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Highlights of manager Terry Francona’s Q&A with reporters on Wednesday.

Q: Is there an update on how you plan to handle Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer’s innings on Sunday in Kansas City?

Francona: “What we’re going to do Sunday is we’ll flip-flop kind of what we did [Tuesday against the White Sox]. Carrasco will start. He needs to go about 75–80 [pitches]. Then, we’ll have Trevor follow him. And then we talked to Trev today. We’re not really [ready to announce anything beyond that yet]. We need to get through the season first, because you don’t want to announce something and then have to undo it. But, we did try to give him some guidance in what we’re looking to do, just so he can prepare and things like that.”

Q: Is Mike Clevinger the likely starter for Game 3 of the ALDS?

(Francona nods)

Francona: “But, we don’t need to [announce anything]. We’re not ready to do those things.”

Q: How is Bauer today? Did he bounce back OK from Tuesday’s start?

Francona: “He’s doing good.”

Q: Now that we know for sure that you guys will be facing Houston in the ALDS, what are your initial thoughts on facing the Astros? That is two really good pitching staffs going at it…

Francona: “Yeah, it is. They’re good. They’re really good. The one thing I’ve been impressed with — when we’ve played them and when I’ve watched them — is they play start to finish really well. Even when we’ve beat them, man, it’s like, ‘They’re coming.’ That’s why they’ve been fun to play, because they’re talented and they keep playing. They present a lot of issues, but it’s fun to play them, because they’re so good.”

Q: You know who you’re facing. There are five games left in the regular season. Is it hard to rein it in and manage these games that don’t have any postseason implications?

Francona: “I hate it. I hate it. I’m so tired of this.”

(laughter)

Francona: “Last night, watching Carrasco give up runs, I’m sitting there like, you know, [expletive], we’ve got a guy out in the bullpen that probably could’ve come in and, but, we need to [let Carrasco build up his pitch count]. I can’t wait ‘til we start playing [expletive] games where we can try to do what we’re supposed to do.”

Q: You had first-base open when Daniel Palka came up to face Carrasco…

Francona: “It’s just, you know, [expletive]. We’ve got [expletive] things going every which way. This guy can do this. This guy can do that. [Expletive]. [Expletive], let’s go!

(laughter)

Q: Is it hard to manage those games, where you’re accomplishing a big-picture goal, but not making typical in-game strategy moves?

Francona: “Yeah! It sucks! [Expletive], man, I went home last night and I was pissed off the whole way home. Millsie and those guys are looking at me like, ‘[Expletive] relax.’”

Q: You lost on the Palka walk-off hit, but you did get Carrasco to out over 80 pitches in the process…

Francona: “That part’s good. And it has been good, and there is a good reason for what we’re doing, but it just goes against [my DNA]. [Expletive], man, we show up to win. I don’t give a [expletive]. I know there are days in Spring Training when we lose a game and I get , because it’s, [expletive], that’s what we do.”

Q: Under normal circumstances, would you have managed Tuesday’s game differently?

Francona: “Oh yeah. Well, one, I wouldn’t have had two starters.”

Q: But, the ninth inning, specifically…

Francona: “Yeah, we could’ve had the lefty and then make them pinch-hit and do some things. We had an open base. We could’ve actually, when they were doing the [replay] challenge, we could’ve gone out, brought in a righty, walked the lefty, see what [the White Sox] do. We could’ve really [done a few things], but… (sigh) …let Carrasco finish it.”

Q: It feels like Spring Training in that way…

Francona: “Yeah, but we’re getting there.”

Q: Saying all that, you’d probably rather be in this position than fighting for your postseason life like some of the teams in the National League…

Francona: “I get more nervous watching them than I am when I’m a part of it. It’s unbelievable. Like, there’s been a few of these Wild Card Games where, one year it was Minnesota, one year it was the Rockies, and I’m watching the games and I’m, [expletive], I can’t stand it. I mean, I just can’t stand it. And then when I’m part of the game, [expletive], I love it. I’m like, ‘Damn, this is great.’ But, when I’m watching it, I’m a nervous wreck.”

Q: When you’re watching those games, do you think along the way like a manager?

Francona: “No, I don’t think you can. I really don’t. I never have. Maybe people smarter than me can, but I just think when you’re in the dugout and you know you’re team, you know what you’re doing. You know. Now, nobody’s perfect — myself included — but you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do.”

Q: Do you think Jose Ramirez has struggled at all with the move from third to second base?

Francona: “No. Defensively? No, no. Not at all. No. I mean, [expletive], we got caught up in that first play of the game. Who’s on first? What’s on second? But, no, I think he’s been good, yeah. He starts a nice double play. He’s done fine. On the one ball where the ball was deep and he didn’t make it, he looked at [third-base Mike Sarbaugh] late and he was still kind of moving when the ball [was put in play]. He got deep late. He was playing it normal depth and Sarby wanted him to get deep, so sometimes there’s some extenuating circumstances.”

