Kluber looking to ace Blue Jays in Game 1 By Jane Lee / MLB.com | @JaneMLB | October 13th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The Indians will carry a depleted rotation into the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays, their starting group so bruised and battered by injuries that manager Terry Francona is considering a bullpen game when the clubs meet Tuesday in Toronto for Game 4. Without Carlos Carrasco (fractured hand) and Danny Salazar (strained forearm), Francona will have to get creative when attempting to find answers to the question he posed on Thursday on the eve of Game 1 at Progressive Field (Friday at 8 p.m. ET on TBS in the U.S., Sportsnet and RDS in Canada): "How do we win four games before they do?" Ace Corey Kluber hopes to make things easy for the Indians on Friday, just as he did last week when outpitching Red Sox ace David Price with ease in Game 2 of the AL Division Series. Kluber fired seven scoreless innings despite throwing on extended rest because of a groin injury. Kluber's gritty performance, which featured just three Boston hits next to seven strikeouts, offered relief in more than one way: a taxed bullpen was afforded needed rest, while the Indians were reassured of Kluber's health. "It was huge, just to make sure he was healthy," said right-hander Josh Tomlin, who will start for the Tribe in Game 3 (Monday at 8 p.m.). "I think everybody in the league knows what kind of pitcher he is when he's healthy. What I don't think people really understand is how much of a gamer he is. He wants to be out there. He doesn't ever want a break. If he could pitch every other day, he probably would. "Just seeing him being healthy and that quad issue or whatever it was, that his leg was OK, I think that bodes well for us no matter who we're facing. To have a guy like that -- to me, a premier, one of the best, if not the best pitcher in the American League, possibly in the whole league -- to be healthy is huge for us." The 30-year-old Kluber, who will be opposed by proven postseason performer Marco Estrada in the ALCS opener, has been one of the game's best pitchers four seasons running. The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner tallied 18 wins for the Indians with a 3.14 ERA, while quietly continuing his dominance. "What you see is what you get," Indians reliever Dan Otero said. "On and off the field, he sets a great example. He gets here early, works his butt off. He's one of the hardest workers we have and goes about his business the right way, and everybody kind of looks up to him in that regard. He doesn't say much, but that's just kind of the way he is. He doesn't need to talk much to be a leader. He's mild-mannered, but I think that helps him on the mound, and I don't think he wants the notoriety." Kluber, courtesy of a nasty cutter, routinely stymies right-handed batters, as they hit just .208 against him during the regular season. The Blue Jays have a lot of righty bats, yet they're one of a few teams to enjoy success against Kluber this year, tagging him for five runs on seven hits while drawing four walks in just 3 1/3 innings at Rogers Centre on July 3. Six weeks later, in a rematch staged in Cleveland, Kluber yet again issued four walks, but he was able to limit the damage to two runs across 6 2/3 innings, while fanning eight. "They're a solid lineup, one through nine," Kluber said. "It's not just two, three, four guys that can hurt you. Everybody in that lineup can hurt you. They have a lot of power, but they're also patient. You have to go out there and execute pitches. There's not really a magic formula. Just like what we asked about with Boston, it's not a magic formula, they're just a really good offense." "Corey's an ace," Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "We just have to put those playoff at-bats on him, which is working the count. He's going to come right after you. Have to be ready for the battle. Try to get some timely hits." Kluber's velocity dipped from its customary levels in his ALDS start, but not enough to warrant concern. He downplayed the variation, as did Francona, noting the 10-day layoff could have played a factor in Kluber's four-seam fastball velocity, which was down to 93.4 mph from 95.5 in his final regular-season start on Sept. 26. Kluber experienced the slightest of drops in speed on other pitches, too, but his movement was tremendous. A similar approach will prove paramount on Friday, when Kluber goes on six days' rest. "If I can go out there and give the team seven innings," Kluber said, "I'm not really concerned with how hard I'm throwing." "We expect a lot from him," lefty reliever Andrew Miller said. "It's tough to be in that situation. When he goes out to pitch, I feel like the team, the fans, the front office, everybody is expecting big things out of him. To carry that weight is not easy. He does such a good job of it. He's so even-keeled, and his attitude is so focused that I think it explains why he's had success with that pressure. He's prepared and incredibly talented, and it all adds up to who he is." Blue Jays-Indians: A position-by-position ALCS look By Mike Petriello / MLB.com | @mike_petriello | October 13th, 2016 An American League Championship Series featuring Cleveland and Toronto is a fascinating matchup for so many reasons, and not just because Blue Jays executives Mark Shapiro (president/CEO) and Ross Atkins (general manager) worked for the Indians for nearly 40 combined seasons before joining the Blue Jays last year. Neither team has represented the AL in the World Series since the 1990s, so that's at least one drought that will come to an end when the series begins tonight (8 p.m. ET on TBS in the U.S.; Sportsnet and RDS in Canada), and it doesn't take a ton of imagination to envision a scenario where Andrew Miller is in to face Jose Bautista with the game on the line -- even if "on the line" ends up being in the sixth inning. What we do know is that as we go through strengths and weaknesses, we'll note which players just had a big AL Division Series, but we won't let that overshadow the advantages. After all, a player who performed for months or the entire season has a much better track record than one who did so only for three games in a short series. Let's go position by position for strengths and weaknesses between Cleveland and Toronto.

Catcher Let's prove that right away, because while it is true that Roberto Perez came up withsome big moments in the ALDS against Boston, it's also true that he hit .183/.285/.294 (58Weighted Runs Created Plus, where 100 is league average) this season, and the semi-

healthy Yan Gomes didn't bat against the Red Sox at all. While Russell Martin had just one hit against Texas, it was a big Game 3 home run, and Martin's very good second half (122 wRC+) and long track record help overcome his poor first half (77 wRC+). Big advantage: Toronto

First base Both sides have big sluggers here, but Edwin Encarnacion (.263/.357/.529, 134 wRC+, 42 homers) outhit Mike Napoli (.239/.335/.465, 113 wRC+, 34 homers) during the regular season, and he has more home runs (three) in the postseason than Napoli has hits (two). That

this is a big advantage for Toronto is not a knock on Napoli at all, since he's experienced and very good. It's just recognition for Encarnacion, long one of baseball's most underappreciated sluggers. Advantage: Toronto

Second base Devon Travis had a productive season (.300/.332/.454, 109 wRC+), but he also sat out the final two games of the ALDS with a sore knee, forcing the Blue Jays to go with the plus glove and limited hitting skills of Darwin Barney (career .249/.297/.343, 73 wRC+). Even if

Travis were healthy, he can't compete with the excellent Jason Kipnis(.275/.343/.469, 117 wRC+), who just put up his fourth elite season in the past five and set a career high with 23 home runs. Big advantage: Cleveland

Shortstop If we did care only about postseason numbers -- and we don't -- this would be a tie, because Troy Tulowitzki and Francisco Lindor both had a homer, another extra-base hit and refused to walk. But while Tulowitzki (.254/.318/.443, 102 wRC+) is still capable of

big moments, he's pretty much a league-average hitter these days, while Lindor (.301/.358/.435, 112 wRC+) slugged as well as Tulowitzki did -- just with better on-base skills, better baserunning and better defense. He's one of baseball's elite young stars.

Advantage: Cleveland Third base Are we still worried about Josh Donaldson's health? A poor September amid reports of a sore hip fueled worry that the 2015 AL MVP Award winner wasn't operating at full strength, and he may not be, but five doubles among nine hits -- and a series-winning dash from

third to home you may have heard about -- after a very good .284/.404/.549 (155 wRC+) season should help put some of those concerns to rest. We shouldn't overlook Jose Ramirez (.312/.363/.462, 122 wRC+), but he's not Donaldson. Advantage: Toronto Left field Though Ezequiel Carrera and Coco Crisp were the main starters in left, we also sawMichael Saunders, Melvin Upton Jr. and Brandon Guyer at various points over the past few days. That gives both managers the flexibility to pick and choose strengths and weaknesses, like how Guyer crushes lefties (career .288/.390/.469, 144 wRC+). The Tribe will have to replace Crisp's weak throwing arm, measured by Statcast™ at just 78.6 mph on "competitive" throws, in the late innings. Given the wide variety of skills here, neither side has a strong advantage.

Advantage: Push Center field Tyler Naquin (.296/.372/.514, 135 wRC+) had himself a smashing rookie season, but he also managed just four plate appearances in the ALDS, because he's a lefty who never faces lefty pitchers. With southpaws J.A. Happ, Brett Cecil and (maybe) Francisco

Lirianoavailable, we'll see a fair bit of Rajai Davis here, as he's got a good career line against lefties (.288/.343/.437, 112 wRC+), and he also stole 43 bases this year. Meanwhile, Kevin Pillar's strength is his outstanding defense (second only to Kevin Kiermaier among center fielders in DRS), but he didn't hit well this year (.267/.303/.375, 80 wRC+) and had just three hits in 17 ALDS plate appearances. Small advantage: Cleveland

Right field There's been some fair talk that at 35 and after having dealt with injuries this year, Bautista (.234/.366/.452, 122 wRC+) isn't quite the superstar he once was, and perhaps that's fair. But he's still a considerably above-average hitter, with more on-base skills and pop in his

bat than Lonnie Chisenhall (.286/.328/.439, 103 wRC+). Carrera is available here as a defensive replacement, too. Advantage: Blue Jays

Designated hitter This can be a bit of a rotating spot for the Blue Jays, though Saunders started three of the four postseason games so far. Though he had an All-Star first half, his second half (.178/.282/.357, 69 wRC+) left a lot to be desired. Meanwhile, Carlos Santana(.259/.366/.498, 132

wRC+, 34 homers) put up the best year of what's becoming a very impressive career, giving the Indians the clear edge. Advantage: Cleveland Bench Depending on the lineups, Cleveland could have Guyer and Davis available, which is useful, though Michael Martinez doesn't add much and it's unknown what Gomes will be able to contribute. It's almost the exact same story on the Toronto side, since there's good outfield depth, an injury concern in Travis and not much bat from Barney or Ryan Goins. Advantage: Push

Starting pitcher We all knew that the injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar presented a huge issue for the Indians headed into the ALDS, but it was also uncertain what Corey Kluber would be able to give after suffering a quad injury in his final start of the season. He looked

fantastic in his lone start (seven shutout innings in Game 2) and should once again be viewed as an ace. He's the best starter in this series and will be on full rest for Game 1. That said, Toronto's depth -- with Happ, Marco Estrada, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez -- outweighs what the Tribe can offer with Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, and uncertainty after that. Cleveland's rotation deserves a ton of credit for holding down a great Boston offense, but this edge still goes to the Blue Jays. Small advantage: Blue Jays Closer Roberto Osuna had a poor finish to the season, and then had to leave the AL Wild Card Game with shoulder soreness, so to then see what he did in the ALDS -- 3 2/3 scoreless with one hit allowed -- was stunning. It's easy to forget that he's still just 21, yet over two years in the bigs, he's got a 157/30 K/BB in 143 2/3 innings, making him an elite closer. Cody Allen, meanwhile, has become a very underrated closer himself,

especially now that Miller is around to take the spotlight. These are two extremely good pitchers, without a clear edge on either side. Small advantage: Push

Relief pitchers Let's give a ton of credit to the much-maligned Blue Jays bullpen, which came into the postseason looking like it was in disarray, and then managed to allow just two earned runs in 14 innings. Toronto relievers didn't weigh down the roster; in fact, they helped set up those

