(AP) — Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez will no longer be playing in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes was picked Wednesday to replace Ramírez, who had been the starting third baseman. The Guardians said Ramírez wanted “to focus on recovery and preparation for the second half of the season.”

Slade Cecconi has been one of the biggest bright spots of the entire Cleveland Guardians season, and the pitcher continues to get better and better with each start. Cecconi continued his strong season on Wednesday evening with a dominant start in Cleveland's 4-2 win over the Houston Astros.

HOUSTON — Baseball fans know what an intentional walk is. For a refresher, just look at what happens when Jose Ramirez comes to the plate in a game-deciding situation. He’s waved to first base on a free pass. Pitchers don’t even have to throw four pitches off the plate anymore.

Jose Ramirez kept his streak going when he crushed another home run to extend the Guardians' lead over the Astros.

However, Cleveland's eighth-ranked prospect has spent more time on the injured list this season than on the field, and Brito is headed right back to the IL following a recent injury. The organization announced on Tuesday that Brito has been placed on the 7-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

HOUSTON (WKBN) — The Cleveland Guardians re-signed pitcher Kolby Allard to a minor league contract and recalled him from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. In a corresponding roster move, left-handed pitcher Tim Herrin was optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

The Guardians claimed a surprising series win over Houston after entering the three-game set mired in a 10-game skid. The Astros dropped back-to-back home contests for the first time since suffering a three-game sweep to the San Francisco Giants in their first homestand of the year.

An inability to score runs has caused the Cleveland Guardians to fall rapidly in the American League Central standings.

Cleveland appeared poised to snap their skid when Steven Kwan’s RBI double in the eighth broke a scoreless tie. The rally began with Austin Hedges’ single that snapped an 0-for-10 slump, followed by a walk to Brayan Rocchio. Kwan, aiming for his third hit of the afternoon, then drove in pinch runner Daniel Schneemann with a double into the corner.

The Guardians were one strike away from a huge win against Tarik Skubal and the Tigers. Then it fell apart in stunning fashion.