Q: With how Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes and Melky Cabrera have hit in the second half, how much more comfortable are you with the bottom section of the lineup right now?

Francona: “Yeah, our lineup’s better. It’s deeper. Early in the season, we were having some difficulties. If Lindor and those guys didn’t hit, man, it was getting quiet. We’ve got some chances now, which is nice.”

https://bastian.mlblogs.com/sept-26-titos-pregame-minutiae-5338434a66bb

I am also an Yankee fan. The bullpen will be used liberally if/when the starters struggle.

I put the odds at 50/50 that tonight is Tomlin's last Major League appearance.

Good. Tomlin pitched well under pressure.

Basically what Francona wanted to see. Four good innings. (basically long relief)

I think that's what his role will be.

He still has some redeeming qualities: good control, veteran poise on the mound, great pick-off-to-first move.

I'm sure he knew he was on the cusp.

Will he make the postseason roster?

I'd dread seeing him come in unless the game was a blow-out (one way or the other).

I dont think Tomlin should make it, but Tito does love him

With ALDS future uncertain, Tomlin solid vs. KC
Right-hander allows 1 run in 4 2/3 innings; Indians lose on walk-off in 10th

https://www.mlb.com/indians/news/josh-tomlin-indians-lose-to-royals-in-10/c-296341958

KANSAS CITY -- There will come a time to reflect on the remarkable career Josh Tomlin forged with the Indians. The non-prospect with the Texas drawl, armed with the type of fastball that is rarely referred to as a heater, has somehow been with Cleveland longer than any other player on its roster.

In a 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Royals on Thursday night, when Tomlin walked off the Kauffman Stadium mound in the fifth inning, he may have thrown his final pitch in an Indians uniform. Tomlin's status for the American League Division Series roster is uncertain, and free agency looms when baseball's winter arrives.

"I've had that thought," Tomlin said. "Don't get me wrong, I've had that thought. But at this point, we're trying to play for something a little bit more."

The only future Tomlin wants to focus on for now is the immediate one, which the veteran hopes will include three champagne-soaked celebrations in October and a World Series championship in hand. In the meantime, the soft-spoken pitcher will continue to play cards with manager Terry Francona. He'll keep offering advice to his fellow pitchers. He'll continue to be the most revered teammate in Cleveland's clubhouse.

Tomlin's outing against the Royals was not flashy. The righty logged 74 pitches across 4 2/3 innings, finishing with five strikeouts and four hits allowed. The two staples of Tomlin's career were also present. He issued zero walks and gave up a solo home run. The blast came via Adalberto Mondesi in the third, tying the game at 1.

That homer aside, Tomlin said he feels the best he has throughout what has been a trying season.

"Oh man, there's no doubt about it," Tomlin said. "I finally got to a point where I know what my body's going to do. I'm not trying to force the issue. I'm just out there throwing and playing catch. It seems like I'm just playing catch. Everything's on time. I'm able to shape the breaking ball for a strike, for a ball."

Over the course of his 183 career regular-season appearances, Tomlin has issued 1.3 walks per nine innings. That is the 23rd-lowest mark in MLB history among the 1,529 pitchers with at least 800 innings. Tomlin's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.6 ranks fifth on that list. However, he is last in homers allowed (1.7 per nine innings).

The long ball was Tomlin's biggest nemesis in 2018, when he opened the season in the rotation but was later demoted to the bullpen, before making a handful of spot starts down the stretch. Over 70 1/3 innings, Tomlin has a 6.14 ERA with 46 strikeouts against 12 walks, plus 25 home runs allowed.

When the Indians map out their ALDS plans for facing the Astros, the club will have four strong arms (Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger) for the rotation. Rookie Shane Bieber -- who features a precision-based style similar to Tomlin, but with more velocity -- appears primed for a relief role, if an ALDS start is not in the cards.

That makes it unclear how Tomlin might work his way into the October picture. There is an outside chance that Francona may want him available for multi-inning relief work, which was a role Tomlin handled well in the ALDS against the Yankees last year. In 2016, Tomlin was also a key figure in Cleveland's run to the World Series.

Clevinger smiled when asked about Tomlin's role in the '16 postseason. Clevinger recalled running into the right-hander outside Fenway Park on the eve of Game 3 of the ALDS, when the Boston crowd mockingly chanted Tomlin's name, but could not rattle him.

"That's still one of my favorite memories," Clevinger said. "He was walking back, because he was starting the next day. He was in his cowboy boots and his jeans were tucked into them and he had his mullet cut. After [Tyler Naquin and I] talked to him for a second, we're like, 'Yeah, we're going to go eat.'

"And we sat there and literally we both just watched him walk and we're like, 'That [guy] is about to beat the Boston Red Sox tomorrow in the playoffs.' We both just shook our head and laughed and went to go eat. And sure enough, he did."