big extra-innings wins. Still, this is the Indians' bread and butter, especially with Miller available to enter at any time for multiple innings, along with the underrated Bryan Shaw andDan Otero. This unit helped Cleveland beat Boston, and they'll need to do the same against Toronto. Big advantage: Cleveland Indians 'pen different script for best-of-seven By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | @castrovince | October 13th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Back in the days of development, before Mickey Callaway had graduated from Class A pitching coach to the same role with the Indians, there were intractable rules in place. Many relievers weren't allowed to be used on successive days. Starters had to be kept on strict timetables and pitch counts. It was a setup that simultaneously tied a coach's hands and fired up his imagination, because it required creativity to simply survive. "Every day that you came to the field," Callaway said, "you had a different group available. And you had to win with that group that day." Sound familiar? Callaway was once the mechanic of the luxury automobile that the Indians' rotation had grown to become, but the group taken into this American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays is a jalopy by comparison. It's Kluber and Bauer and pray for showers (to somehow penetrate the roof at Rogers Centre, which seems unlikely). Game 1 is set for Friday at 8 p.m. ET on TBS in the U.S., Sportsnet and RDS in Canada. The Indians skated right through the Division Series with the Red Sox in part because of the favorable schedule provided by the best-of-five series. Leverage lefty Andrew Miller and closer Cody Allen made two appearances apiece, and they threw a whopping total of 155 pitches. Don't count on that in the best-of-seven ALCS. The real challenge presented by the injuries toCarlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, who were struck from the starting five after the AL Central was essentially in hand, is just beginning. "We've got our hands full," Callaway said. "We used four relievers the whole [Division Series], our top guys. That's not going to happen in a seven-game series. We've going to have to have some guys step up and step up in a big way." This is how the Indians are penciling in their rotation this round ... Game 1: Corey Kluber, ace of the staff and orchestrator of seven-plus magnificent innings against the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS. Game 2 (Saturday at 4 p.m.): Trevor Bauer, effective if not exactly efficient in Game 1, leading to an early hook and the move to Miller. Game 3 (Monday at 8 p.m.): Josh Tomlin, who feasted on first-pitch strikes in a wily effort against Boston but will have to be even wilier against a Toronto club more aggressive on first pitches. Game 4 (Tuesday at 4 p.m.): Mike Clevinger & The Middle Men, an unheralded cover band available for weddings, bar mitzvahs and October desperation. What's ruled out -- for now, at least -- is the option of bringing Kluber back on three days' rest for Game 4 and, if it goes the distance, Game 7. Under ordinary circumstances, such an unordinary schedule would be more palatable, but the Indians do have to be cognizant of the mild quadriceps strain that held Kluber out of his final regular-season start and the leg sleeve he wore that affected his ability to push off (and, ergo, his velocity) in an otherwise unassailable effort against the Red Sox. But look, no matter what manager Terry Francona has said publicly for now, Kluber on short rest is still not 100 percent out of the question, especially if the Indians are in a hole. "I think you could easily see him pitching three different games," Callaway said. "He has the ability to do that physically. He rebounds, recovers really good. The day after he pitches, it's like he didn't even pitch. He's going to be prepared to do that if we need him to." The Indians feel much the same about the rubber-armed Bauer, who was scheduled to go on short rest in the ALDS before rain intervened. Really, it's a situation with no ideal options, because the history of starters on short rest is sketchy and the notion of a "bullpen day" (it's been three weeks since Clevinger went more than two innings) in the LCS, of all places, is absurd, on its face. But hey, baseball is evolving, and bullpens have never been such a focal point. In seven postseason games so far, AL teams have almost split the workloads between starters (68 innings) and relievers (61). This is going to be a big opportunity for Clevinger, for Cody Anderson and for others to strut their stuff on the national stage. "We understand we're short-handed," Tomlin said. "But it's not like Clevinger hasn't been built up this year at all. He's got a great arm and a good mindset for games like these. I think he's ready for the challenge, and I don't think he's on as short a leash as everybody expects him to be." Francona is going to have to make especially hard decisions on who to turn to in the 'pen and when. Miller was the perfect "break glass in case of emergency" option in the ALDS, but, again, a 40-pitch outing in a series that could involve seven games in nine days would clearly limit his looks on other days. Salazar had loomed as a potential relief weapon, but the Indians decided his recovery from an elbow flexor strain just hasn't progressed well enough to thrust him back onto the active roster for this round. Obviously, this will be a tough lineup for the Indians to navigate. The Blue Jays didn't quite live up to expectations of five or six runs on average this season, but they come into this ALCS in the midst of a torrid stretch in which their No. 2-3-4 hitters (Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista) have combined to hit .367 with five doubles, five homers, a 1.222 OPS, 14 runs and 15 RBIs in four postseason wins. They present an interesting dynamic in that they are more aggressive than Boston on first pitches but also selective, on measure, with the highest rate of pitches per plate appearance in the Majors this season.

"We've got to put some runs up against them, and hopefully we do it right away, from the first game of the series," Bautista said. "The more runs and taxing pitches that we can put on those guys early, it's going to make it more difficult for them in a not-so-short series like this series is." "Not-so-short" is the operative phrase here. A best-of-seven series is just plain different, and that's something the Indians acknowledge. There's nothing fun about losing two stud starters, as the Tribe did in September. And yet, Francona, Callaway and Co. are making the best of a bad situation, trying to come up with ways to maximize what they have. "When you lose two pitchers like that late," said Francona, "I'm not sure you can move on conventionally and cover that." So the Indians are doing it a different way. And this best-of-seven set will be the ultimate test of their creative thinking. Anthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2004. Read his columns and follow him on Tw Indians, Jays meet in ALCS after 'quirky' games in season TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer)•Oct 13, 2016, 10:08 PM CLEVELAND (AP) -- There wasn't a bench-clearing brawl. That is about the only thing that didn't happen during seven tense, theatric and highly entertaining regular-season games between the Toronto Blue Jays and Indians, who will renew acquaintances when the AL Championship Series opens on Friday night at Progressive Field. If October's drama is anything close to what it was like between the clubs in July and August, buckle up. Their previous matchups included a 19-inning marathon on July 1 in Toronto and a walk-off Indians win on Aug. 19 on back-to-back homers in the ninth inning, the second an inside-the-park shot that turned rookie Tyler Naquin into a local legend. ''I was watching on TV,'' said Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who was rehabbing a sprained left knee in Florida and missed Toronto's series in Cleveland. ''There were some games that were obviously close that had some quirky plays in them.'' The Indians, who swept Boston in the AL Division Series after a season filled with injuries, start Corey Kluber in Game 1 against Toronto's Marco Estrada. Kluber was magnificent in his postseason debut, holding the Red Sox to three hits in seven shutout innings in Game 2 of the ALDS. The right-hander, who injured a quadriceps late in the season, will have to be on his game against the Blue Jays, who hit eight home runs in their sweep of Texas and feature a lineup with danger from top to bottom. ''They're a solid lineup, one through nine,'' said Kluber, tagged for five runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings against Toronto on July 3. ''It's not just two, three, four guys that can hurt you. Everybody in that lineup can hurt you. They have a lot of power, but they're also patient. You have to go out there and execute pitches. There's not really a magic formula. Just like what we asked about with Boston, it's not a magic formula, they're just a really good offense. We all have our work cut out for us.'' That was the case on Canada Day, when the Indians and Blue Jays slugged it out in Rogers Centre for more than six hours before Cleveland escaped with a 2-1 win. Indians manager Terry Francona, whose bullpen touch was on display against the Red Sox, brought in starter Trevor Bauer, who was scheduled to pitch the following day, and the rubber-armed right-hander responded with five shutout innings. The victory capped a franchise-record, 14-game winning streak for the Indians, and although it may have sapped them physically, the win had a positive effect. ''Anytime you're in a game like that, you always want to win a game from the first inning,'' said closer Cody Allen. ''But when you're playing extra ball, you're like, 'Let's figure out a way to win.' And when we did it was like, 'Man, if we can figure out a way to win that game, we can win any game.'' Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said the game was a test of endurance. ''I felt like I was out there at shortstop forever,'' he said. ''We were using position players to pitch. That game stands out because it shows how evenly matched we are. Every game was close. They walked us off and you remember that because you're walking into the dugout saying, 'Man, we had that one.' And you hear the Indians people saying they've been doing that all year, so there's a lot of story lines for this series. It's the two best teams to me.'' The Blue Jays have been in playoff mode for weeks. They battled their way to a wild-card berth and beat Baltimore in the one-game playoff, riding a sonic wave from their rambunctious home crowd and three-run homer from Edwin Encarnacion into a matchup with the Rangers, the team they traded punches with earlier in the season and knocked out with a flurry of long balls to advance to the ALCS. Now, they'll square off with the Indians, a team that may lack marquee names but not confidence.

''They have their strengths and weaknesses,'' Bautista said. ''And so do we. As long as everybody executes and excels at what they're good at, it's going to be a tough series for either opponent to come out on top. We'll see what happens. They're a speed-and-base-hit club and we're a walk-and-home-run club. It's going to be a pretty good series, I believe.'' If the first seven games were any indication, believe. LIRIANO SET: Blue Jays reliever Francisco Liriano has recovered from the concussion he received when he was struck on the back of the head by a comebacker in the ALDS. He's expected to be cleared from the concussion protocol on Friday in time for Game 1. ''He's got a chance to be a valuable guy to us if he's healthy,'' manager John Gibbons said. PRIZE POSSESSION: Several of the Indians players posed in the clubhouse for pictures with the Larry O'Brien Trophy, won by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in June. The championship was the first for a Cleveland team since 1964 and the Indians are trying to end a World Series drought dating to 1948. Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro still pulls for friends with Indians, at least until the first pitch

By Marla Ridenour

CLEVELAND: Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro admits he “pulls for people.”

After digesting everything there is to read about his team’s game the previous night, he said he next checks the Indians’ score.

After spending 24 years with the Indians, working his way up from unpaid intern to general manager to president, he will never abandon the close relationships he built, the friendships he formed.

Those ties brought back a flood of emotions as Shapiro returned to Cleveland as the Blue Jays and Indians square off in the American League Championship Series, which opens Friday at Progressive Field.

Until the 8:08 p.m. first pitch, Shapiro said all he will feel is happiness for the Indians, from owner Paul Dolan and president Chris Antonetti, his protege, on down.

“That runs deep into scouts and player development staff and trainers and strength coaches and Latin American staff. When you’re there that long, you’re thinking of all those people,” Shapiro said.

But once the game begins, Shapiro will take on a serious, almost bloodthirsty edge. The Indians went 4-3 against the Blue Jays in the regular season and six of the games were decided by three runs or less. One was a 19-inning Indians victory on July 1, while Tyler Naquin’s walk-off inside-the-park home run gave the Tribe an Aug. 19 triumph.

“I’m going to feel nothing but a desire to win and to win handily so I don’t have to stress over the games,” Shapiro said. “You don’t know how often you get here.”

The Blue Jays hired Shapiro on Aug. 31, 2015, to replace president and CEO Paul Beeston, who retired. Shapiro got off to a rocky start as popular general manager Alex Anthopoulous departed and was replaced in December by former Indians executive Ross Atkins.

“I didn’t let the criticism, beyond being human, I didn’t let what I walked into bother me. Praise … I told my dad this morning, I was flipping the articles, I said, ‘Dad, I didn’t even read it. That’s for parents and family,’ ” Shapiro said, referring to his father, Ron, a longtime Baltimore attorney and sports agent.

“Just as quickly if we lose there will be criticism. If you start to let praise affect you, you set yourself up for a fragile existence. I genuinely believe [you should] do the best job possible, treat people well, be consistent, work hard, be committed and that’s it.”

Antonetti talked to Shapiro frequently after Shapiro moved and felt confident Shapiro would win the Blue Jays over.

“I never had any doubt once the city, the organization, the community, the country got to know Mark Shapiro the person and the executive that they would come to embrace him. He’s a transformational leader and a phenomenal human being,” Antonetti said Wednesday.

The embrace may still be a work in progress, with some Canadians perhaps unable to get past Shapiro’s polished Princeton verbiage. A trip to the World Series, at the Indians expense, might help.

But at least Shapiro feels he has a home in Toronto now.

From November through August, he commuted from Cleveland. Before the school year started, he moved wife Lissa, son Caden and daughter Sierra into their new house. He said his wife, a painter, likes the city’s vibrant arts community and is considering opening a studio like the one she had in Little Italy.

For Shapiro, the transition wasn’t easy.

“There were moments that were weird, but there was so much work to do that you kind of throw yourself into your work and attack every day,” he said. “When you exhale for a minute you say, ‘I’m in Toronto. Holy cow, what am I doing here?’ There were moments that you miss people.

“I tend to be the kind of person that once I made the move, I was determined to make it the right move. I’m not going to second guess it. Very different. In some ways better, in some ways worse. It’s been energizing to take on a new challenge and start building again.”

Shapiro seemed just as energized seeing friends and family in Northeast Ohio. On Wednesday night, he had dinner with his sister Julie, married to former Browns coach Eric Mangini and living on Cleveland’s east side. On Thursday, he and Antonetti lunched at Shapiro’s favorite spot on East Fourth Street.

Shapiro, 49, doesn’t know where the opportunity with the Blue Jays will lead. He was mentioned as a candidate for baseball commissioner as Bud Selig approached retirement before Rob Manfred took over in January 2015. Shapiro could become a fixture with the Blue Jays, just like he was with the Indians.

“I don’t get caught up in that,” Shapiro said of the commissioner talk. “This one is a big challenge, it’s a cool one and I’m enjoying it. I’ve always approached everything in life, ‘If I do a good job, other options will come up and you’ll have choices.’ ”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 10.14.2016

Indians not surprised to be underdogs, look to carry ALDS experience into ALCS

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: By now, the Indians are used to it. Odds-makers have had the Indians down and out since the losses to the starting rotation.

The Indians were expected to get the No. 3 seed. Then they were supposed to lose in the American League Division Series to the Boston Red Sox.

It’s with good reason that this has been the case. Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are among the best pitchers in the American League, and losing both — along with Michael Brantley — were severe blows to the roster.

The Indians have persevered, but the odds have stayed roughly the same. Or, at least, they’re still weighted the other direction. Per Bovada, the Blue Jays (20/29) enter the ALCS as the favorite to advance to the World Series over the Indians (5/4).

The Indians expected it.

“Pretty much,” said Jason Kipnis on Monday night in Boston when asked if he thought they’d be underdogs again. “We were the underdogs coming out of this one. Nobody predicted we were coming out of this one. I think across the board on ESPN and everybody. Those are the people to prove wrong.

“But we’re focusing more on the people to prove right, the ones in here who are on our side, and we’re looking forward to the next stage.”

Yan Gomes said he hopes the ALDS sweep was enough to remove some doubt.

“It seems like every time we’re put up against a challenge where people are doubting us, we come out way on top,” Gomes said. “Sweeping probably the best hitting team in the AL was impressive in all aspects of it. I think we showed what kind of talent we have.”

The Indians are a team trying to quickly acquire and convert playoff experience into some comfort on baseball’s bigger stages. For many in the Indians clubhouse, this October has represented their first playoff experience, or at least their first playoff series experience. Now, a trip to the World Series is up for grabs.

