Indians edge Blue Jays 2-1, take 2-0 lead in ALCS

Here’s three reasons the Tribe pulled out the Game 2 win.

The Toronto Blue Jays return home in search of offence to help dig themselves out of an 0-2 hole in the American League Championship Series.

The lefty was filthy, yet again, in postseason play.

Andrew Miller saw 12 Toronto batters in the first two games of the American League Championship Series. Toronto hitters have been having a hell of a time squaring up to Cleveland’s gerrymandered pitching. And even that adjective doesn’t do it justice.

Andrew Miller is putting on a pitching clinic this postseason and doing his best Mariano Rivera impersonation. “And I looked at the dugout and everybody was going insane”.

The transition to relief work allowed Miller to scrap a mostly ineffective changeup and begin throwing his slider more frequently. The Blue Jays asked for Travis to be replaced. For the postseason, he has now struck out 17 batters across 7 2/3 scoreless frames. Closing pitcher Cody Allen pitched the ninth to record the save. They’ve allowed zero earned runs.

HollywoodLifers, who will you be rooting for in this big game 2?

Josh Tomlin was excellent.

How tight have the first two games of the ALCS been? Nobody thought Tomlin would be this good. “That’s probably the best I can give you”.

What’s his line for the postseason? The cut is on the top of his finger and Bauer is expected to start Game 3 with no issues. He’s logged 10 2/3 innings. He has allowed three hits and two walks. His postseason ERA is 1.59. Even last season – with Encarnacion looking younger and more durable, and Donaldson winning the AL Most Valuable Player Award – there was a sense that Bautista, especially with his playoff performance, was still the engine that drove this offense. “They’ve just scored more runs than we have”. The home run was the first Happ allowed in 24 ⅔ innings, dating back to September 15.

After signing a four-year, $36 million deal with the Yankees before the 2015 season, Miller served as that club’s closer for a year before moving back into a setup role in 2016 upon the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman. Most of the third-strike swings would best be described as profound gestures of surrender. “But now we should have a pretty good idea going into the third game”. A home-run hitting club versus a guy who gives up a lot of homers isn’t exactly a formula that will leave you dreaming of a pennant.

Josh Tomlin throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game 3 of the ALDS at Fenway Park on October 10, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Douglas Cardinal, an officer of the Order of Canada, has filed applications to the Ontario Superior Court, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Canadian Human Rights Commission, arguing that the Cleveland Indians’ team name and mascot – Chief Wahoo, a cartoon man with red skin and a feather in his headband – are offensive and discriminatory.

NOTES: Indians manager Terry Francona has not ruled out the possibility of bringing RHP Corey Kluber back on short rest to start Game 4 Tuesday in Toronto. “It would be nice to jump out and get a lead early but that hasn’t been the case”, said Donaldson.

Toronto slugger Jose Bautista struck out three times and Edwin Encarnacion lost his cool when he was fanned in the eighth, jawing at plate umpire Laz Diaz. Right-handers Joe Biagini and Roberto Osuna stepped in to handle the last four frames of the game, permitting just one baserunner and limiting the Indians’ attempts to pad their lead late in the game.