CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez hit a run-scoring double to tie for the major league lead in RBIs, Shane Bieber pitched neatly into the fifth inning before a long rain delay and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Texas Rangers 4-0 Wednesday night.
Ramírez went 2 for 4 with a stolen base and his 54th RBI of the season, matching Mets star Pete Alonso.
Andrés Giménez had two doubles and an RBI, and Josh Naylor and Steven Kwan each singled twice as the Guardians moved back to .500 for the second time this week.
“I still don’t know what exactly happened with the delay, but even after all that happened, we made the most of it,” Bieber said. “You just try to take it in stride and realize you’re not the only person being bothered by it. A win is a win.”
Bieber recorded his 700th career strikeout by whiffing Mitch Garver in the fourth. The right-hander reached the milestone in his 93rd game, matching the second-fewest appearances to do so all-time behind Yu Darvish’s 87.
The Guardians led 4-0 in the fifth when crew chief Alfonso Marquez called for the tarp after Nathaniel Lowe’s one-out single. Bieber repeatedly cursed while walking off the field when play was halted — two outs shy of an official game — for 1 hour, 52 minutes.
“Everyone knew the implication of that inning, so I wasn’t the happiest,” said Bieber, who allowed three hits, struck out six and walked none in 4 1/3 innings. “I was obviously frustrated.”
The nine-inning game, which was delayed 15 minutes at the start, was completed in just 2:07, matching the total time of the two delays. Five Cleveland pitchers needed only 100 pitches to retire the Rangers.
“I thought Bieber was terrific,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep going,…
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