Players don’t necessarily need playoff experience to perform well. But it is a new experience to play playoff baseball, especially on the road at Fenway Park or, come next week, the Rogers Centre. The Indians are hoping the experience from the ALDS is enough to calm some nerves.

“I do think any experience we get is good,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “And every time we do something as a team, for the most part, other than [Mike Napoli], Coco [Crisp], everything they do, they’re going to learn from and grow.

“And that’s good. We need to do that. It doesn’t mean we can’t win. I don’t think we ever feel like that. But I still think we’re trying to grow and understand.”

One of those players is Cody Allen, who just avoided a 40-pitch save in Game 3 in Boston. Allen had trouble commanding the ball as well as he normally does before finally getting Travis Shaw on a harmless fly ball to right field for the final out.

“Anytime you get in spots like that where you really have to try and slow the game down, just take it really, truly one pitch at a time in an atmosphere like that, on a stage like that, anytime you can come out successful I think you’re better for it going into the next time,” Allen said. “That’s not the last time it’s going to get hairy in the ninth inning.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 10.14.2016

Indians notebook: Corey Kluber feels quad issue no longer a problem; ALCS roster not set; watch parties, first pitch info

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Indians ace Corey Kluber said he feels the mild quadriceps strain he sustained the last week of the regular season is no longer a problem.

Kluber, Friday night’s Game 1 starter in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, said he was assured it wouldn’t be an issue after the second bullpen session leading up to the playoffs.

Indians manager Terry Francona had said Kluber might have some trouble pushing off the rubber in his American League Division Series Game 2 start. Part of that might have been because of a sleeve Kluber wore, which he later took off. Kluber expects to be good to go for Game 1 of the ALCS.

“I was fine after that,” Kluber said. “Whether that had an effect on my velocity, I’m not sure. But if I can go out there and give the team seven innings, I’m not really concerned with how hard I’m throwing. … It was more precautionary than anything. We weren’t trying to protect against anything major.”

The Indians would gladly take a repeat performance of his Game 2 start, when he tossed seven scoreless innings. But while the results were strong, they didn’t quite feature Kluber at his best. Jason Kipnis said he could see things weren’t quite all there. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway agreed.

“Sometimes not everybody gets the full story what’s going on with a guy when he’s trying to battle through,” Callaway said. “Probably one of the gutsiest performances I’ve ever seen out of a starting pitcher in any situation.”

Kluber could have his hands full, facing the hottest lineup left in the postseason. The Blue Jays have averaged 6.75 runs per game and have hit 10 home runs in four games.

“They have a lot of power, but they’re also patient,” Kluber said. “You have to go out there and execute pitches. There’s not really a magic formula. Just like what we asked about with Boston, it’s not a magic formula, they’re just a really good offense. We all have our work cut out for us.”

25 questions

The Indians have yet to set their ALCS roster.

The main question is whether the Indians carry three catchers or add a pitcher, with Game 4 and a short start from Mike Clevinger looming.

Francona said on Thursday that the club has flown pitchers Ryan Merritt and Joe Colon back to Cleveland from Arizona. Erik Gonzalez is back in Cleveland as well.

Teams have until Friday morning to set their rosters for the series.

ALCS watch parties

The Indians announced they’ll hold watch parties when the ALCS turns to Toronto for Games 3, 4 and potentially 5 from Monday to Wednesday next week.

Watch parties will be held at four area Buffalo Wild Wings, including the downtown Cleveland, Willoughby Elyria and Medina locations.

Times

First pitch times for Games 1-6 of the ALCS are known. Games 1, 3 and 6 will be at 8:08 p.m. Games 2, 4 and 5 will be at 4:08 p.m. Game 7, if necessary, is still to be determined. All games will be televised on TBS. Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Jr. will be on the call, with Sam Ryan reporting on the field.

#RockRed

The Indians were encouraging fans to wear all red throughout the ALCS as part of a #RockRed campaign. Gates open two hours before the first pitch. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats for Game 1 at least 30 minutes earlier for pregame festivities.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 10.14.2016

Corey Kluber feels past quad issue; ALCS roster not set; Watch party, first pitch info

By Ryan Lewis Published: October 13, 2016

Indians ace Corey Kluber feels past the mild quadriceps strain he sustained the last week of the regular season.

Kluber, Friday night’s Game 1 starter in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, felt he was assured it wouldn’t be an issue after the second bullpen session leading up to the playoffs.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Kluber might have had some trouble pushing off the rubber in his American League Division Series Game 2 start. Part of that might have been due to a sleeve Kluber wore, which he later took off. Kluber expects to be good to go for Game 1 of the ALCS.

“I was fine after that,” Kluber said. “Whether that had an effect on my velocity, I'm not sure. But if I can go out there and give the team seven innings, I'm not really concerned with how hard I'm throwing. … It was more precautionary than anything, we weren't trying to protect against anything major.”

The Indians would gladly take a repeat performance of his Game 2 start, when he tossed seven scoreless innings. But while the results were strong, they didn’t quite see the same Kluber they have seen when he’s had his best stuff. Jason Kipnis said he could see things weren’t quite all there. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway agreed.

“Sometimes not everybody gets the full story what's going with a guy when he's trying to battle through,” Callaway said. “Probably one of the gutsiest performances I've ever seen out of a starting pitcher in any situation.”

Kluber could have his hands full, facing the hottest lineup left in the postseason. The Blue Jays have averaged 6.75 runs per game and hit 10 home runs in four games.

“They have a lot of power, but they're also patient,” Kluber said. “You have to go out there and execute pitches. There's not really a magic formula. Just like what we asked about with Boston, it's not a magic formula, they're just a really good offense. We all have our work cut out for us.”

25 questions

The Indians have yet to set their ALCS roster.

The main question revolves around if the Indians carry three catchers or add a pitcher, with Game 4 and a short start from Mike Clevinger looming.

Francona said on Thursday that the club has flown pitchers Ryan Merritt and Joe Colon back to Cleveland from Arizona. Erik Gonzalez is back in Cleveland as well.

Teams have until Friday morning to set their rosters for the series.

ALCS Watch parties

The Indians announced that they’ll be holding watch parties when the ALCS turns to Toronto for Games 3, 4 and potentially 5 from Monday to Wednesday next week.

Watch parties will be held at four area Buffalo Wild Wings, including the downtown Cleveland, Willoughby Elyria and Medina locations.

Times

First pitch times for Games 1-6 of the ALCS are known. Games 1, 3 and 6 will be at 8:08 p.m. Games 2, 4 and 5 will be at 4:08 p.m. Game 7, if necessary, is still to be determined. All games will be televised on TBS. Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Jr. will be on the call, with Sam Ryan reporting on the field.

#RockRed

The Indians were encouraging fans to wear all red throughout the ALCS as part of a #RockRed campaign. Gates open two hours before the first pitch. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats for Game 1 at least 30 minutes earlier for pregame festivities.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 10.14.2016

Indians, Blue Jays set for ALCS showdown

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: The Indians continue to overcome the injuries and obstacles that have made their road through October tougher, and now sit four wins over the Toronto Blue Jays shy of their first trip to the World Series since 1997.

If the series between the Indians and Blue Jays in August is any indication, the ALCS should have plenty of fireworks. The Indians won two out of three, all of which were one-run games. It included Jose Ramirez’s go-ahead home run in the eighth inning on Aug. 21 and Tyler Naquin’s walk-off inside-the-park-home-run two days earlier. It was among the wilder couple of days for the Indians this season, and it included a playoff-like atmosphere in part thanks to the scores of Blue Jays fans that made the trip to Progressive Field. On July 1 in Toronto, the Indians and Blue Jays needed 19 innings to settle the score, a 2-1 Indians win that set the franchise record for consecutive wins at 14. The Indians won four of the seven games during the regular season.

Now, the stakes are raised, and the Indians face a new challenge with their pitching situation in a seven-game series following the injuries to starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar.

Lineup

The Blue Jays have a dangerous lineup, and it’s been red hot in the postseason. The Blue Jays have averaged 6.75 runs per game this postseason and have hit 10 home runs in four games, double that of any other team. The heart of the lineup is as lethal as any, led by Josh Donaldson (.284, 37 home runs, 122 RBI), Edwin Encarnacion (.263, 42 home runs, 99 RBI), Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki. Donaldson finished the season fourth in baseball in WAR with 7.6, per FanGraphs. The Indians finished the season with a slight edge in runs scored (777-759). The Indians’ lineup has been balanced this postseason, with contributions coming from different hitters up and down the lineup.

Advantage: Even, though the scales could be tipping toward the Blue Jays.

Rotation

The Blue Jays have a deep, well-rounded rotation. Aaron Sanchez (15-2, 3.00 ERA), left-hander J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA) and Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48 ERA) all had strong seasons, and Marcus Stroman (9-10, 4.37 ERA) wasn’t far behind. The Indians’ pitching situation in this series is much more volatile. Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin will pitch Games 1, 2, and 3. But in Game 4, the Indians have “penciled in” Mike Clevinger, who hasn’t been lengthened out to a full start, to take the mound. The bullpen will have to be taxed on that day, which is more of an issue considering Game 4 comes in the middle of a stretch of three games in three days, all on the road in one of the tougher places to play. Game 4, and how it affects Games 3 and 5, might be the biggest key to the series.

Here are the pitching matchups for the first four games: Game 1 (Kluber v. Estrada); Game 2 (Bauer v. Happ); Game 3 (Tomlin v. Stroman); Game 4 (Sanchez v. Clevinger).

Advantage: Blue Jays.

Bullpen

The Indians have continued to ride their bullpen in the late innings. At times, it was shaky in Game 3, but Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw and Dan Otero still stand as one of the strengths of the team. Due to the issues with Game 4, Zach McAllister, Jeff Manship and others will likely be called into the ALCS after not appearing in the ALDS. The Blue Jays’ bullpen is led by talented closer Roberto Osuna, though the Indians had some success against him during the regular season. Jason Grilli, lefty Brett Cecil and Joseph Biagini figure to pitch important innings as well, giving the Blue Jays some depth.

Advantage: Indians.

Bench/manager

The Indians’ bench has been used often and has come through when needed. The platoon advantage has often been in the Indians’ favor. That’s especially true in the outfield, where all five have played key roles down the stretch and into the postseason, namely Lonnie Chisenhall’s three-run home run off of left-hander David Price in Game 2 and Coco Crisp’s two-run home run in Game 3. Tyler Naquin had a two-run single in Game 3 and Brandon Guyer had a three-hit day in Game 2. Indians manager Terry Francona has seemingly pushed all the right buttons in the postseason and holds an edge in experience over Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons.

Advantage: Indians

Prediction

Indians in 7. Both teams are coming off sweeps of terrific teams (Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers). The Indians have their backs against the wall due to the pitching situation, and a seven-game series will be a different kind of animal for them to tame. But they’ve also torn down every wall in front of them so far. Most didn’t think they’d survive the ALDS, and they responded with a sweep. They’ll likely be the underdogs again, and rightfully so, but they perhaps have earned the right to some benefit of the doubt.

Corey Kluber starts Game 1 of ALCS for Cleveland Indians with bullpen game looming against Toronto

Paul Hoynes, October 13, 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The bullpen game is coming. Not on the last game of spring training with the team charter fueled and waiting on the runway for the trip north, but for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

The ALCS, the last step before the World Series, and manager Terry Francona is going to be forced to empty the pen against the Toronto Blue Jays. Just how many relievers Francona is going to have available will depend on how the first three games of the best-of-seven series go.

Corey Kluber will start Game 1 Friday night against Toronto's Marco Estrada at Progressive Field. While Game 4 won't be the first thing he thinks of when he takes the mound in front of a sellout crowd, Kluber isn't all that worried about it.

"There's a sense of urgency in every playoff game," Kluber told reporters on Thursday. "If the starter is not getting the job done, it has the potential to turn into bullpen game, anyway.

"It's not really that big of an issue for us. We've already done it a couple of times. Tito knows what he's doing. ... I don't think it something we're necessarily worried about."

The Indians have been using bullpen games through much of September to compensate for the injuries to starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. It didn't come into play in the American League Division Series because the Indians swept the Red Sox in three games. There is no avoiding it in the ALCS.

Rookie Mike Clevinger is the one pitcher who can't wait for Game 4. He's the No.1 candidate to come out of the bullpen and start it.

"I am stoked," said Clevinger. "You couldn't ask for a more storybook tale on my first year. "

Clevinger has had a season of twists and turns. He went 11-1 in 17 starts at Class AAA Columbus. He's 3-3 with a 5.26 ERA in 17 games, including 10 starts, with the Indians.

As the stat line shows, Clevinger has been in and out of the rotation all year. His last start was a bullpen game against the Tigers on Sept. 27. He allowed five runs on seven hits in two innings.

Tribe's Clevinger beats Angels for first big-league win

"With my bouncing back and forth, I come to the locker room every day ready to pitch," said Clevinger. "I don't try to focus on one thing because I could get ahead of myself. I mean I could still be coming out of the bullpen in Game 1."

Francona didn't think it would be wise to have Clevinger get stretched out for Game 4. He felt he'd risk injury because it's so late in the year.

He just wants him to go as hard as he can for as long as he can. Clevinger is more than willing.

"This is a playoff game," he said. "If they want me to go 130 pitches or 15, I'm going to go."

Clevinger said he's good for 100 pitches.

In Game 2 of the ALDS, Kluber threw 104 pitches over seven scoreless innings against Boston. He did that after a 10-day layoff to let a strained right quadriceps muscle heal.

