Without Ramirez, Indians begin stretch run against Tigers

The loss of one of their best players puts the Cleveland Indians in a precarious position as they try to reach the postseason. A three-game series against the host Detroit Tigers should help their quest entering the final 31 games of the regular season.

Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez underwent surgery on Monday to repair a fractured right hamate bone. Ramirez could miss the remainder of the season.

"I feel bad for Josey," manager Terry Francona said to MLB.com over the weekend. "There's two ways to look at it. ... You can feel sorry for yourself, which probably doesn't end well. Or you can choose to fight back and feel like this is our time to shine. And I would choose No. 2. I'm aware that it got more difficult. We lost a great player. That doesn't mean you can't win. Just makes it a little harder."

Ramirez was injured while fouling off a pitch on Saturday night. The Indians lost 9-8 in 10 innings to Kansas City on Sunday after they heard the bad news about Ramirez's injury. The series at Detroit begins Tuesday night.

Cleveland has owned its division rival this season, winning 12 of 13 meetings. Ramirez batted .302 in those matchups with 11 runs scored, six extra-base hits and 10 RBIs.

Ramirez turned his season around during a mid-June visit to Detroit. His average bottomed out at .198 before the series but he had four hits in three games at Comerica Park.

He hit 16 of his 20 home runs from that point and raised his average to .254 before going on the shelf.

Rookie Yu-Cheng Chang and Mike Freeman will share the starts at third base in his absence.

"It's not going to be a straight platoon," Francona said. "I don't think that makes sense. Plus, we've moved Freeman around anyway. And Chang's been moving around at Triple-A. ... We have the ability to move guys around."

The Indians trail Central Division leader Minnesota by 3 1/2 games. They hold one of the wild card spots with Tampa Bay currently second in those standings. Oakland and Boston remain within striking distance.

Adam Plutko (5-3, 4.54 ERA) will start the series opener for Cleveland. The right-hander has pitched six innings in each of his last three outings.

In his most recent start on Wednesday, Plutko held the New York Mets to two runs on four hits. He's 2-0 with a 5.06 ERA in six career appearances against Detroit, including three starts. However, he's given up five home runs to the Tigers in 11 1/3 innings this season.

Detroit starter Spencer Turnbull (3-12, 4.05 ERA) has been battered around by the Indians this season. He's lost all four starts against them while posting a 6.30 ERA (0-4, 6.00 ERA overall). The rookie right-hander is also winless in 12 home starts, going 0-7 with a 4.19 ERA.

His last appearance was Tuesday, when he allowed five runs, including two homers, in a three-inning stint at Houston.

The Tigers played 24 games in 24 days prior to Monday's day off and went 7-17. They're returning from a 10-game road trip. They're just 17-43 at home this season.

"We're going home now and that's where we really have to start playing better," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We've not been very good at home and this club has to pick it up. I hope we can show our fans some of the things we've been doing on the road."

--Field Level Media

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