The one thing Francona can count on is that Tomlin will accept any role, even if it means cheering on his teammates from the bench. That selfless approach is how Tomlin clawed his way up the farm system and eventually found himself as the longest-tenured player in the organization after parts of nine seasons in the big leagues.

"Your true colors come out when you're not doing well," Francona said. "He's been the same, whether he's 9-1 or 1-9. He always looks out for everybody else first. He lives it. He doesn't just say it. He lives it. Every day."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
October simulation: With two runners on, two outs and the game tied at 1, Francona pulled Tomlin and handed the ball to relief ace Andrew Miller (1 1/3 innings). It was the type of decision made in a playoff setting. Miller induced a sinking liner to center off the bat of Mondesi. Indians center fielder Greg Allen sprinted in and made a diving grab in front of him to end the inning. Per Statcast™, the play had a 48-percent catch probability, making it a four-star catch for the rookie outfielder.

"That's why we did it," said Francona, when asked if bringing Miller in was to simulate a postseason-type situation. "It's something that we could possibly do -- early into the game, but try to keep the game right where it is."



Royals walk off: Right-hander Neil Ramirez, who is competing for a spot in Cleveland's ALDS bullpen, issued two walks and allowed two steals in the 10th to set up Kansas City's game-winning hit. With runners on the corners, Salvador Perez pulled a pitch into left field for a walk-off single, igniting an on-field celebration for the Royals. It marked the 13th walk-off loss of the year for Cleveland.

SOUND SMART
When Allen swiped second and third in the 10th, that gave the rookie 21 steals this season. It also gave Cleveland four players (Jose Ramirez, 34; Francisco Lindor, 23; Rajai Davis, 21; and Allen) with at least 20 steals in the same season since 1911. That year, Shoeless Joe Jackson (41), Terry Turner (29), Neal Ball (21), Jack Graney (21) and Ivy Olson (20) achieved the feat for the Cleveland Naps.

HE SAID IT
"I think everybody here has enjoyed their time with him and has been better because of their time with him. Not just baseball-wise, but as a person, as a teammate. No one knows what the future holds. I would love to have Josh around, obviously. He's been a huge part of the clubhouse and team chemistry and leadership and stuff like that for his entire tenure here. There aren't enough positive things to say about the guy." --Bauer, on Tomlin

UP NEXT
Prior to this season, Clevinger made it a goal to reach 200 innings for the Indians. Clevinger (12-8, 3.07 ERA) will have a chance to reach that mark on Friday, when the Royals host the Indians at 8:15 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. Clevinger, who has a 2.00 ERA in 13 starts against AL Central teams this season, has pitched 193 1/3 innings. Kansas City will counter with righty Ian Kennedy (3-8, 4.59).

Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and Facebook.

If you’re looking for some late regular season excitement check-out tonight’s Blue Jays @ Tampa game. Blake Snell is going for his 22 win (against only 5 loses).

Snell hasn’t given-up a run in 2 weeks (last time - by Cleveland - one run on September 12th)

And only 4 runs in all of September (2 by Cleveland)

Tribe sets pitching staff up for playoff success
Francona looking forward to situational use in AL Division Series

KANSAS CITY -- Indians manager Terry Francona is looking forward to being able to use his pitchers based on situations instead of schedules. That freedom will return when the club begins the American League Division Series against the Astros on Friday at Minute Maid Park.

In the season's last month, Francona has closely monitored Trevor Bauer's workload as the starter makes his way back from a six-week absence due to a stress fracture in his right fibula. The manager has gradually worked relief ace Andrew Miller back to unrestricted duty after three DL stints this season. Francona gave closer Cody Allen an extended break before ramping him back up in the final week.

Needless to say, there might be no one more ready for the best-of-five ALDS than Francona.

"I can't wait," Francona said prior to Saturday's game against the Royals. "Again, there's reasons we do it. But, man, part of the reason you do this job is because you're competitive. It just kind of goes against [your nature]. Sometimes, you like have to put your seatbelt on, or the restraints. It's hard to do. But, hopefully, it pays dividends. That's why we're doing it."

The seatbelt will remain buckled for Sunday's regular-season finale at Kauffman Stadium.

In the last game of the year against the Royals, right-hander Carlos Carrasco will start and log around 80 pitches, but then Bauer (activated from the DL on Sept. 21) will come out of the bullpen with the goal of handling the remainder of the innings. With limited innings available for the regular relievers on Sunday, Francona said he would aim to get Allen, Miller, Brad Hand and Oliver Perez work in Saturday's tilt.

There will be more innings available in Tuesday's intrasquad game at Progressive Field.

Miller agreed it will be nice to start the playoffs, when Francona can use his arms with wins (not just repetitions) in mind. Over the past two postseasons, Francona has actually used his relievers in more innings (91 1/3) than his starters (89 2/3). Miller has led the way with 24 1/3 innings, followed by Allen with 19. The bullpen overall turned in a combined 2.07 ERA in the 2016 and '17 playoffs.

