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Ramirez’s minor league tour is coming to an end

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Manny Ramirez’s weeklong tour of the minors probably will end tonight in San Bernardino.

Ramirez is tentatively scheduled to play for the Class-A Inland Empire 66ers again on Tuesday for their series finale against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, but sources in his camp are saying he probably will skip the game because of its 11 a.m. start time.

Ramirez had a quiet night Sunday, as he was 0 for 2 with two strikeouts and a walk. He also played six innings in left field.

The night was a memorable one for Quakes starter Alexander Torres, a 21-year-old left-hander from Venezuela who pitched in the California/Carolina League All-Star game last week.

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Torres was saddled with the loss in the 66ers’ 4-1 victory but said he would never forget this night.

“This doesn’t happen every day,” he said of pitching to Ramirez.

Torres walked Ramirez on six pitches in the first inning.

“He likes to take a lot of pitches,” Torres said. “I saw that in his first at-bat. I threw some pitches really close to the zone and he didn’t swing at them.”

So Torres attacked Ramirez the next two times he faced him. Ramirez fell behind 0-2 in the count in both of those at-bats.

Torres struck him out with a curveball in the third inning and a changeup in the fourth.

Ramirez, who caught a fly ball in the fourth inning, is scheduled to be the 66ers’ designated hitter tonight.

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Minor league assignment to date

Two for seven with a home run, two runs and two walks in four games.

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Next

Will play for Inland Empire tonight in San Bernardino against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

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Quote of the day

“It’s too hot,” Ramirez was overheard telling his relative, Rico Perdomo. The game-time temperature was 102 degrees, a season high in San Bernardino.

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Etc.

Ramirez played in front of his fourth sellout crowd in four minor league games, this one counted at 6,424. Tonight’s game is also sold out. . . . Ramirez didn’t talk again. As was the case in Lake Elsinore on Saturday, the Inland Empire clubhouse was completely off-limits to reporters. Ramirez still hasn’t fielded any questions about Pedro Bosch, the South Florida doctor who wrote him the prescription for the banned substance that drew him a 50-game suspension. Bosch is under federal investigation.

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-- Dylan Hernandez

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