Kluber's velocity was down against the Red Sox. Francona said he wasn't pushing off the rubber as hard as usual because of a wrap on his leg. It didn't stay on long.

Kluber cruises in first postseason start

"It was just kind of irritating things, so I took it off," said Kluber. "I was fine after that. Whether it affected by velocity, I'm not sure. But if I can give the team seven innings, I not really concerned with how hard I'm throwing."

Kluber was asked about his release point against Boston. A reporter said statistics showed it was lower than normal.

"I don't look at numbers as far as release points or spin rates or stuff like that," said Kluber. "Trevor (Bauer) could probably give you better answers on that than I could. Mechanically I feel fine."

Kluber was 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA against the Blue Jays in one start this year. In his career, he's 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA.

What could prevent Francona from emptying the bullpen in Game 4? Well, there are at least a couple of situations to consider. What if the Indians were up 3-0 and had a chance to eliminate the Blue Jays? They could also be down 0-3 and facing elimination.

In that case would the Indians pitch Kluber, who has won 19 games this year, on three days' rest?

Kluber said he'd have no hesitation.

"I think we're at the point of the year where anybody is going to do anything they can to help the team win," he said. "If that means starting on short rest, pitching out of the bullpen on short rest, if that's what the team needs to win, I'm all for it.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

4 numbers that give the Cleveland Indians concern against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS

By Zack Meisel, October 13, 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians and Blue Jays already completed a seven-game series this season. Four of the seven contests were decided by a single run.

The clashes involved plenty of drama and theatrics, from the Indians' 19-inning triumph in Toronto on Canada Day to a disputed call at home plate on a go-ahead run the next day to a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to a Jose Ramirez game-winning blast.

Fans of both sides ran out of fingernails to nibble by the time Toronto left town in late August.

The teams reconvene for a best-of-seven series, with the stakes heightened. Both clubs swept their American League Division Series opponent. Now, they'll collide head-on in a battle to represent the junior circuit in the World Series.

"I think in the postseason you see a lot of one-run, two-run games moreso than you see a big blowout game," said Tribe hurler Josh Tomlin. "To be able to play close games like that against those guys, and extra-inning games, it kind of prepares you for what the series is probably going to be like. We know what kind of team they are."

Will the teams keep each contest close? Will the margin for error be as minuscule as it was in the middle of the summer?

There might be a handful of numbers that give the Indians some concern as they battle the Blue Jays.

Let's take a look.

7: The potential length, in games, of the series, which gives the opponent more time to exploit the Indians' lack of starting pitching depth. We never got the chance to watch Trevor Bauer pitch on short rest in the ALDS. In the ALCS, we'll likely see the Indians hold a bullpen day, since only three starters are healthy and stretched out. That could put a strain on the relief corps if Tomlin exits early in Game 3 or Corey Kluber struggles in Game 5.

36: Number of home runs surrendered by Tomlin during the regular season. He kept the ball within the peculiar dimensions of Fenway Park on Monday, though, despite Boston boasting baseball's best offense. Can he repeat that performance in Game 3 at Rogers Centre?

"I think it's just trying to keep the ball down in the zone, try to induce early contact and weak contact as much as you can, and keep them guessing as much as you can," Tomlin said. "If you sit on one side of the plate against those guys, it's going to be a tough day or a long day for you."

10: Home runs clubbed by the Blue Jays in their four postseason games. Toronto features as dangerous a middle of the order as any team. Josh Donaldson posted a 1.418 OPS in the team's three games against Texas. He narrowly edged out teammate Edwin Encarnacion, who logged a 1.417 OPS.

"For us to be successful, we need one through nine to be on top of their game," Donaldson said. ... "Even if we get out, we want it to be very difficult for them to get us out."

The Indians did limit the Red Sox to a .214/.278/.378 clip in the ALDS.

3.78: The Blue Jays' team ERA, which ranked first in the AL, slightly ahead of second-place Cleveland (3.84). The similarities are striking.

Hits allowed per nine innings

Toronto: 8.3

Cleveland: 8.3

Homers allowed per nine innings

Toronto: 1.1

Cleveland: 1.2

Walks per nine innings

Toronto: 2.8

Cleveland: 2.9

Strikeouts per nine innings

Toronto: 8.1

Cleveland: 8.7

Toronto's pitching often gets overlooked because of the club's potent lineup, but the Blue Jays have a handful of capable starters and they refurbished their bullpen during the season.

"Man for man, what our pitching staff has done," said Toronto reliever Jason Grilli, "from the front end to the back end, [there's] plenty of arsenal and plenty of tools to do what we need to do."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

4 numbers that give the Cleveland Indians hope against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS

Zack Meisel, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians and Blue Jays already completed a seven-game series this season. Four of the seven contests were decided by a single run.

The clashes involved plenty of drama and theatrics, from the Indians' 19-inning triumph in Toronto on Canada Day to a disputed call at home plate on a go-ahead run the next day to a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to a Jose Ramirez game-winning blast.

Fans of both sides ran out of fingernails to nibble by the time Toronto left town in late August.

The teams reconvene for a best-of-seven series, with the stakes heightened. Both clubs swept their American League Division Series opponent. Now, they'll collide head-on in a battle to represent the junior circuit in the World Series.

Will the teams keep each contest close? Will the margin for error be as minuscule as it was in the middle of the summer?

There might be a handful of numbers that offer the Indians some hope as they battle the Blue Jays.

Let's take a look.

2: Runs yielded by the Tribe bullpen in 10 1/3 innings against the Red Sox in the ALDS. The Indians have leaned heavily on their bullpen for more than a month now, and for good (and necessary) reason. After Aug. 1 -- when Andrew Miller joined the fold -- the Indians' bullpen ranked first in the AL in batting average against, on-base percentage against, fielding independent pitching (FIP) and WHIP. It ranked second in opponents' OPS and third in ERA.

Ah, but the numbers shine even brighter when only considering the club's key contributors. Miller, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Dan Otero and Zach McAllister combined to post a 1.76 ERA and limit the opposition to a .192/.235/.287 slash line after Aug. 1.

6: Days of rest for Corey Kluber. Kluber went 10 days between starts after he exited his Sept. 26 outing early. He didn't toe the rubber again until Game 2 of the ALDS. The layoff allowed him to heal from his mild quadriceps strain and helped him toss seven sterling innings against Boston. Now, he'll have rested for another week prior to starting Game 1 against Toronto on Friday night.

"Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, having a chance for the rest of my body to recover," Kluber said.

Kluber's velocity dipped slightly in his postseason outing, though he attributed that to adjusting to a sleeve he sported on his leg.

"If I can go out there and give the team seven innings," Kluber said, "I'm not really concerned with how hard I'm throwing."

134: The Indians' AL-high stolen base total, and they reached that number with an 81 percent success rate, the highest mark in the league. Toronto catcher Russell Martin, on the other hand, has thrown out only 11 of 72 potential base-stealers.

"I definitely think we can take advantage," said Rajai Davis, who led the AL with 43 steals in 49 attempts. "If they don't hold us tight enough or close enough, guys are going to be looking to get 90 feet closer."

.430: The Indians' slugging percentage, which ranked fifth in the AL. Toronto ranked eighth, at .426. Each team arrived at its respective mark in a contrasting way. The Blue Jays belted 36 more home runs, but the Indians racked up 32 more doubles and 11 more triples. Still, for all of the attention Toronto receives for its deep, powerful lineup, the Indians' bunch proved to be as potent, just different.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

Decisions, decisions: Cleveland Indians not quite ready to name ALCS roster

Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Three catchers or an extra reliever?

Those are some of the decisions still facing the Indians before they open the American League Championship Series on Friday night at 8:08 against Toronto at Progressive Field.

The Indians and Blue Jays have until 10 a.m. Friday to name their 25-man rosters. Manager Terry Francona said Thursday evening that the Indians weren't quite there yet.

"I think we just want to take a little bit more time," said Francona. "We just want to walk through (carrying) three catchers or an extra pitcher. That kind of stuff."

The Indians carried three catchers – Roberto Perez, Yan Gomes and Chris Gimenez – in the American League Division Series. They swept the Red Sox in the best-of-five series with Perez catching all three games.

The ALCS, however, is a best-of-seven series and with a depleted rotation because of injuries, the Indians might want to carry an extra reliever. Especially since Francona has already declared Game 4 a bullpen day with rookie Mike Clevinger scheduled to start.

Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin are scheduled to start the first three games. Francona will be forced to go with a bullpen game in Game 4 because of injuries to starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco.

If the Indians do go with another reliever, some options just rejoined the team from Goodyear, Ariz. Lefty Ryan Merritt, right-hander Joe Colon and utility man Erik Gonzalez were training at the team's spring training site in case the Indians advanced past the ALDS.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

But maybe ... the Indians' Andrew Miller has created a new position - Super Reliever: Doug Lesmerises

By Doug Lesmerises, October 13, 2016 at 6:16 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Designated hitter is an awful name.

Originally called the designated pinch hitter, the problem really rests with the laborious and unflattering first adjective. What, specified batsman or assigned offensive employee weren't sexy enough?

We're not going to do that to Andrew Miller. We're going to make his game-changing, season-saving, possibly champion-making job sound much cooler.

Let's make the position that Miller and Terry Francona have created in the Indians bullpen in the last two months the Super Reliever.

That's SR in your program. Not SP (starting pitcher) or CL (closer) or just RP (relief pitcher).

This "But maybe" series tries to question the conventional wisdom and ask if we're sure it's true. This week it's the idea that the way Indians have used Andrew Miller would be hard to sustain through an entire regular season.

If we want more Andrew Millers in the baseball world, and we should, then we have to give them a name. If we can have closers and setup men, we can have a name for the reliever who gets the most dangerous hitters out in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. We can make it a new full-time position in major league baseball.

"I don't know, didn't they call them Firemen back in the day?" Miller said this week when I presented him with the Super Reliever name. "Goose Gossage was a fireman."

He was, a Hall of Fame reliever from the '70s and '80s who bridged the era of top relievers being used for multiple innings into the era of the more specialized ninth-inning closer.

We're not talking about finishing games though. We're talking about a Super Reliever used in conjunction with a closer, a team targeting for its bullpen both an elite ninth-inning man and an actual weapon to deploy in the sixth, seventh or eighth innings. That Super Reliever could be as talented and as well compensated as the closer. Maybe he's not available every day, but he's available at least a couple times a week to get between three and six outs against the middle of the lineup, whenever the game hangs in the balance.

He's not a setup man, who is clearly the No. 2 guy in a bullpen employed to set the table for the closer. He's an equal to the closer, a star of the staff, a pitcher who might worry the opposition in a series just as much as an ace.

Get two leads in a three-game series, and that other team knows the Super Reliever is coming in to shorten the game and make those leads hold up.

To make this position a reality, two things need to happen. One is a catchy name. Check. The other is a stat to measure effectiveness that agents can take into arbitration hearings and into free agency to get these guys paid.

"Hopefully the most important stat at the end of the day is the one that says we're world champions," Miller said. "That would go a long way."

OK, we'll add that stat in as well. Because this won't be easy. The advent of the save helped lead to the era of the closer. The Super Reliever will need its own shorthand. Zack Meisel and others in the press box helped with this and pointed toward Win Probability Added, which measures how a team's chance to win increases with a pitcher's effectiveness. Miller ranks second among all pitchers in that stat, according to fangraphs.com, behind only Baltimore closer Zach Britton and ahead of Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw and Cubs Cy Young Award candidates Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks.

Not bad. It's not perfect, but it's descriptive. It'd be nice if we could boil these appearances down to a word, like "Dominators," something that would explain how facing David Ortiz with runners on base in the fifth inning of a tight game might be the most vital moment of the day.

As in, "Miller led the league with 41 dominators last year." You know, for the agents.

According to spotrac.com, the five highest-paid starting pitchers earned an average of $30.5 million this season. The five highest-paid closers earned an average of $10.7 million. The five highest-paid potential Super Relievers? Finding high-paid relievers who signed their deals when they weren't planning to be closers or starters isn't easy.

The highest paid relievers according to sportrac are failed starters or closers who lost the jobs they were signed to do. Miller is a rarity here as well with the four-year, $36 million deal he signed with the Yankees before the 2015 season. That means this is year two of his $9 million-a-year contract -- and given what he's done in Cleveland, he's a bargain.

But elsewhere? Oakland signed Kansas City's Ryan Madson in the off-season to a three-year, $22 million contract after his great relief work in the Royals' World Series run last year. Madson made 63 of his 72 appearances last season before the ninth inning -- and this season became Oakland's closer.

Miller mentioned Daniel Bard, a very good middle reliever in Boston between 2009-11; Darren O'Day, who has a 2.11 ERA in Baltimore the last five seasons while typically pitching in the eighth inning; and Dellin Betances, who struck out 404 batters in 254 2/3 innings the last three seasons for the Yankees. But when New York traded Miller and Aroldis Chapman this season, Betances graduated to the closer role.

If he was truly a Super Reliever, he wouldn't have to be changing jobs. Because a Super Reliever isn't being groomed for anything.

"I think it just stands out in the playoffs," Miller said. "Just being flexible is good. I've seen and played with guys that have been really good and not labeled as closers. It's not really anything new to me."

The Indians shouldn't make Miller the closer next year. If anything, they should be willing to use him even earlier in games, whenever the matchups dictate. With the Indians, 39 percent of his appearances started in the seventh inning or earlier, 39 percent started in the eighth and 21 percent came in the ninth inning or later.