"It should be fun," Miller said. "We really haven't had a chance to kind of put everybody out there the way that maybe [you'll see in October]. Whether it's been because I've been hurt or whether the games just aren't meaning that much, or whatever it is, we haven't really put our foot on the gas. And our starters have been so good that there haven't been too many days where we need to cover more than about an inning or two.

"In the playoffs, that'll change. The games are different. I'm excited. I think it's been, for me personally, a little bit of a grind this year. But, I feel like everything's kind of putting in the right direction and I can't wait for these games to get here."

Worth noting
• Francona indicated that utility man Erik Gonzalez (hit in the head with a pitch on Wednesday) continues to make progress. Gonzalez, who has been in MLB's concussion protocol, was cleared to do some activity in the weight room on Saturday. The Indians are hopeful he will be cleared to participate in Tuesday's intrasquad game at Progressive Field.

• The Indians went with an 11-man pitching staff for the ALDS last season. Francona was asked on Saturday if he would go with the same alignment this year, but he would not tip his hand. Said Francona: "We [need to] get through tomorrow. I just want to make sure everybody's intact and then we'll figure it out."

• Entering Saturday, the Indians' rotation had issued 240 walks, marking the club's second-lowest total since at least 1908. Only the 1981 rotation had fewer (235). The 4.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio by the Tribe's rotation this season stands as the highest single-season mark in MLB history.

https://www.mlb.com/indians/news/indians-get-pitching-staff-in-line-for-alds/c-296565166

No 22nd win for Snell.

For some reason (maybe insanity?) Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled Snell after 5 innings with this line:

Innings Pitched...5
Hits....3
Total Runs Allowed...1
Strike Outs...10

It's obviously Snell's last game of the year.

I just don't get it.

It's hard to believe.

Game #162 is this afternoon. That's a lot of games.

It was fast. (in retrospect)

Anyone have confidence in THIS Bullpen ?

Sure!

So he was an underachiever? Looked like solid numbers.

As anticipated:

GM1: Kluber v Verlander
GM2: Carrasco v Cole
GM3: Keuchel v Clevinger



https://twitter.com/JLEWFifty

A 2pm start on a Friday, and playing at the same time as OSU on Saturday. That's about the worst possible times.

Yep, the game times aren't ideal. I knew they weren't getting the prime time game slot over the Red Sox though.

Get to the ALCS where they are all in prime time.

Thank God for picture in picture.

Especially when you consider the Red Sox could potentially be playing the Yankees.

So the Cubs go down. That's a surprise.



Rockie(hilldawgs) move on.

I didn't stay up for the game, but what a start to the playoffs.

Yanks/A's tonight

Who are people rooting for tonight? And why?

Are you rooting for one because you like them better? Or because you dislike the other? Or rooting for a favorable math-up for the Tribe later on?

Why do you like or dislike that team, or why is one a better match-up?

Well, I'm a Yankees fan so I'll root for NYY.

But the A's are a likeable team IMO ... they do it the right way and are a fun underdog always

I guess I'd root for the Yankees (if I were gonna root for a team).

Probably just because of the old East vs. West Divisions. (prior to Central in 1994?)

Tribe plans to use Bauer in leverage situations

Righty not lined up to pitch until Game 4, available for critical innings beforehand

By Jordan Bastian MLB.com @MLBastian
Oct. 2nd, 2018

CLEVELAND -- Expect Trevor Bauer to pitch for the Indians in the American League Division Series against the Astros. Whether the right-hander comes out of the bullpen to handle a leverage situation or takes the ball as a starter, Bauer is very much in Cleveland's postseason plans.

"I can see, if we get where we want to go, Trevor having a bigger hand in it than he realizes right now," Indians manager Terry Francona said during Tuesday's workout at Progressive Field.

Francona had previously made it known that ace Corey Kluber (Game 1 on Friday) and righty Carlos Carrasco (Game 2 at 4:37 p.m. ET on Saturday) will start for the AL Central champions in the first two games at Minute Maid Park. On Tuesday, Francona announced righty Mike Clevinger is slated to start Game 3 on Monday in Cleveland.

Depending on how the bullpen is used in the first few games, either Bauer or rookie Shane Bieber will start Game 4, if the ALDS extends that far. Francona reiterated that Cleveland wants to avoid a short-rest situation (Kluber returning for Game 4, for example), and the manager would prefer to have Bauer available for critical innings rather than hold him for a later game.

If the ALDS were to reach five games, Francona noted Carrasco would likely be available out of the bullpen, too.

"We're trying to take our roster and expand it a little bit," Francona explained.

