CLEVELAND _ Jose Ramirez had to deal with some suspension rumors on Tuesday that turned out to be false.
A few hours later, he answered the untrue report the only way he knows how _ by turning in another multi-extra-base-hit game to help lift the Indians to a 7-3 win over the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field.
It was the Indians' fourth consecutive win and brought their record to 28-25.
In his first at-bat, Ramirez drove an RBI double to left field off White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to give the Indians 1-0 lead. In the fifth, he belted a solo home run to right field. It was his 16th homer of the season, bringing him within two of Mike Trout and the major-league lead.
The Indians were able to confirm with Major League Baseball that the rumors of a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs had no truth to them. Ramirez then did his part to confirm that he's among the best hitters in the game today, furthering his position among the game's elite offensive players.
Michael Brantley added a three-hit day, which included a solo home run, his ninth of the season, in the third and an RBI single in the seventh. He extended his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Yonder Alonso singled home a run in the first inning to make it 2-0, and in the fifth Francisco Lindor drove in Greg Allen, who doubled to lead off the inning, with a single.
Jason Kipnis, facing White Sox reliever Chris Beck in the eighth, hit his third home run of the season to center field to extend the Indians' lead to 7-1. After a slow start to the season, Kipnis is now 7 for his last 18 with three extra-base hits.
With plenty of offensive support, Mike Clevinger (4-2) logged another strong start to add to his 2018 resume. He pitched into the seventh, allowed just one run on four hits and struck out seven, lowering his ERA to 3.14.