The Indians' plan in the American League Championship Series is to get the lead and get Miller the ball. They should plan the same for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and see opponents copy them.

"I guarantee you everyone would like to have Andrew Miller. There's only one," Francona said. "There's not many. This isn't really rocket science what we're doing, and we're not reinventing the wheel either."

The baseball world reacted like that's exactly what the Indians were doing after Francona brought Miller into the fifth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS.

Francona pointed out that he couldn't do this with Miller if he didn't have a closer like Cody Allen. Exactly -- Super Relievers and closers go together. You can't throw Miller 140 innings a year. You can't throw him 40 pitches every game, like in Game 1 against Boston. You can maximize his role to let him face the biggest batters in the closest games, April through October.

Miller thinks any reliever would take this role if asked.

"I think (Cubs closer) Aroldis Chapman would pitch in the second inning tomorrow if you asked him to," Miller said.

Maybe. But he's never asked, because he's a closer. Maybe he should be a Super Reliever, too.

"I like laying low," Miller said. "I don't like attention. It's just whatever works."

This has worked, Super Reliever.

When Andrew Miller has entered games for the Indians and how many batters he has faced

Inning entered

5th - 1

6th - 2

7th - 8

8th - 11

9th - 5

10th - 1

Batters faced

Two - 4

Three - 7

Four - 8

Five - 1

Six - 5

Seven - 1

Eight - 2

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

Schedule announced for ALCS matchup between Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays

Zack Meisel, October 13, 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The stage is set for the battle for American League supremacy.

The Indians and Blue Jays have official start times for the first six games of the AL Championship Series, which begins on Friday night in Cleveland. Of course, only four games are guaranteed. Both Cleveland and Toronto swept their AL Division Series opponent.

The series carries a 2-3-2 format. The Indians have home-field advantage, but they must survive three games in three days north of the border at Rogers Centre. The final two of those three contests will be late-afternoon starts.

Here is the full schedule, unveiled by Major League Baseball and TBS on Thursday.

Game 1: Friday, 8:08 p.m. at Progressive Field

Game 2: Saturday, 4:08 p.m. at Progressive Field

Game 3: Monday, 8:08 p.m. at Rogers Centre

Game 4: Tuesday, 4:08 p.m. at Rogers Centre

Game 5: Wednesday, 4:08 p.m. at Rogers Centre

Game 6: Friday, 8:08 p.m. at Progressive Field

Game 7: Saturday, TBA, at Progressive Field

Games 5, 6 and 7 will only be played if necessary.

TBS will carry all ALCS games. Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling, Cal Ripken and Sam Ryan will be on the call.

The National League Championship Series will have a similar schedule, but pushed back a day. It will begin with games at Wrigley Field on Saturday and Sunday, before shifting to the Cubs' opponent's ballpark for contests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The NLCS will receive the prime-time TV slot when both leagues have a game on the same day.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

Cleveland Indians baserunners vs. catcher Russell Martin, Toronto's pitchers: ALCS matchup to watch

Zack Meisel, October 13, 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- All season, the Indians have run wild. There's no reason to stop now, if they haven't run out of steam.

The Indians scored 18 more runs than the Blue Jays during the regular season (despite playing one fewer game). Toronto narrowly edged Cleveland in on-base percentage (.330 to .329), and the Indians returned the favor in slugging percentage (.430 to .426).

That last statistic might surprise, since the Blue Jays belted 221 home runs to the Indians' 185. The Tribe, however, topped Toronto in both doubles and triples.

So while the Blue Jays' powerful lineup might seem daunting -- "You make a mistake and they're going to make you pay," Tribe pitching coach Mickey Callaway said -- the Indians' offense is far from incapable. Cleveland ranked second in the American League with an average of 4.83 runs per game.

There is more than one way to round the bases. The Blue Jays prefer to launch the ball over the fence and trot around the bases at a leisurely pace. The Indians often opt for a more breakneck pace.

Therein lies one potential advantage for the Tribe in the AL Championship Series: baserunning. The Indians led the AL with 134 stolen bases. They also led the AL with an 81 percent success rate. That's a solid formula.

Cleveland swiped 80 more bases than Toronto during the regular season, but only got caught seven more times. Rajai Davis led the AL with 43 stolen bases in 49 attempts. Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez combined to steal 56 bags in 71 attempts.

Davis: 'I've always been faster than everyone else'

That adds quite a burden to the shoulders -- more specifically, to the right arm -- of Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin. The veteran backstop has struggled to nab potential base-stealers this season. During the regular season, Martin threw out only 11 of 72 runners (15 percent), the lowest mark, by far, of his 11-year career.

2016: 15 percent (league average: 29 percent)

2015: 44 percent (league average: 32 percent)

2014: 39 percent (league average: 28 percent)

2013: 40 percent (league average: 28 percent)

2012: 24 percent (league average: 25 percent)

Now, it's not always on the catcher. Martin clearly has had success in the past at throwing out runners. Sometimes, pitchers can shoulder the blame for failing to keep an eye on the runner or for having a deliberate motion to the plate.

It isn't just stolen bases, either. The Indians have a knack for taking extra bases on pitches in the dirt or on fly balls to the outfield. In Game 1 of the AL Division Series, Roberto Perez -- hardly fleet of foot -- sprinted from first to second on a lazy fly to left field. He later scored.

The Indians led the league in extra bases taken, which includes advancing from first to third on a single, or from first to home on a double, and so on.

"Knowing that they're aggressive and always looking to take the extra base, that helps me as a third-base coach," said Mike Sarbaugh. "They're always looking to score and be aggressive. That really helps to have that mindset, especially with the way we've been playing as a group, knowing that we have that mindset. A ball in the dirt, we're taking extra bases."

The Blue Jays' bats give opposing pitchers anxiety. The Indians tend to do the same with their legs.

"I think that's the kind of team we have to be," said Tribe manager Terry Francona.

First-pitch times for ALCS Games 1-3

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.14.2016

JIM INGRAHAM Indians Commentary: Reunion with Blue Jays in ALCS will be wild and crazy First of all, know this about the American League Championship Series: It’s going to be nuts. When these crazy kids get together, anything can happen — and usually does. The first time the Indians and Blue Jays played this year, June 30 in Toronto, Carlos Carrasco struck out 14 in seven innings and the Indians won 4-1. The next day, the game went 19 innings, and neither team scored in 16 of them. The teams combined to use 19 pitchers who combined to throw over half a thousand pitches (606 to be exact). Toronto’s last two pitchers were infielders, the game took 6 hours and 13 minutes to play, and the Indians won 2-1. The next day Rajai Davis became the eighth player in Indians history, the first in 13 years, to hit for the cycle — but the Indians lost 9-6. The next day, in a game started by Corey Kluber, the Indians lost 17-1. The Indians used four relievers. Three of them are no longer on the team, and the fourth was backup catcher Chris Gimenez. The next time they played was Aug. 19 in Cleveland. The Indians trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, when Jose Ramirez and Tyler Naquin hit back-to-back home runs to win the game, and Naquin’s was — ho-hum — a walk-off inside-the-park homer. Two days later the Indians went into the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 2-1, and Ramirez hit a two-run homer in what became a 3-2 Indians victory. So in other words, the Indians and Blue Jays don’t just play games. They play GAMES! Now it’s the best-of-7 American League Championship Series. Fasten your seatbelts. All that’s on the line is a trip to the World Series. The Indians, of course, are still operating with a depleted starting rotation, their Nos. 2 and 3 starters, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, done for the year with injuries. That didn’t stop the Indians from sweeping the powerful Red Sox in the Division Series.

Now come the slugging, slamming, smashing, swaggering Blue Jays. “You don’t run down the hall to face their hitters,” manager Terry Francona said. The Indians rotation may have been reduced to Corey and The Klubettes, but what the Indians DO have is the best bullpen, and the best bullpen handler, in the American League. Francona has been a managerial maestro this year in handling his bullpen. Bullpens are huge in the postseason, and so is Francona. Only seven managers in history have more postseason wins than Francona’s 31, and Francona has a better winning percentage, .633 (31-18), than all of them. We’re talking some of the legendary lineup makers in history: Joe Torre, Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox, Bruce Bochy, Jim Leyland, Casey Stengel and Sparking Anderson. Francona has a better postseason winning percentage than all of them, and five of the seven — all but Bochy and Leyland — are in the Hall of Fame. Francona’s use of the Indians bullpen, particularly since the acquisition of versatile game-changer Andrew Miller, has been impeccable. Francona has won games by whom, and especially when, he brings a reliever into the game. Miller has mostly been a closer and eighth-inning setup man in his bullpen career, but in the Boston series the go-for-the-jugular Francona brought Miller into the game in the fifth inning in Game 1 and the sixth inning in Game 2. Francona, in fact — bullpen “roles” be damned — is liable to bring in any reliever at any time. “This is not rocket science. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “We just take what guys do well and put them in positions where they can maximize it. Everyone would like to have an Andrew Miller, but there’s only one.” And he pitches for the Indians, who have a decided bullpen advantage over Toronto. The Indians’ 3.45 bullpen ERA ranks second in the league, while Toronto’s 4.11 ranks 12th. In Games 1 and 3 of the Boston series, both white-knuckler one-run wins, Francona went to Miller in the middle of the game and closer Cody Allen late. They threw about 40 pitches each in those games — but the Indians won both. “If Allen doesn’t do what he does, we can’t do what we’re doing with Miller. It still comes down to covering nine innings,” said Francona, whose undergraduate days as a student of bullpen management came as a minor league manager in the White Sox organization and in his first major league job, managing some bad Phillies teams from 1997-2000. “When I interviewed for (managing jobs) after that I had some people tell me I didn’t do a good job in Philadelphia with the bullpen. That kind of hurt me,” Francona said. “But sometimes it’s good training when you take your lumps.” Now his team is administering them. Contact Jim Ingraham at 329-7135 or jingraham4@gmail.com. Follow him @jim_ingraham on Twitter. RELATED STORIES: Indians facing another big-hitting team in TRIBE NOTES Indians notes: Terry Francona facing more friends in ALCS against Toronto ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-Telegram CLEVELAND — It’s nostalgia round two for Indians manager Terry Francona. Francona faced the Red Sox in the Division Series, a team he managed to two World Series titles during an eight-year tenure from 2004-11. Next up in the ALCS are the Blue Jays and club president and CEO Mark Shapiro, a longtime Cleveland executive and personal friend of Francona’s. Former Indians player development executive Ross Atkins accompanied Shapiro to Toronto as general manager when Shapiro was hired by the Blue Jays at the end of last season. “I didn’t like Mark when he was here. How’s that?” Francona joked. “You know what? This is actually unbelievable. For Ross and Mark to be ... I don’t know if people realize the (front office family tree). So many front office people have come out of here. It’s incredible. I know it started with John Hart and Mark and now with (team president) Chris (Antonetti). “You know, it’s probably a little easier for me because they’re not in uniform. Mark and Ross, I’m so close to both of them that it’ll be fun to say hello. I’m sure they feel the same way we do, they want to beat our brains out. But then when it’s over, that’s never going to affect a friendship. When you’re friends like that, it kind of goes beyond time or uniform or anything like that.”

