Tribe now on pace for 92-70 so where do they end up?
-
Need that home field advantage.
-
After clinching their first American League Central crown since 2007, the Indians know there is still work to be done, but manager Terry Francona was willing to allow his team to celebrate Monday.
"There's a lot that goes into trying to even just win a division, and certainly the season's not over, but they deserve every minute of joy they have in there," Francona said.
Cleveland sends Mike Clevinger to the mound on Tuesday at Comerica Park, trying to inch closer to earning home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Indians (91-65) trail the Red Sox (92-64) and Rangers (92-65) for the best record in the AL.
Clevinger is looking for his first win in more than a month. He moved into the Indians' rotation at the beginning of September and has gone 0-1 with a 3.07 ERA.
The Tigers, meanwhile, are hoping to keep a postseason spot within grasp. Detroit sits two games behind the Orioles for the second AL Wild Card spot and will turn to Justin Verlander to keep the team in the hunt. Manager Brad Ausmus said his team still has business to take care of and the Tigers don't care that their backs are against the wall.
"We're going to come here and try to win [Tuesday]," Ausmus said. "We don't really [care] what the odds are."
The Indians have dominated the Tigers this season, winning 14 of 16 games against their division rivals. Outfielder Rajai Davis said he doesn't have an explanation as to why his team has had the Tigers' number, but he hopes it continues.
"I don't really know what it is," Davis said. "All I know is we've been playing a little better than them. I can't explain it though."
Tigers catcher James McCann said the team is under a lot of pressure to make up the two-game deficit with six games to play, but he thinks Detroit can do it.
"Every little thing is magnified a little bit more," McCann said. "At the end of the day, this is what we play for. This is what we've worked so hard for. This is a time to enjoy, the situation we're in, because at the end of the day it is still just the game of baseball. Nothing is different other than we're playing for the playoffs."
Things to know about this game
• Francona is expected to rest a handful of players Tuesday following the clinching win on Monday, as could be the case throughout the final week of the season. Francona said he had not thought that far ahead and just wanted to give his players the chance to celebrate the division crown.
• The Indians have not lost back-to-back games against the Tigers since June 22-23, 2015. They won the first 11 meetings this season before the Tigers won on July 6.
• Verlander has gone 0-3 in four starts against the Indians this season with a 6.46 ERA. He got a no-decision in his last outing against the Indians when he allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings at Cleveland on Sept. 17.
-
Tuesday 8:52 pm
DETROIT – It took the Indians 156 games to win the AL Central. In the process, their starting rotation has been shredded. Now they have six games to put it back together in time for the American League Division Series.
It's going to take a lot of glue and staples.
Said manager Terry Francona, "We've got a lot of balls in the air."
Here is the plan as of Tuesday.
No.1 starter Corey Kluber, who left Monday's clincher against the Tigers with tightness in the right groin, returned to Cleveland for a MRI Tuesday afternoon. He was scheduled to rejoin the team at Comerica Park in the evening.
"He was a little stiff today, but not overly tender," said Francona. "That gives us some reason to be optimistic. We don't have any of the information back from the scans yet."
Kluber was scheduled to start Sunday, the final game of the regular season, which would have put him in line for Game 1 of the ALDS on Oct. 6. With Kluber's availability unknown, Trevor Bauer's Wednesday start has been pushed back to Saturday in Kansas City. Josh Tomlin, meanwhile, will start Friday or Sunday against the Royals.
If Kluber is unavailable, Bauer and Tomlin will be in line to pitch the first two games of the ALDS on Oct. 6-7.
-
-
The Tigers are trying to chase down a Wild Card spot with young stud Michael Fulmer (11-7, 2.95 ERA) on the mound. The Indians, while still fighting for home-field advantage, have already clinched the American League Central, and they will send Zach McAllister (3-2, 3.58 ERA) to the mound Wednesday at Comerica Park in what could shape up to be a bullpen game.
McAllister has started just two times in the last two seasons, including his outing on July 2 when he allowed three runs in one inning. Trying to grab some extra rest for his rotation before the postseason, manager Terry Francona said McAllister could see some extended innings on Wednesday.