Bauer, who sustained a stress fracture on Aug. 11, went 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA, piling up 221 strikeouts against 57 walks in 175 1/3 innings. The righty returned from the disabled list Sept. 21 and made three appearances for the Indians down the stretch. In 9 1/3 innings after being activated, Bauer allowed two runs with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Bauer's highest pitch count since his return was 60 pitches against the White Sox, but he built up to around 80 with more throws in the bullpen after that start. He then worked four shutout innings of relief (51 pitches) in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Royals.

"Having [Bauer] as as starter can be really important," Francona said. "Again, we wouldn't use him without a leverage situation. But if we got some leverage, that's where we're going to try to figure it out. The other thing, too, is I don't know if I'd want him to go that long without pitching, so an inning or two wouldn't hurt him anyway."

Worth noting
• All-Star catcher Yan Gomes was not in either lineup for Tuesday's intrasquad game at Progressive Field. Gomes still has two stitches in his right thumb due to the laceration sustained in Saturday's game in Kansas City, but the catcher was optimistic about being available for Game 1 of the ALDS.

"I'm hitting today and doing normal things today," Gomes said Tuesday. "It's all just a matter of kind of taking care of the stitches right now. ... Absolutely [I'll be ready for Game 1]. Right now, it just feels like a bad cut on my hand and it's on the outside, so it's fine. The ball's not going to rub against [the cut] or anything."

• Outfielder Brandon Guyer, who has been dealing with a right shoulder issue, did not play the final three regular-season games for the Indians. Guyer took part in Tuesday's intrasquad game, but he was instructed to track pitches.

"We expect him to be fine," Francona said. "We just don't want to push it."

• Utility man Erik Gonzalez is no longer in MLB's concussion protocol and was unrestricted for Tuesday's intrasquad game. Gonzalez is vying for a spot on the ALDS bench, along with outfielders Greg Allen, Rajai Davis and Guyer, plus corner infielder Yandy Diaz.

https://www.mlb.com/indians/news/trevor-bauer-could-be-used-in-relief-for-alds/c-296892582

Prior to Tuesday’s workout at Progressive Field, Indians manager Terry Francona met with media to discussing the upcoming American League Division Series against the Astros. Here are the highlights.

Q: Brandon Guyer didn’t play in the last three games in Kansas City. Everything OK with him?

TF: “He’s been battling that shoulder, so we kept him out of the games. He got examined, I think Saturday. He’s going to participate in the game today, but just track pitches. He actually came and worked out yesterday and took balls off the bat, stuff like that. We expect him to be fine. We just don’t want to push it.”

Q: What’s the latest on Yan Gomes?

TF: “He’s doing really well. He’s doing really well. He has [his right thumb] covered right now, but I think, just talking to him, I think he felt like he could’ve played yesterday. We’ll keep him out of there today. He’s doing fine.”

Q: Can you walk us your rotation plans for Game 3–4?

TF: “Clevinger is Game 3. Game 4 is either Bieber or Bauer. The reason we say that is, we’re trying to take our roster and expand it a little bit. Depending on how Bauer and Bieber are used early, that could determine who starts Game 4. And on the flip side, the hope would be that Carrasco will be available at some point to maybe facilitate the bullpen at the back end of the series.”

Q: And you’re hoping to avoid a short-rest situation for a starter, right?

TF: “Yes. Yeah.”

Q: Do you feel like your roster is more complete now than it was a year ago going into the ALDS?

TF: “Oh, I don’t know. You get so consumed with what you’re trying to do that I don’t know that we really think about that. I do think, to your point — the word we used a lot was being ‘unsettled.’ We were so unsettled last year in the playoffs. We went through a lot of that the last two weeks. It’s not a lot of fun, because it’s unsettling. But I think — in fact, I know — it was for a good reason. Now, we’re going to see if it pays off. We think we have Donaldson in a good place. We think Andrew’s come so far. Kip’s had three weeks to play center field. Jose’s had three weeks at second. If you have too many question marks, sometimes the answer is no. And we really don’t want that to happen.”

Q: In 2016, it seemed like the team really embraced the “win today” message that you preach so much. Do you think the team got away from that last year in the playoffs?

TF: “I think it’s easier [to say that] after, when you get asked that. We didn’t put our best foot forward the last couple games. Saying that, shoot, I think you’ve got to look at things in perspective. If Judge is 6'1” instead of 6'9", we probably win Game 3. Kluber had his struggles. We set those games up so he could pitch twice and I think he ended up going a combined [6 1/3] innings. … We got a little sloppy in Trevor’s [Game 2 start]. I was probably more disappointed with that — that defensively, we didn’t finish plays, because we had been so good about that.”

Q: How do you feel health-wise after another 162 games?

TF: “Oh, [shoot], it doesn’t matter. I don’t have to play. I worry so much about our guys. All I need is to make sure I can sign my name on a lineup card and pat ’em on the back when they do well. I think I’m in a better place. Last year was really hard. Anybody at this time of year is tired, but it’s a good tired because you get excited. This beats the hell out of packing and thinking about what you’re going to do in the offseason.”