Francona unconditionally praised Shapiro, who has long been considered one of baseball’s top executives. “When Mark would talk, I always wanted to grab a pen or pencil and take notes,” Francona said. “It didn’t matter if he was making a speech to a group downtown or talking to the coaches in Goodyear (Ariz.) during meetings. When he talked, he’d always have his notes and he never used them. He was able to use the words that I want to use and he’d use them in the right context and it didn’t seem like he was reaching. “But every time he talked, you’d be like, ‘Damn. Why can’t I think of that?’ He’s phenomenally smart, but his people skills to match make him so special.” In addition to Shapiro and Atkins, the Blue Jays also employ another front office member with Cleveland ties in special assistant to the organization and former Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar. Alomar’s father, Sandy Sr., serves the same role for Toronto. Roster roundup The Indians did not reveal their ALCS roster, which needs to be official at 10 a.m. today. “I think we just want to take a little bit more time, just walk through three catchers, an extra pitcher, that type of stuff,” Francona said. “We’ve kind of talked to most of the players, just so they know at least what their status is.” Cleveland kept catchers Roberto Perez, Yan Gomes and Chris Gimenez in the Division Series, but is expected to drop one of them to add another pitcher to the bullpen — possibly LHP Kyle Crockett or LHP Ryan Merritt. Layoff line The Indians enter Game 1 of the ALCS tonight having not played since Monday. Toronto has been off since clinching its ALDS on Sunday. “It helps. This time of year any rest you can get, it’s nice,” Cleveland first baseman Mike Napoli said. “Obviously we’re coming here and working out and sticking to our routines, so it’s not like we’re not doing anything. We’re still doing baseball things to stay fresh. I don’t think the layoff is anything crazy. “I think it helps, to tell you the truth. Yeah, you want to be in that same routine of playing every day, but it’s not going to do anything. We’re both gonna have plans against each other and we’re going to try to execute them and win a ballgame.” The Indians took batting practice Thursday, with Francona employing a handful of pitchers to throw live BP during a workout at Progressive Field the day before. “That’s probably my biggest ... if I had a concern is the guys not facing pitching,” he said. “We talked about that before the last series and I would say the majority of the guys took a couple of at-bats just because ... it’s not something they enjoy facing guys when it doesn’t count, but I think seeing some live out of the arm is good for them because then if you get that then everything else is good, the rest, all that is good. “They’re going to get their ground balls, their (pitchers fielding practice) all that stuff. You just want their timing, it’s such a game of timing and rhythm, you don’t want that to get interrupted.” Unfriendly fire Toronto announced the rest of its rotation for the series.Left-hander J.A. Happ will follow right-hander Marco Estrada in Game 2 on Saturday (4:08 p.m) against Trevor Bauer. Right-hander Marcus Stroman will pitch Game 3 in Toronto on Monday (8:08 p.m.) against Josh Tomlin, while RHP Aaron Sanchez is scheduled to start Game 4 in Toronto on Tuesday (4:08 p.m.) against Mike Clevinger. Roundin’ third Game 5 in Toronto will begin at 4:08 p.m., with Game 6 in Cleveland scheduled for 8:08 p.m. Game 7 at Progressive Field is still TBA. Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him@CAwesomeheimer on Twitter. Healthy again, Corey Kluber looks to give Indians early advantage against Blue Jays ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-Telegram CLEVELAND — When Indians ace Corey Kluber took the mound for Game 2 of the American League Division Series, there was trepidation — at least for Indians fans. Kluber, the last man standing among the top three in Cleveland’s rotation, hadn’t pitched in 10 days after being scratched from his final regular-season start with what the team called a “mild” quadriceps strain. The concerns turned out to be unwarranted. The right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings to help the Indians to a 6-0 victory and eventual sweep of the Red Sox. “We had a chance to throw a couple of bullpens before that start, in between my last one,” said Kluber, a former Cy Young winner who is a candidate to win the award again this year. “I was pretty confident that it wasn’t going to be a problem. I didn’t feel anything (physically). It was more precautionary than anything. We weren’t trying to protect against anything major.” After vanquishing one of the top offensive teams in the majors in Boston, Kluber and the Indians are up against another big-swinging club – Toronto — in the next round. Like the Red Sox, the Blue Jays employ weapons throughout the lineup, including MVP candidates Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, and top-of-the-line sluggers Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki. “It’s not just two, three, four guys that can hurt you. Everybody in that lineup can hurt you,” Kluber said of the Blue Jays, who scored 21 runs in their three-game Division Series sweep of Texas. “They have a lot of power, but they’re also patient. You have to go out there and execute pitches. There’s not really a magic formula.” Kluber has not fared well against the Blue Jays throughout his career, posting a 1-3 record and 5.34 ERA over five starts. He allowed seven runs on 13 hits and eight walks over two regular-season starts (10 innings) this year. “All I know is he’s pretty good, one of the tops in the game,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “There’s a lot of things that happen in this game. You don’t know why, whether it’s an individual hitter against a certain pitcher or pitching staff or vise versa or certain teams can’t beat certain teams and you scratch your head and you don’t know why. “You expect him to be very good out there and be a little stingy, but you never enjoy facing him, that’s for sure.”

Kluber will be squaring off against a fellow All-Star in Blue Jays veteran right-hander Marco Estrada. Spending the first seven seasons of his nine-year career in the National League, the 33-year-old Estrada has faced Cleveland only once — allowing three runs over five innings of a 9-6 win on July 2 at Rogers Centre. “Well, it’s like any other team, every team has a good lineup,” Estrada said of the Indians. “One of the better pitchers in baseball, (Kluber’s) pitching (today), so I know the guys have a tough task at hand, but I like the way we’re swinging our bats right now. “Every team is good. Some are a little better, but you can’t take anybody lightly. And they’ve got an extremely talented team over there, but so do we.” The Indians don’t swing for the fences like the Blue Jays, taking a different route to runs by putting pressure on the opponent with their base running. They led the AL in stolen bases, but Toronto has a deterrent in catcher Russell Martin. “As long as I don’t take too long making the pitch, I don’t think too many guys are going to try to steal,” Estrada said. “We’ve got one of the best catchers behind the plate, with (one of the) strongest arms. So, if they want to try to steal, go ahead. Russ, you know, he’s got a cannon.” As they did in the Division Series, the Indians enter the ALCS undermanned after losing starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar late in the regular season. It didn’t hurt them en route to clinching their first Central Division title since 2007, and it wasn’t an issue against the Red Sox. “These guys, Cleveland, they took a couple big blows, a couple big injuries, and they just kept on trucking,” Gibbons said. “What happens is players go down, and if you take very long to feel sorry for yourself or make an excuse, nobody else is going to feel sorry,” Francona said. “So right away I think we all think, ‘OK, how do we make this better?’ When you lose two pitchers like that late, I’m not sure you can move on conventionally and cover that. “I think we have enough players where we can win. We’re going to have to play very good baseball. Your margin for error is a little bit less when guys get hurt, so you hope you don’t make errors.” Contact Chris Assenhei Toronto Blue Jays’ Game 1 starter Marco Estrada almost daring the Cleveland Indians to run on him By Jeff Schudel, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal Marco Estrada, the Blue Jays’ starting pitcher in Game 1 of the ALCS, is almost daring the Indians to run on him. He should know the Indians plan to take that dare. “To be honest with you,” my job is pretty easy,” Estrada said on Oct. 13 before the Blue Jays worked out at Progressive Field. “As long as I don’t take too long making the pitch, I don’t think too many guys are going to try to steal. “We’ve got one of the best catchers behind the plate with one of the strongest arms. So if they want to try to steal, go ahead. Russ (catcher Russell Martin), he’s got a cannon.” Nice try, Estrada. The Indians led the American League with 134 steals and see no reason to slow down now. Advertisement Estrada allowed 12 stolen bases in the regular season. Only one base stealer was cut down with him on the mound. By contrast, only four bases were stolen off Corey Kluber, the Indians starter in Game 1 on Oct. 14 at Progressive Field. Seven runners were caught stealing. Opponents stole 61 bases on the Blue Jays in 2016 when Martin was catching. He threw out only 11 runners. But Indians outfielder Rajai Davis, who led the American League with 43 steals, says it is unfair to pin it all stolen bases on the catcher. Davis said sometimes the pitcher is to blame. He added Estrada is one of those pitchers that allow runners to get a big jump. “It’s a combination of the pitcher and the catcher working together,” Davis said. “If the pitcher gives (Martin) the opportunity, I think he could throw out more guys. If they don’t give the catcher the opportunity, guys are going to steal at will. “I’ve noticed (studying the Blue Jays), assuming we get on base, we can be aggressive. I think (Estrada) can be one of those guys we can take advantage of. He throws slow stuff. He has a quick move, but I think picking the right pitch, you can definitely take a base on him.” Jailbreaks don’t only occur when Estrada is on the mound. J.A, Happ, the Toronto starter in Game 2, was 20-4 in the regular season and allowed seven stolen bases. Only one runner was caught. Marcus Stroman, who is starting Game 3, has allowed 13 steals. Runners have been caught five times. The numbers are 12 steals, two runners caught for Game 4 starter Aaron Sanchez. “We’re well aware of that,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “Pitching staffs have a lot to do with base running, too. I don’t think you can get carried away with it because the name of the game is to get to runner out at the plate, too.” Opponents scored 666 runs on the Blue Jays. Opponents scored 676 runs on the Indians. A look back at the games played between the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays in 2016 By Jeff Schudel, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal The Indians and Blue Jays faced each other seven times in the regular season. The Indians won the series, 4-3 – a result they would be very happy matching in October. Four games were decided by one run. Following is a recap of those games and perhaps a glimpse of what to expect in the ALCS starting Oct. 14 at Progressive Field: <URL destination="http://media.news-herald.com/2016/10/13/photos-cleveland-indians-alcs-workout-oct-13-2016">>> Indians-Blue Jays ALCS workout photo gallery JUNE 30: INDIANS, 4-1 Carlos Carrasco struck out 14 Blue Jays in 7 1/3 innings to run the Indians’ winning streak to 13 games. They were 22-6 in June — their best record for a single month in franchise history. Indians starting pitchers were 10-0 during the streak. Advertisement Jason Kipnis and Rajai Davis each hit solo home runs for the Indians. Tyler Naquin and Jose Ramirez each drove in a run. Cody Allen set the Blue Jays down in order in the ninth inning to earn his 17th save. JULY 1: INDIANS, 2-1

The Indians extended their franchise record winning streak to 14 in the Rogers Centre in Toronto in the Tribe’s longest game of the season. Carlos Santana hit a home run in the top of the 19th inning to break a 1-1 tie. Santana scored the Indians’ first run on a hit by Kipnis. Indians manager Terry Francona used seven of his eight relievers. Trevor Bauer, a starter, worked in relief in the 15th inning and pitched five innings to get the win. Allen was the only reliever not to pitch. He was rested because he pitched in each of the previous three games. JULY 2: BLUE JAYS, 9-6 The Indians’ gassed bullpen could not keep the slugging Blue Jays quiet, and so the winning streak that followed the Cavs winning the NBA title came to an end. Dan Otero took the loss for the Indians. Toronto third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a solo home run in the seventh inning off Otero to tie the game, 6-6, and then broke the tie with an RBI single in the eighth. Davis became the eighth player in Indians history to hit for the cycle. Santana also homered for the Tribe. JULY 3: BLUE JAYS, 17-1 The Indians ended an 11-game road trip with their most lopsided loss of the season. They were tired and ready to return to Progressive Field. Corey Kluber started the game and did not last long. He gave up five runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings to fall to 8-8. He has lost only one game since then — a span of more than three months. Catcher Chris Gimenez pitched two innings so Francona could preserve his bullpen. Russell Martin led the Blue Jays with five RBI. Edwin Encarnacion drove in four. The Blue Jays pounded out 18 hits. AUG. 19: INDIANS, 3-2 It was a playoff atmosphere on a Friday night at Progressive Field between the Central Division-leading Indians and East Division-leading Blue Jays. A large contingent of fans from Toronto was at the game. For a while they were louder than Indians fans. In the end, though, the Indians fans were cheering the most dramatic victory of the season. With the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the ninth, Naquin hit a long drive off the top of the fence in right. The ball caromed back toward home plate, and Naquin turned on the jets. He dashed to third, turned the corner, almost stumbled, righted himself and slid across the plate for a game-winning inside-the-park home run. “That was a pretty cool moment,’’ Naquin said. ‘’I almost fell down there for a second. I wanted to just keep running.’’ The Blue Jays led, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the ninth. Ramirez tied the game with a home run. Bauer struck out 13 Blue Jays in eight innings, but Jeff Manship pitched the ninth and got the win. AUG. 20: BLUE JAYS, 6-5 Naquin had another chance to be a hero in the ninth inning, but Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna got Ramirez on a flyout, struck out Lonnie Chisenhall and got Naquin on a ground ball to end the game. The sixth game of the season between the Indians and Blue Jays came at a point in the season when Josh Tomlin was struggling. Tomlin gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. He gave up three home runs and at that point had allowed 32 on the season. The Indians fell behind, 5-0, but tied it with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Chisenhall delivered the big blow with a three-run homer in a 10-pitch at bat. Francona sent Tomlin back out to start the fifth inning. Encarnacion broke the 5-5 tie with his 35th home run of the season. AUG. 21: INDIANS, 3-2 Ramirez rallied the Indians with a two-run home run in the eighth inning off Brett Cecil. As far as Francona was concerned, it was a perfect way to end a weekend of hard-fought baseball. Each game was decided by one run. “We won two out of three, and I think we had the lead for like 10 minutes,’’ Francona said after the game. The crowds at Progressive Field were large for each game, and each game was decided by a home run. Mike Clevinger got the win for the Tribe. He relieved Kluber in the seventh inning and struck out Encarnacion with the bases loaded. Allen pitched the ninth inning to earn his 24th save in 27 chances. Cleveland Indians: Players, managers expect exciting ALCS By David Glasier, The News-Herald Take it from Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, one of baseball’s brightest young stars and a man who plays the game with unbridled joy. Fans of both teams are in for an exciting ride as the Indians and Toronto Blue Jays square off in the 2016 American League Championship Series. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. Oct. 14 at Progressive Field. Game 2 is set for Oct. 15, also at Progressive Field. The first pitch scheduled for 4:08 p.m. “It’s going to be an exciting series, a really exciting series,” Lindor said on Oct. 13 as members of both teams spoke with reporters before workouts at Progressive Field. “There are a lot of great match-ups between hitters and pitchers. Both teams play great defense. Our fans will be loud. Their fans will be loud. It’ll be crazy,” Lindor added, smiling. Both teams are riding six-game winning streaks that began in the waning days of the regular season. The Blue Jays, who finished second in the American League Eastern Division at 89-73, beat Baltimore in the AL wild card game and then swept the Texas Rangers, 3-0, in their best-of-five AL Division Series.

