-0 in the first.

Cleveland, 18-9 since Aug. 20, came in tied with Chicago for first in the division. The White Sox hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Cantillo (10-9) allowed two hits in six innings after replacing opener Daniel Espino. Cantillo has not given up a run in 10 innings over his past two outings.

Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith finished off the combined three-hitter. Smith worked the ninth for his 38th save.

Zack Gelof hit a three-run homer for the A's, who are 0-4 on their final road trip of 2026.

Bazzana put Cleveland ahead 4-3 in the fifth with his 15th homer, a 411-foot leadoff drive to center off Scott Blewett (2-1).

The Guardians had squandered early scoring chances, loading the bases in the first two innings but failing to push a run across.

Cleveland finally strung some hits together in the fourth, scoring three times off starter Mason Barnett to tie it.

Rocchio, who leads all MLB No. 9 hitters in RBI with 50, delivered a two-run double and scored on Ramírez's two-out single.

Espino opened for Cleveland and started poorly.

The right-hander walked three in the first and allowed the three-run homer to Gelof, his 19th.

LHP Jacob Lopez (6-4, 5.02 ERA) starts Saturday for Oakland against Tanner Bibee (6-15, 4.16), who has gotten minimal support (3.05 runs per game) this season.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio, right, watches his two-run double off Athletics starting pitcher Mason Barnett as Athletics catcher Jonah Heim, left, looks on during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Athletics' Michael Stefanic, left, cannot hold on to the ball as Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, right, slides safely into second base with a steal during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Petey Halpin slides safely across home plate on a double hit by Brayan Rocchio during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Joey Cantillo delivers against the Athletics during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, right, watches his solo home run off Athletics relief pitcher Seth Johnson as Athletics catcher Jonah Heim, left, looks on during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

PHOENIX (AP) — Three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge is headed back on the injured list — this time with a right calf strain — and New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn't sure whether the slugger will be able to return for the postseason.

New York said it will make the roster move on Saturday. The placement could be backdated to Thursday, meaning it is possible Judge could return for New York’s regular-season finale on Sept. 27.

Boone didn't offer any guarantees that would happen.

“I don’t know,” Boone said. “I don’t have a timeline on him. He’s on the IL now. I’m not going to predict anything. He’s getting treated and we’ll see what transpires.”

Judge was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning Wednesday during a game against the Minnesota Twins because of the discomfort in his leg. Judge said at the time it was a precautionary move, but Boone said symptoms persisted and an MRI showed the strain.

Judge was 4 for 23 with 13 strikeouts and one extra-base hit in seven games since returning last week from a broken rib, which kept him out of the lineup for more than three months.

Boone said utilityman Max Schuemann will be recalled from Triple-A to take Judge's place on the roster. Schuemann is batting .194 with two homers and eight RBIs in 87 big league plate appearances this season.

Three-time All-Star Cody Bellinger said he was frustrated for Judge because he knows how hard the 34-year-old has worked to get back into the lineup.

“It hurts. We all know he's the best hitter in the game,” Bellinger said. “But for us in here, the mindset is that we're going to have to find a way. I think the talent in this locker room speaks for itself, and I'm fully confident that we have enough talent in here to go out and beat anybody.”

Judge is hitting .241 with 18 homers and 41 RBIs over 66 games this season. The Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot but entered Friday five games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Boone echoed Bellinger's sentiment that the Yankees have enough talent to weather another Judge injury. Ben Rice leads New York with 38 homers while Bellinger is hitting .276 with a team-high 25 doubles, 16 homers and 71 RBIs.

The Yankees entered with 47-39 record in the games Judge has missed this season and a 41-25 mark in games that he's played.

“We've got a lot of really good offensive players,” Boone said. “A lot of good players, guys who are playing really well now. The reality is we've had to play a lot of this year without him. There's no replacing a player like Aaron Judge, but we have high expectations that don't change.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks back to the dugout after the bottom of the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)