Q: Do you think Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez learned anything from last year’s struggles in the playoffs?

TF: “One, unlike other sports, when people say, ‘Did you peak too soon?’ I don’t know in baseball that [happens]. Because hitting is rhythm and timing and it can be a little finicky. We started to uncharacteristically chase down and up. The hope is you don’t chase anywhere, but if you’re going to chase, maybe just have it be one, not both. Then when both of them kind of struggled together it was such a big part of our offense, it hurt us. They’ve been through so much already at a young point in their career that these games aren’t going to be too big for them. Again, I know I say it all the time, we don’t have a crystal ball, you don’t know how anybody’s going to do. But I don’t think it’s going to be because of the magnitude of the game.”

Q: Do you think Ramirez’s struggles in the second half were related to the team not being in a race?

TF: “I don’t think that’s why he didn’t hit. But, regardless of how you’ve done in September you have to throw it out because it doesn’t matter anymore. Come that first pitch on Friday, that’s all that’s going to matter. You could win 22 in a row, as we did, once that first pitch happens, it’s the first team to win three because that’s what counts.”

Q: Does it make a difference planning for starting on the road vs. starting out at home?

TF: “I hadn’t even thought of it. The use of your bullpen can be different. In a playoff game, I’m not too sure it is, anyway, because you’re going to pitch guys and you know, if it doesn’t make it, it doesn’t make it. I’m glad that this isn’t, for the most part, our first time going through this, because I thought a couple years ago that might not have been real good for us. I think we’re going to win or lose on how we play, not necessarily where we play.”

Q: How’s Erik Gonzalez?

TF: “He’s actually allowed to play in the game today. He’s been cleared. He’s going to play in this game today and we’ll kind of see more how he’s doing.”

Q: What was your take on Jason Kipnis’ season? Besides batting average, a lot of his numbers are pretty much in line with previous years.

TF: “That’s exactly what I would have said if you’d hadn’t said that. He’s got his RBIs, he’s got his home runs. His batting average took a hit. The saving grace to that is he’s hit with runners in scoring position, which is the most important thing. And I think he’s done fine in center field. Again, come October nobody’s going to care what your average was during the season. Tt’s what you do in October. Knowing Kip, when the lights shine the brightest, he wants to compete. I think he’s excited. I think he’s in a good place.”

Q: Did you ever come close to losing faith in Kipnis this year?

TF: “No, we talked a couple times about it. Not about giving up, but just talked through it and we moved him down in the order. I just think for us to be the team we wanted to be, running away from him didn’t help. Sometimes you need to be patient, because you need guys to play. And it’s too easy to run. Same thing with Cody Allen. He’s had some ups and downs this year. It’s going to be hard for us to get where we’re going without him. I think you just need to recognize that.”

Q: The bullpen has its ups and downs this season, but do you feel like the group is in a better place for the ALDS?

TF: “I’ll be able to tell you probably better after the series. But, I think we’ve done everything we can to get this group ready. You’re right, we have had our ups and downs this year. But Andrew is probably in the best place he’s been all year. Hand has been rock solid since the day he got here. Cody really hopeful that the competitiveness kicks in, because we believe in him so much even if his fastball is down a tick. There’s just so much belief in him as a competitor that he’ll get people out. That’s just how we feel.”

Q: You said a couple weeks ago that you probably wouldn’t necessarily use Andrew Miller like you did in 2016. Is that still true?

TF: “What I meant by that was I think the first game we threw him 50-some pitches. I don’t think that’s reasonable. But, we threw him 30-something the other day. I think he’s in a position where he can throw a couple innings depending how the innings go.”

Q: What’re your thoughts on where Corey Kluber is right now ahead of his Game 1 start

TF: “He’s ready to go. He’s ready to accept the challenge of anchoring our staff. We’ve talked to him about pitching Game 1, pitching Game 2. There’s some obvious reasons for both. He really wanted — I don’t want to say burden because I don’t think it’s a burden — but like you say, accepting the challenge of leading our team into the playoffs. And I can’t think of anybody better.”

Q: We’ve seen how bullpens have been utilized in recent Octobers, but both you and the Astros have rotations filled with 200-inning-caliber arms. How might that impact this series?

TF: “I know what you’re saying. It’s a little bit of a copycat league. I don’t care what other teams are doing. I’ll always try to do what puts our team in the best position to win. If that’s leaving a starter out there, we’ll do it. If not, we’ll go to the bullpen. You’ve got to remember, once you go to the bullpen, there’s no going back. Our starters have done a really good job. The hard one is you get to that third time through the order and you know what the numbers say. But, if you’ve got starters who have done what they’ve done… Our guys have thrown 200 innings. There’s a reason they threw 200. It’s because they were able to make adjustments enough to go through that third time through the order.”

Q: How challenging is it to get through the top of Houston’s lineup?