The Indians finished 94-67 to claim the franchise’s first AL Central Division title since 2007. They then surprised many baseball insiders with a 3-0 sweep of the Boston Red Sox to win the other ALDS and return to the ALCS for the first time since 2007, This is the first postseason meeting between the teams. During the regular season, the Indians took four of seven games from the Blue Jays. Indians right-hander Corey Kluber gets the start in Game 1. He had a rough go of it against the Blue Jays in two regular-season starts, going 0-1 with a 6..03 ERA. In five career starts against Toronto, the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner is 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA. “They’re a solid lineup, one through nine,” Kluber said. “It’s not just two, three or four guys who can hurt you. They have a lot of power, but they’re also patient.” Toronto manager John Gibbons is paying more attention to Kluber’s outstanding body of work than his so-so numbers against the Blue Jays. “All we know is he’s pretty good, one of the top pitchers in the game,” Gibbons said. “He won the Cy Young a couple of years ago. Whether it’s an individual hitter against a certain pitcher or pitching staff or vice versa, or certain teams can’t beat certain teams, you scratch your head and don’t know why. “You expect (Kluber) to be very good out there and be a little bit stingy,” Gibbons added. “You never enjoy facing him, that’s for sure.” In none of the seven regular-season games this year did Kluber and his fellow Indians pitchers have to contend with Toronto’s slugging outfielder Jose Bautista (22 home runs, 69 RBI). He missed all those games while down with toe and knee injuries. Bautista is back in the lineup and in fine form. He has two home runs and five RBI in this postseason. “This is a series with two good teams battling it out with good pitchers and good hitters on both sides,” Bautista said. “They had setbacks losing those two starting pitchers, but they battled back and have that great bullpen.” Indians manager Terry Francona accepts the challenge facing his team as it confronts a power-laden Toronto batting order without the services of injured starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. “We’ve tried not to feel sorry for ourselves and figure out, OK, how do we win four games before they do?” Francona said. “I think we have enough players where we can win. We’re going to have to play very good baseball. Your margin for error is a little less when guys get hurt.” Toronto outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. said while he and his teammates are aware of the losses of Carrasco and Salazar, in no way, shape or form are the Blue Jays looking past this series toward the World Series. “That is a fundamentally sound team over there, full of scrappers,”.Upton said. “They do all the little things that make you a winner. That’s why they’re in the ALCS.” Dominating bullpen trio a key to Cleveland Indians’ postseason run By David Glasier, The News-Herald As a starting pitcher for the Indians, Josh Tomlin is qualified to assess the impact of the team’s back-of-the-bullpen trio of Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and closer Cody Allen. “It means everything knowing those guys are out there and can lock down any game,” Tomlin said Oct. 13 as the Indians prepared for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. “World Series teams have lockdown bullpens. That’s crucial in these games with the lineups we’re facing.” Allen, in his fifth season with the Indians, is 3-5 with a 2.51 ERA and 32 saves. In the 3-0 sweep of Boston in the 2016 American League Division Series, Allen had two saves while blanking the Red Sox on four hits in three innings. Miller was obtained from the New York Yankees on July 31 in a trade for Clint Frazier and three other highly regarded prospects. The 31-year-old left-hander has been nothing short of sensational in 26 appearances for the Indians, going 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA and three saves. In 29.0 innings, he has piled up 46 strikeouts while issuing only two walks. Against the Red Sox in the ALDS, he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. In two appearances covering four innings, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound southpaw yielded only one hit while striking out five batters. Shaw struggled a bit in three appearances against the Red Sox, giving up two runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old right-hander has otherwise fashioned another ironman season for the Indians, going 2-5 with a 3.25 ERA in a team-high 75 appearances. With starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar sidelined by injuries, Indians manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway for the last month have been leaning heavily on Shaw, Miller and Allen to pick up the slack and keep the Indians on a course that has carried the team to the ALCS for the first time in nine years. Callaway didn’t mince words when asked on the eve of Game 1 of the ALCS if any team in baseball has a better, more effective trio of back-end relievers. “Absolutely not. These guys are by far the best,” Callaway said. Callaway spoke at length about how Shaw with his cut fastball, Miller with his wicked slider and fastball and Allen with his fastball and sharp curveball complement each other and almost always confound opposing batters. “You have three totally different pitchers who allow you to attack different parts of lineups in different ways,” Callaway said.

Each also has he temperament to succeed in the high-pressure realm of relief pitching, according to Callaway. They also are unconcerned with how they’re being used as the Indians advance in the postseason. “These guys stay focused on the next pitch and the next out. They don’t care about when we call their numbers,” Callaway said. Allen said he, Miller, Shaw and all their fellow relievers have a strong sense of group identity. “We have guys out there who can be the strength of a team,” Allen said. “We aren’t the first team to use the bullpen like this. Kansas City used a similar formula the previous two seasons to get to the World Series. That forced teams to change their mindset about relief pitching.” Miller was part of another outstanding back-end trio on the Yankees, with Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances, before the trade to the Indians. “You need to be ready to pitch in any game and in any situation,” Miller said. Solid starting pitching a luxury Blue Jays have over Indians

By Scott Mitchell, Toronto Sun

CLEVELAND - Over the course of a 162-game regular season, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of starting pitching depth.

Up to this point in the Blue Jays’ playoff run, however, the strength of their team, one that helped them to 89 wins and steered them through so many rough patches, has been pretty much negated.

Until now.

Heading into what’s expected to be a best-of-seven grind against a well-rounded Cleveland Indians team, you can point to the Blue Jays’ rotation depth as a potential separator.

“We’re all completely different, so you see a different look every single time out there,” said Marco Estrada, Friday’s Game 1 starter, who will square off against Indians starter Corey Kluber. “And, really, it doesn’t matter who’s out there. We all feel pretty confident with any single one of us being out there.”

Manager John Gibbons does, too, and he could’ve gone with any number of combinations or scenarios when it came to his ALCS rotation.

The Indians, thanks to injuries to key starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, who are both not expected to pitch in this series, don’t have that luxury.

“Yeah, it is kind of a luxury when you get to this time of year,” Gibbons said. “But you’re not going to find teams out there than don’t have a good pitching staff, really.”

After announcing earlier this week that Estrada would get the ball to start the series, Gibbons lined up the rest of his rotation Thursday, deciding to go with lefty J.A. Happ on Saturday in Game 2 at Progressive Field, followed by youngsters Marcus Stroman in Game 3 and Aaron Sanchez in Game 4 back at the Rogers Centre on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Stroman, who hasn’t pitched since throwing seven innings in Toronto’s extra inning wild-card win over the Baltimore Orioles on Oct. 4, will be available out of the bullpen this weekend, but he’s excited to get the ball in the first game back in Toronto.

“It just gives me even more confidence because I truly feel every single individual on this team, in this organization, throughout the entire country of Canada has that confidence in me and they want me to be the guy to go out there and have the ball in those situations,” Stroman said. “And I love that, I embody that, I feel like that’s when I’m at my best, and I want to be in that position each and every time.”

Sending Estrada, who went 81/3 innings and gave up just one run to win Game 1 of the ALDS, Happ, a 20-game winner, Stroman, and then the American League ERA leader in Sanchez to the mound is about as good as it gets.

The Indians will counter with Kluber, Trevor Bauer in Game 2, Josh Tomlin in Game 3, before turning to Mike Clevinger in what could, potentially, be a bullpen game for manager Terry Francona’s club in Game 4.

Just because it’s a perceived advantage, however, doesn’t mean it’s over in the opinion of Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

“I know they’re missing some of their guys, but our guys, definitely, we’re strong in that department,” Tulowitzki said. “I’d like to say it’s a little bit of an advantage, but it’s a good ball club over there. I don’t wanna sit here and say it definitely favours us or anything like.”

TULO DIGS THE LONG BALL

The difference in the way the Blue Jays and Indians go about plating runs isn’t lost on Tulowitzki.

Cleveland scored 777 runs this season, the fifth-most in all of baseball, while the Jays weren’t far behind with 759.

The Jays, however, did a lot of their damage via the home run, smashing 221 of them in 2016, fourth-best in baseball.

The Indians sat 18th with 185.

“We rely on the long ball, they manufacture runs,” said Tulowitzki, who provided 24 of those dingers. “I would say everything else is similar. Starting pitching, both back ends of the bullpens are pretty good, both play good defence. There’s similarities, but how we get runs is a little bit different. We do it on the home run and they do it more on moving guys over and then getting the big hit.”

So which type of offence would the 32-year-old prefer?

“You’re always in it when you can hit a home run, right?” Tulowitzki said. “You get a guy or two on base and anyone in your lineup can go deep, I think that makes you a little bit more dangerous, honestly.”

WILD PITCHES

No matter what stat, metric, or scouting report you use, Indians reliever Andrew Miller has some of the filthiest stuff in baseball. The third overall pick in the 2006 draft, once the one of the key pieces in the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera from the Florida Marlins to the Detroit Tigers, has elite numbers when it comes to strikeouts, walks allowed, and ground-ball rate, all leading to a 1.45 ERA. “Miller’s definitely an X factor, there’s no doubt about that,” Tulowitzki said … The teams are scheduled for three games — Games 2, 4 and 5 — that start at 4 p.m., and Tulowitzki

isn’t a fan. “Shadows are part of playoff baseball — I wish they weren’t,” the shortstop said. “All year long we play games at 1 or at 7. Now you get to the playoffs and you have to deal with shadows.” … If you get to spend some time around Jays reliever Joe Biagini, you’re likely to be entertained in one way or another. Catcher Russell Martin definitely is. “He could have his own TV show,” Martin said. “I’d watch it.” … After sitting out the final two games of the series against the Rangers, Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis (knee) is ready to go. “He came in feeling great,” Gibbons said … Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro had lunch with some of his former Indians co-workers Thursday. The best part? They picked up the tab, he said … The ALCS rosters don’t have to be set until Friday morning, and Gibbons said they’re still working through the details. Dalton Pompey could be on the roster, as could Ryan Goins if they feel they need an extra infielder in case Travis has some sort of setback. Then there’s left-hander Francisco Liriano, who seems set to return, but because he is on the seven-day concussion list, can’t come back until Game 2. “He’s going to throw bullpen tomorrow,” Gibbons said Thursday afternoon. “We’ll expect he’ll be fine, but if something ain’t right, that could change.”Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.14.2016

Cleveland carries significant base-stealing advantage into series against JaysROBERT MacLEOD

The numbers seem clear when it comes to Cleveland’s formidable running game as the team heads into Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

For Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, who will be tasked with trying to halt that running game, the numbers lie.

It seems like a confusing story. Cleveland stole 134 bases to lead the AL this season. Former Blue Jay Rajai Davis leads the running brigade with 43 stolen bags. Jose Ramirez is No. 2 with 22 while Francisco Lindor tallied 19.

On the flipside, Martin, the Blue Jays veteran catcher who is considered one of the best defensively in the game, has thrown out only 15.3 per cent (11 of 72) of attempted base-stealers.

That’s the lowest rate of any regular catcher this season. By comparison, Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals enjoyed a 48.1 success rate in cutting down base-stealers.

So it would appear that Cleveland has a big edge when it comes to being able to move up a bag or two if the situation warrants, which could have a big effect in the best-of-seven series.

Just let them try, is Martin’s response.

“For me, it’s just what I love to do,” Martin said, about catching would-be base-stealers. “We can talk about the numbers, whatever you want. We’ll see how it plays out after the series is all over is all I have to say.”

Martin said he has no explanation for his low success rate.

“I don’t,” he said. “Numbers lie, that’s why. If they want to take their chance … “It’s something like, it’s what I’m best at in life … catching and throwing. I don’t want to sound overconfident but it’s always been a good part of my game. So for me, it’s a non issue.”

The Blue Jays start Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48 ERA) against former Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.41 ERA) in Friday’s opener.

On Saturday, 20-game winner J.A. Happ will face Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer, 12-8.

On Monday, when the series resumes in Toronto for Game 3, Marcus Stroman will face Josh Tomlin. Aaron Sanchez starts for the Jays in Game 4 on Tuesday against Mike Clevinger.

Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.14.2016

Mark Shapiro gets a warm, if unexpected, homecoming in Cleveland

ROBERT MacLEOD

After a year under his belt as the leader of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mark Shapiro has returned to the city where he cut his teeth on how to be a baseball executive.

After 24 years in the Cleveland front office, Shapiro has a legion of friends and business associates that he is trying to touch base with as his Blue Jays prepare to meet his old employer in the American League Championship Series. Game 1 is at Progressive Field on Friday night.

Shapiro spent some of Thursday catching up with Cleveland co-owner Paul Dolan and having lunch with several of his former cohorts in the Indians front office.

Asked who paid, Shapiro said it was his former team that picked up the tab.

Shapiro, who left Cleveland after last season to supplant the retiring Paul Beeston as the Blue Jays president and chief executive officer, said he never contemplated the possibility that the two teams would square off in the league championship.

“I wasn’t thinking about that even 10 days ago,” Shapiro said during an interview at Progressive Park. “I didn’t allow myself. I parked those thoughts and only focused on the Toronto Blue Jays and that was it.

“Once we advanced I certainly was pulling for the Indians to advance mostly because I want them to do well. I care about the people.”

Shapiro said that, when he started in Toronto, he was certain the Blue Jays had the wherewithal to enjoy the same kind of success as last season, when they made the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 1993.

He said he also had the same thoughts for the Cleveland team, which he played a major role in building. But there, he said, the comparisons between the franchises, and cities, end.

The baseball team’s place in the hardscrabble Cleveland market is a difficult one.

Despite a successful season in which it won the Central Division with a 94-67 record, Cleveland only drew roughly 1.5 million fans to Progressive Field, the third worst total in baseball.

“The fan base here is passionate, it’s just smaller,” Shapiro said.

The Blue Jays are at the other end of the spectrum, especially when the team is winning. This season the Blue Jays packed more than 3.3 million into Rogers Centre, the third highest total in the majors.

“I just look at Toronto as such a vibrant city with such an incredible number of people that live so close to the ballpark,” Shapiro said. “And I always know winning is the biggest lever, and you’ve got to win to get people to ultimately come out in the biggest numbers. But I guess I just feel like, it’s just a robust market. There’s so much more depth to it.”

