Guardians notes: Jose Ramirez not swinging it the way he normally does

CLEVELAND — Third baseman Jose Ramirez hasn't put up his usual MVP-type numbers over the first two-plus months, entering Wednesday slashing .260/.329/.430 with six home runs and 30 RBIs over 57 games. But manager Terry Francona isn't concerned that a right thumb injury requiring surgery in the offseason is an issue for Ramirez, who snapped an 0-for-16 skid Tuesday and entered Wednesday batting .210 (13-for-62) over his last 14 games. "He's good. He's done a really good job with that," Francona said of the injury Ramirez played through last year before having surgery in November. "He's human. I don't know any player in baseball that's not going to go 0-for-16 this year, Hosey included. "I think he gets pitched to probably more carefully than just about any hitter in baseball. I think there's a stat that out of the first three pitches, he gets less fastballs than any hitter in baseball. So there's probably multiple reasons." One of the reasons has undoubtedly been the four-time All-Star putting pressure on himself to produce for a lineup that has averaged fewer runs than nearly every team in the majors — 3.60 per game through Tuesday. "I think he does all the time. I think he understands how important he is to what we're doing," Francona said. Chill Will Right fielder Will Brennan got off to an awful start, the kind that gets you sent to the minors — like his platoon mate to open the season, Oscar Gonzalez — but Brennan stayed positive throughout the ordeal, even if he had to suspend reality a bit to get through. "That's just the funny part of baseball is that you're trying to trick your brain into thinking that you're doing well even when you're not," said Brennan, who was batting .183 on May 7. "And I tried to master that early on in the season when things weren't going that well, and I had a lot of good people in my corner picking me up. It's just the culmination of swinging at good pitches and putting the ball in play and then getting it rolling." There's no doubt Brennan is on a roll. He entered Wednesday owning a career-high seven-game hitting streak (14-for-25), raising his average from .222 to .268. His .560 average and .593 on-base percentage led the majors since May 29. l Speaking of Gonzalez, he was batting .248 with four homers and 24 RBIs in 26 games since being optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Doctor's office Francona said right-hander Cal Quantrill (right shoulder inflammation) has begun playing catch. "I think he's pretty upbeat and think he's glad that this is the route we went," Francona said of Quantrill, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. "I think it might have been bothering him more than he was letting on and probably for longer." Quantrill was one of nine players from Cleveland's organization to compete in the World Baseball Classic in March, starting once for Canada. Though he didn't blame the WBC for Quantrill's injury, Francona is torn when it comes to the international tournament prior to the MLB season. "The last thing you want to do is be critical of it," he said. "Guys are representing their country, so you send them with pride and your fingers crossed because it makes you nervous. I don't see how it can't. We're counting on these guys to eat up a lot of innings and when they're asked to compete before they're ready to compete, there's a lot there. There are times when it has ramifications." l Right-hander Cody Morris (shoulder strain) made his fourth rehab start — first for Columbus — Tuesday, allowing a run on a homer and striking out three over three innings. Morris pitched as a starter and reliever for Cleveland at the end of last year, but injuries have hampered him the last two seasons and the Guardians are in the midst of deciding which role suits him best. "We're trying to figure that out, the team's needs, what's best for him and truth be told, we're not all the way sure," Francona said. "There's two sides of it and we're just trying to make the best decision we can and it's a little murky." Roundin' third Cleveland's 29 one-run games through Tuesday was tied for the most in the majors through the first 60 games since 1994 (Dodgers, 31). The Guardians entered Wednesday leading the big leagues in the category, owning a 12-17 record. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @CAwesomeheimer.