LEADING OFF: Indians minus Ramírez, Paxton-Sheffield
A look at what's happening around the majors today:
MAKE DO
José Ramírez's regular season is over. The postseason remains in play — if the Indians can make it without him.
Cleveland's hard-hitting third baseman is expected to need five to seven weeks to recover after underdoing hand surgery. Ramírez, whose hot bat the past two months helped get the Indians back into playoff contention, fractured the hamate bone in his right hand while taking a hard swing Saturday.
The team estimates he could be back as early as Oct. 1, when the AL playoffs open. Rookie Yu Chang and Mike Freeman will fill the spot in his absence.
REMEMBER US?
Yankees lefty James Paxton faces his old team when he starts at Seattle against Mariners youngster Justus Sheffield. Paxton was dealt from the Mariners to New York last November and Sheffield was the centerpiece of the trade package in return.
Paxton (10-6, 4.43 ERA) won his fifth consecutive start last Friday against the Dodgers, allowing two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings for the AL East leaders. It will be the second career start for Sheffield (0-0, 6.43), who struggled early and lasted only four innings in his first start last Friday against Toronto.
IN THE CARDS
Yadier Molina keeps mashing at Miller Park. The veteran St. Louis catcher has seven home runs this season, including three in the first two games of the series against the Brewers Molina has seven career multihomer performances, four of them in Milwaukee.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals have matched a season high with six straight wins. The 6-3 victory Tuesday night was delayed for about nine minutes in the late innings when rain began pouring through the retractable roof, which soon got shut.
Jack Flaherty (8-6, 3.32 ERA) starts for St. Louis in the series finale. Jordan Lyles (8-8, 4.69) tossed six hitless innings in his last start vs. Arizona.
BIG APPLE BOPPERS
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge became the third-fastest player in history to reach 100 home runs when he connected Tuesday night at Seattle. Judge reached the 100 mark in his 371st game. Only Ryan Howard (325) and Yankees teammate Gary Sanchez (355) got there faster. ... Mets slugger Pete Alonso became the first rookie in 81 years to break his team's season home run record when he hit No. 42 on Tuesday night. Todd Hundley shared the club mark of 41. The 24-year-old Alonso won the All-Star Home Run Derby in July. Johnny Rizzo was the previous major league rookie to take sole possession of his club's homer mark when he hit 23 for the Pirates in 1938. Rizzo's franchise mark was matched by Ralph Kiner in 1946.
LET'S SEE
Washington closer Sean Doolittle will throw a simulated game and if all goes well could be activated as soon as this weekend. He's been out with tendinitis in his right knee.
Doolittle will work out before Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.41 ERA) starts the series finale at Nationals Park against Baltimore.
DETROIT DOWNER
The Tigers have lost 12 straight to the Indians and are 13-1 against them this season. Carlos Santana had three hits and scored three times as Cleveland romped 10-1 on Tuesday night.
Detroit star Miguel Cabrera exited after two at-bats with tightness in his left biceps, the same one he tore to end his 2018 season in June.
The Tigers are 17-44 at Comerica Park and needs to win five of the final 20 home games to avoid becoming the first team since at least 1908 to drop 60 at home. Jordan Zimmermann (1-9, 6.48 ERA) starts against Indians rookie Aaron Civale (1-3, 1.82).