The support that the Blue Jays garner, not only in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, but also across the country, is still something that Shapiro is marvelling at and coming to terms with.

He has taken note of the incredible engagement the Canadian public has with its baseball team, as 4.7 million TV viewers watched the Blue Jays’ wild-card victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Oct. 4. More than 10 million people tuned in at some point to see what was going on, roughly 30 per cent of the country’s population watching the Blue jays.

“Think about that,” Shapiro said. “That’s not lost on me, especially in light of where I’m coming from.

“If you don’t take that personal, if you don’t feel like that’s an extra motivation, then there’s something missing in your DNA.”

The topic of conversation also swung around to John Gibbons, the Blue Jays manager Shapiro inherited when he took over as team president.

There has always been speculation that Gibbons would be fired as soon as the team started to falter, which has yet to happen.

But Shapiro speaks only in glowing terms about the Texan after working with him closely over the past year.

“Just a high character individual, a good person that I enjoy spending time with and being around,” Shapiro said.

But Gibbons’s biggest asset, Shapiro said, “is how incredibly consistent he is. This guy, regardless of what’s going on around us, whether it’s turmoil, whether there’s celebration, whether there’s consolation, he’s the same person, he’s the same leader.”

Shapiro was asked if he felt Gibbons is underrated as a manager.

“I don’t know what the rating is so it’s hard for me to say whether he’s underrated or not,” Shapiro said. “I just think he’s good.”

Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.14.2016

Jays feel better prepared for second straight trip to ALCS

By Brendan Kennedy

CLEVELAND—What Kevin Pillar remembers most about last year’s American League Championship Series was how abrupt it felt at the end.

“Suddenly everything you worked so incredibly hard for is taken away from you and you’re just sitting there thinking, ‘How the hell am I going to get home?’ ”

Pillar, who describes last season’s league championship loss to Kansas City as if it were the death of a loved one, says he’s still not over the feeling of coming so close to the World Series but ultimately falling short. “That loss leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and a lot of us used that as motivation to get back here.”

On the eve of the Blue Jays return to the ALCS, this time against Cleveland, the players said they feel more relaxed and better prepared, but also eager to finish the job they feel they started last season.

“I’m definitely not as nervous,” Pillar said. “I’m definitely more, just, excited to get back out there and play. You don’t really experience what the post-season atmosphere is like and the magnitude and the intensity of the games without being there. These are all things that we’re going to rely on and lean on to help us get through this series.”

Troy Tulowitzki summed up what the team gained from last year’s playoff run in two words: hunger and experience.

“This is where we lost our season last year,” he said. “We definitely want to go to the World Series, just like they do. Time will tell. It’ll be fun.”

The challenge begins Friday in Game 1 against Cleveland’s ace right-hander, Corey Kluber.

“We have our hands full with him,” said Tulowitzki, who said this year’s Jays team is “looser” than last year at this point, owing to how they have already played so much with their backs against the wall: needing the final game of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot and then a sudden-death wild card to advance.

“I think we feel like we’re playing with house money a little bit.”

Another difference this season is what happened once the Jays got past the wild card. Instead of having to play a deciding Game 5 against the Rangers and then hopping on a flight to their next series, they swept Texas in three games and earned four days off.

Pillar, for one, said he relished the chance to “unwind” and “turn my baseball brain off for a day.”

A more crucial benefit for the Jays is the rest afforded to their key bullpen arms, particularly 21-year-old closer Roberto Osuna. For Josh Donaldson, who has played through a number of nagging injuries this season — most recently to his right hip — the time off was a major boon.

Jose Bautista, who last week tied Joe Carter for the most post-season homers in Jays history, said this year the team has a better understanding of how to prepare for games in the post-season, when quirky game times and additional media responsibilities can alter routines.

“Other than that, playing baseball’s the same,” he said. “Nothing changes. Just try to control the excitement a little bit and try to execute. That’s the name of the game in the playoffs — just getting it done on that day.”

Bautista agreed that there are similarities between Cleveland and Kansas City, particularly in terms of the strength of their respective bullpens, their base-running speed and their strong defence.

What that means, Bautista shrugged.

“If we execute, we’re going to win, and if they execute, they’re going to win.”

The Jays, undefeated in the post-season and winners of six straight, have certainly executed in the playoffs thus far. They have scored more runs and hit twice as many homers as any other team, while posting an on-base-plus-slugging percentage nearly 100 points higher than any other team. Their starting pitching and defence, meanwhile, have been as good as they have been all season. Even the bullpen has been a strength thus far.

“We’re starting to get hot at the right time,” said Marco Estrada, who will start for the Jays on Friday. “A lot of teams were hot in late August, early September and kind of cooled off once they got in the playoffs, where I feel like we’re just starting to get hot. It’s perfect timing. It’s all about timing. That’s usually the way things work. The best team doesn’t always win, but I think the hottest team is usually the one that takes it all.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 10.14.2016

Jays will try to match hits with Francona’s wits: Griffin

By Richard Griffin

CLEVELAND—As a manager, Terry Francona has become one of the most consistent post-season winners in MLB history. He led the Red Sox to a first World Series title in 96 years, ending the Curse of the Bambino in 2004, in his initial season with the Red Sox. In fact, in two World Series appearances as manager, he has yet to lose a game following up a sweep of St. Louis with another in 2007 versus the Rockies.

Yet the first time I saw Francona walk into the Expos’ clubhouse as a rookie in 1981 in West Palm Beach, Fla., a non-roster invitee, he seemed the furthest from any ideal of being a future major-league manager than anyone I had worked with.

With a big rookie grin on his face, the affable 21-year-old University of Arizona alum, a Golden Spikes winner as the best amateur player in America in 1980, strolled into the Expos’ cramped spring clubhouse seeking his locker.

Part of his signing deal was an invitation to major-league camp, even though he would have no chance of making the roster. Oh, and he was carrying an extra 20 pounds on skinny legs that looked as if they would be unable to support him. He had been told by Jim Fanning, Montreal’s farm director, just to have fun in the winter and he took that to mean attending every banquet that wished to honour him.

Francona had great baseball instincts, the only hint that he may one day become a manager. At the end of spring in 1981, he was sent down to the minors and quickly succeeded. He was recalled for the start of the split-season’s second half following the player’s strike. He loved to party, but so did many others in that travelling group. They had fun, but they competed hard.

But the prime of Francona’s career was short-lived. Two seasons. On June 16, 1982, he was playing left field at Busch Stadium, when he raced towards the wall, turned and caught his spikes in the rubber warning track, tearing up his knee. He continued playing for parts of eight more years, but in pain and wearing a brace. Francona had to start thinking about baseball in his post-playing career.

When Francona was hired by the Red Sox, he already had four dreadful seasons with the Phillies as manager. There were experts that believed he was managerially challenged and would have trouble with good players. Quite the opposite, Francona excelled at handling a clubhouse full of solid Sox players.

“You go back to the Phillies stuff, it probably really served me well even though it was hard a lot of the times,” Francona said. “I probably got beat up a lot of times, but I learned a lot abut how I felt about the players.

“Then, when you get a better roster and you still feel the way you do about the players, I think that’s when it has a chance to start becoming pretty special. I think that showed me the forming, the foundation of good relationships.”

Francona was fired by the Red Sox in 2011, then took a year off to work in television. He was brought on board with the Indians by Mark Shapiro. For three seasons, the Jays’ current front office group worked side by side with Francona. Jays GM Ross Atkins, asked to describe Francona, used the word “inclusive.”

“What’s inclusive mean,” Francona joked. “I had the good fortune to play for 16 major-league managers, part of that was because I wasn’t very good. But that is a lot of ideas, a lot of personalities, a lot of different ways people do things. And you learn a lot. But I think ultimately you kind of learn you have to be true to yourself.”

“If you aren’t true to yourself, players see through it, right now. They may not all be Ivy League-type guys, but if you’re not true to yourself, they can see through it and you might as well go home.”

Francona has many admirers for his personal managerial style. Players that have been with him spread the word, but opponents can see it even from across the field. Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is one of his admirers.

“Tito does a great job with that ballclub, the decisions he makes” Tulowitzki said. “If you watch it as a fan of the game, it’s exciting. If you watch it as a baseball player, it seems like he does press those right buttons a lot, so we know that we’re up against one of the best managers.”

These two teams, the Jays and Indians, are very evenly matched on the field, heading into Game 1 of the ALCS. The way Francona handled the big-ticket reliever, lefthander Andrew Miller, obtained from the Yankees at the deadline, may have changed the way that bullpens will be managed in the future.

It may even inspire Jays skipper John Gibbons, if indeed he is able to get lefty Francisco Liriano back from his seven-day concussion DL for Game 2 on Saturday.

We say “if” because MLB’s rule is ridiculous and unfair. It seems if the Jays want to bring Liriano back for Game 2, after he completes his seven days, they have to play Game 1 with a 24-man roster, even though Danny Barnes was his replacement in the ALDS. And if Liriano has a setback and is still deemed concussed, the Jays, according to MLB, would have to play the entire ALCS with just 24 men.Toronto Star LOADED: 10.14.2016

1040180 Toronto Blue Jays

The future is never far from the Blue Jays’ present: Arthur

By Bruce Arthur

Thu., Oct. 13, 2016

CLEVELAND—Mark Shapiro came home to Cleveland, and it felt . . . natural. Natural and good, he said. He spent 14 years here, leaving behind a front office of baseball men who talk the way he talks, with that corporate cadence, polished to an opaque shine. They know him here. When he was in Cleveland, Shapiro tried to make ends meet, tried to win despite his budget. He once said he cried when Victor Martinez left. He hasn’t shown himself that way in Toronto, yet.

Shapiro comes back atop a relative powerhouse as the Toronto Blue Jays face Cleveland in the American League Championship Series. He is, in a way, the man of the moment. The Jays are a top-10 payroll with an ocean of revenues behind them — colossal TV ratings, league-leading attendance, rivers of merchandise. The other guys spent a little more than Oakland this year on players, and were 28th in baseball in tickets sold. You can drive here from Toronto, but it’s a long way away.

“In a market this small, there’s a fragility to it,” said Shapiro, the day before Game 1. “And so if things don’t break right, if you don’t get some breaks, if certain injuries happen it’s really tough to overcome.”

There is still a fragility to the Jays, but a different one. They come into this series swinging big bats, with superior starting pitching and a bullpen that is holding together, if by a thread. They are a collection of big, loud talent. We just don’t know what their future is, when all this is over.

“Nobody knows,” says Jays catcher Russell Martin.

Shapiro and then general manager Ross Atkins came to Toronto in the wake of the franchise’s sudden resurrection, and it was believed in baseball that they weren’t overly interested in keeping the band together. The Jays are the oldest team in baseball. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, the twin power bats around which this entire enterprise was founded, are free agents. Edwin is 33, and Jose turns 36 in a week.

And Shapiro, naturally, isn’t saying what he’ll do. Of Encarnacion, he will at least say, “Your own guys are the guys you want, because you know them.”

Meanwhile, the market has spoken. This front office left its future options open all season, and it has two weathervanes: Aaron Sanchez and his arm were a measure of how hard they were chasing this season, and Encarnacion will be the clearest sign of how the Jays view their future. Sanchez may only start once in this series, but he is still pitching, as a starter. And while Shapiro still believes that a great farm system is the best route to sustainable success, he knows that Toronto isn’t a market that will quietly accept a reversal of direction to achieve it.

“I think what the playoff run does for me is just provide me a reminder of what I probably didn’t need to be reminded of — of just how powerful winning and being in the post-season is for a franchise and for its fan base,” Shapiro said. “You see how deeply people are affected. You see how a whole country rallies around a team. You feel the magnitude and the power of the engagement. And if you’re not impacted by that with a strong desire to contend, then something’s wrong with you.

“And then you pull back from the emotion and you have to think objectively. First you have to determine what our resources are, which we haven’t gotten to yet. And then, what are the alternatives to building a championship-calibre team? But I can tell you, we’re going to go into the off-season with the hope and expectation of building another contender next year.”

If you look, there is wiggle room there. Hope can falter, expectations can change. There are alternatives. This roster is still ready-built to be self-destructed, if necessary. It wouldn’t be so hard.

But for now, the rivers of revenues flowing into Rogers Communications have been noticed, which is nice. The unbelievable thirst for this team — the 4.73 million people, on average, tuning in for Game 3 against Texas, another record in a couple years full of them — has registered. Shapiro is trusting Ben Cherington to build the underlying infrastructure, and says Atkins will focus on the big team. Balancing act, that. This franchise always is.

“I mean, in my job, you’re always going to push for more payroll,” says Shapiro. “But it’s a business and has to be run like a business . . . I mean, there are probably some limitations that I don’t need to get into, because I don’t think I want to make excuses, that will always prevent us from being in that top four, top five. But there’s no reason we shouldn’t be in the next five. That’s probably the best I can give you.”

They started the season 10th this year, but now two elite bats who cost a combined US$25-million can walk, and without them, what are these Jays? Ah, that can wait. Right now we can focus on how they match up with Cleveland, how Cleveland resembles Kansas City last year, how this is another chance to go to the damned World Series. We don’t need to think too far into the future, right now.

Mark Shapiro will, though. We’ll know him a lot better, when the moment comes.

Toronto Star LOADED: 10.14.2016