TF: “I would say their entire lineup. They present so many challenges that they’re always fun to play, because of the challenges they bring. The one thing that I think they’ve really done for the last couple years, they play until it’s time to go home. Sometimes you’ll beat them, but they might just have ran out of outs. They keep coming at you. You’ve got to pay attention to detail. But they’re fun to play though because they’ve got so many good players, so many good pitchers. Again, you need to be on your game and we’ve played them probably better than most teams. I think we were 3–4 this year. They present a lot of challenges for you.”

Q: Is it more hectic or stressful planning for a short series?

TF: “You know what’s funny is, I shouldn’t speak for the rest of the guys, but once I feel prepared — and we had two good days of meetings — I actually enjoy the heck out of these games. We worked so hard to get here. I enjoy them. Everybody gets nervous. But, I really enjoy them, because our preparation is so good. That’s really what gives you anxiety, at least in my opinion, is, ‘Man, what am I gonna do?’ Once you kind of know, sit back and enjoy the competition, because it’s so hard to get here. I think you have to enjoy it.”

Q: How much do you think it can help to have Bauer or Bieber available as multi-inning options out of the bullpen early on?

TF: “I can see Trevor — Bieber, too — but I can see, if we get where we want to go, Trevor having a bigger hand in it than he realizes right now.”

Q: In a postseason, where the sample sizes are small, how do you balance over-managing vs. trusting your players in certain situations?

TF: “Well that’s the big key. You’ve heard me say it, there’s a really fine line between being dumb and smart. A couple years ago we went to Andrew in that first game, and it worked. If he gives up a home run on like pitch 49, I know I’m an idiot, because then the next day we don’t have Andrew available for much and we lost. We won. I guess my point is, you do what you think is right, you answer the questions, be confident enough in what you’re doing and move on. Because if you win, that’s what you’re showing up to do, is win. If you don’t, be confident enough in what you’re doing, explain it, then move on.”

Q: Do you think you have that mindset better now than when you first got into managing?

TF: “I think I always felt that way. I don’t know if maybe people realized I felt that way. But I did. And again, I think it all started with the preparation of the [World Series], where I was like, ‘Damn, I feel pretty comfortable here.’ And had never been there before. But we had prepared so well that it really kind of gives you a little bit of ease.”

Q: Is it your preference to have Bauer available as a multi-inning arm as much as possible?

TF: “Not my preference. It depends on the need. Trevor, having him as as stater can be really important. If we need him to help us win those other games, again, we wouldn’t use him without a leverage situation. But if we got some leverage, again, that’s where we’re going to try to figure it out. The other thing, too, is I don’t know if I’d want him to go that long without pitching, so an inning or two wouldn’t hurt him anyway.”

Q: Are you still sorting through the decisions on the bullpen alignment?

TF: “We’ve talked to everybody I believe. I’d like to wait until… I just to wait to get through a few things and we’ll announce it.”

— JB

https://bastian.mlblogs.com/oct-2-titos-workout-minutiae-38f19cfe7f06

I'd love to see the A's win. I can't stand the Yankees.

It was great to see Colorado knock the Cubs out last night. Heck of a game.

Playoff baseball is just so high intensity ... every pitch is like 100 times the pressure of the regular season

Francona reveals ALDS pitching staff:

Kluber
Carrasco
Clevinger
Bauer/Bieber

Allen
Miller
Hand
Perez
Cimber
Otero

thats about what i expected

This was Sept. 27th.

Tomlin made $3,000,000 this year.

(compare that to Blake Snell's ~ $550.000)

Tomlin is a free agent.

I'm thinking there's only 30% chance Tomlin pitches in the majors again.

Certainly not for the Indians.

Final 2018 stats:

IP - 70.1
Hits allowed - 92
Wins - 2
ERA - 6.14

Age - 34 (on our birthday October 19th)

I think that Tomlin may get another year somewhere.

He's a decent 5th starter/long reliever. Those guys have value.

If I was Josh Tomlin and I wanted to keep pitching in the bigs, I would offer about $10,000 of that $3M salary to Tom Candiotti to spend 3-4 weeks with me this off season teaching me to throw the knuckleball. Tomlin knows how to pitch, and he is a very good athlete: he fields the position better than any of our starters, he holds runners better than any of our starters, he has a career batting average in the majors of .368 (7/19). In other words, as an athlete, I think he could learn the pitch, and if he could, that 88 MPH fastball will look very fast to a hitter looking for the knuckler. If Tomlin could learn the knuckleball he could pitch another 6-7 years as a middle-to-back-of-the-rotation starter, IMO.

I think it is correct to say that a pitcher with a 6.14 ERA is completely worthless.

Pitchers with a 5.00 ERA are a dime a dozen. They're way below average.

Tomlin is a full earned run worse than that.

The worst team in MLB this year was the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles lost 115 games.

Their TEAM ERA was 5.18.

And of course the Orioles had really sucky pitchers.

If Tomlin offered to pitch for the Orioles For Free they wouldn't want him.

good game thus far tonight

Been watching and listening to ESPN, is anybody else in the playoffs or is the winner of the Red Sox vs Yankees series just going to be crowned as World Series champs? Asking for a friend.

Hmm ... this could be interesting.

Bauer in one game is great. Bauer in 2 or 3 games in a series could be a real weapon.

Cleveland Indians: Is Terry Francona doing the right thing with Trevor Bauer? - Terry Pluto | cleveland.com
https://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ss...ncart_big-photo

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Trevor Bauer in the bullpen?

Listening to Terry Francona, it wasn't hard to understand what the Tribe manager has in mind.

He didn't say it, but the Tribe manager seems to have an Andrew Miller role in mind for Bauer in the best-of-5 American League Division Series. It opens Friday in Houston.

Bauer as Andrew Miller. That would be the Andrew Miller of 2016, when he was the most dominant reliever in the game.

It's when Francona would bring the long, lean lefty with the sensational slider into a game anywhere from the fourth to the late innings.

"Leverage situations," Francona calls it.

This is Francona's gamble, the kind that can help the Indians upset the favored Astros in this series.

He wants a power pitcher who can throw multiple innings marching in from the bullpen to keep a game from getting out of control. I like it.

The move is a bit bold. It is also based on sound reasoning, as Bauer is capable of pitching in relief.

For his career, he has a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings out of the bullpen.

The Astros are the defending World Series champions. They finished with a 103-59 record this season, compared to 91-71 for the Tribe.

Houston is the better team.

But the better team doesn't always win in a 5-game series, as Tribe fans know from watching their team be upset by the Yankees in the 2017 ALDS.

BAUER'S REMARKABLE SEASON

Bauer prefers to start. He was 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA, striking out 221 batters in 175 innings.

Bauer was a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate when he was hit in the leg with a line drive on Aug. 11. He suffered a stress fracture and didn't pitch again until Sept. 21.

"If we get to where we want to go, Trevor (will have) a bigger hand in it than he realizes right now," Francona said.

Had Bauer remained healthy, a strong case could have been made to having him start the opener. His season was matching 20-game winner and opening day Tribe starter Corey Kluber.

Bauer is 7-0 with a 3.18 ERA for his career against the Astros.

He also was in an early season Twitter battle with some Houston players. You can imagine it adding even more high-octane fuel to Bauer's pitching engine.

But Bauer didn't stay healthy.

He's pitched twice since coming back, covering 9-1/3 innings. He's been pretty sharp, allowing two runs and striking out seven. But he has not thrown more than 60 pitches.

CHANGING THE GAME

Here's the problem: Miller has dealt with hamstring, knee and shoulder injuries since he threw 19-1/3 innings over 10 games in the 2016 post-season. It was a lot to ask, but the Tribe needed a lot from Miller to reach Game 7 of the World Series.

Miller had a 2-4 record and a 4.24 ERA this season.

Cody Allen had the worst season (4-6, 4.70 ERA) in his seven years with the Tribe.

Dan Otero (2-1, 5.22 ERA) and Adam Cimber (0-3, 4.05 ERA) also have struggled.

Only Brad Hand (0-1, 2.28 ERA) and Oliver Perez (1-1, 1.39 ERA) have consistently supplied relief.

I believe it's why Francona has Mike Clevinger ready to start Game 3, with Bauer set for Game 4. The manager will never say it, but this bullpen is not the kind to carry a team to the World Series.

At least, not unless something changes. It's why rookie starter Shane Beiber also will be in the bullpen - although he could start Game 4 if Bauer is used a lot in the first three games.

In the playoffs, Francona's approach has been to "win today's game." He'll worry about tomorrow . . . tomorrow. Bauer in the bullpen may put the Tribe in the best position to do just that.

It's just what ESPN does but, they're chasing ratings too, which should be understandable. A Sox/Yanks series will get more eyeballs on pregame and highlight packages than a Sox/A's series will. That translates to more money for ESPN.

Sure, it would be nice if they were less obvious about it, but it's a dream marketing match-up for the league and it's partners.

Actually, the league took a huge hit with the Cubs losing early. They drove ratings hard. The Rockies/Brewers games will probably be watched by people only living in Wisconsin and Colorado.

I stopped watching ESPN for pregame and highlights a long time ago. If I need some highlights, I'll tune into league specific networks. Heck, I watch a lot of highlights off YouTube too. I pretty much only tune into ESPN for PTI, The Jump (RNFTW) and live sports.

Indians-Astros game times
Game 1, Friday in HOU: 2:05 pm ET
Game 2, Saturday in HOU: 4:37 pm ET
Game 3, Monday in CLE: 1:30 pm ET
Game 4, Tuesday in CLE: 4:35 pm ET
Game 5, Thursday in HOU: 4:07 pm ET