"I want to talk to [pitching coach Mickey Callaway] a little bit, but depending on how he's throwing the ball, we might let him try to get as far as he can legitimately go," Francona said. "He hasn't been stretched out for a while, but I think we'd like to see how he does."
Fulmer heads to the mound with a little more pressure as Detroit is one game back of Baltimore for the final AL postseason spot, but that hasn't seemed to bother him too much lately. The righty, who has a chance to become the first rookie to lead the AL in ERA since Tigers legend Mark Fidrych in 1976, is coming off a strong outing over the weekend against Kansas City in which he allowed one run in seven innings to give the Tigers a big win. He said he doesn't think about the postseason implications when he's pitching. <----REMEMBER THE BIRD?¿
"I just try to do my job," Fulmer said. "It's just, 'Go out there and get a win for the team.'"
Fulmer is making his first start on four days of rest since Aug. 19, when the Red Sox got to him for a season-high six runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Things to know about this game
■ The Indians gave the majority of their everyday lineup off Tuesday night, but at least a handful of them are expected to return to the lineup for Wednesday's game.
■ McAllister had a rough start to his season, running his ERA all the way up to 5.34 on Aug. 3. He has since settled down, allowing three runs (two earned) in 20 innings across 19 games. He has a 7.50 ERA in eight appearances against Detroit this season.
■ Fulmer allowed six runs in five innings the last time he faced the Indians. He is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in three career starts against Cleveland.
-
UPCOMING SCHEDULE. ........
The 2016 Cleveland Indians will finish the season on the road versus AL CENTRAL division opponents Detroit and Kansas City with a magic number of 1.
9/26 - 7 pm Kluber v Farmer
9/27 - 7 pm Clevinger v Verlander
9/28 - 7 pm Bauer v Fulmer
9/29 - 1 pm Merritt in his 1st MLB start v Norris....RAIN OUT
9/30 - 8 pm Merritt in his 1st MLB start v Ventura....W in his debut
10/1 - 4 pm Bauer v Volquez
10/2 - 3 pm Tomlin v Kennedy for the last regular season game of 2016
10/3 - Game 162 make up if necessary in Detroit
So there you go and I hope you have enjoyed this fun season especially at the old Jake.
GO TRIBE!
-
So we're not playing for homefield advantage in the way we're setting our lineups. Cool.
-
With the Indians still playing for home-field advantage in the postseason, Royals manager Ned Yost said he will continue to play his front-liners in the final two games of the season.
Cleveland trails Boston by a half-game for the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage in the American League Division Series. Texas clinched the No. 1 seed on Friday night.
Right-hander Edinson Volquez (10-11, 5.37 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals against right-hander Trevor Bauer (12-8, 4.26) on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium.
"You have to respect the integrity of the game," Yost said. "We're going to play to win and play hard."
For Volquez, it could be his last appearance in a Royals uniform. Volquez is a potential free agent after this season, but he has expressed a desire to remain with the club. Volquez has had an off-year, but he has been tough on the Tribe in six starts this season -- 1-2 with a 3.73 ERA.
"It's going to be hard to go home this season," Volquez said after the Royals were eliminated from the postseason earlier this week. "These are great guys in this room."
Bauer has yet to face the Royals this season, but he is 1-2 with a 3.41 ERA over his career against Kansas City.
Things to know about this game
• Royals catcher Salvador Perez has not started since Wednesday because of a sore right knee, but he is expected to play on Saturday night.
• Indians slugger Carlos Santana has 23 career homers vs. the Royals, the third most of any active player behind Justin Morneau (26) and Miguel Cabrera (25).
• Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer is 5-for-14 (.357) with a homer all-time vs. Bauer.
-
CLEVELAND 93-67 tied with BOS, will the Indians have to play makeup game #162 on Monday in Detroit afterall? Detroit would love to play spoiler.
Cleveland must win Sunday and hope BOS loses tonight, if BOS loses tonight it will be really close! Well for the Indians not necessarily BROWNS
Oh can BOS just run it out? Sunday #162 - TOR Sanchez 14-2 vs BOS Price 17-9 hmmmm.
We'll all know very soon.
-
After two long runs into the postseason, the Royals will wrap up the 2016 season against the Indians, who are preparing for the American League Division Series.
Right-hander Ian Kennedy (11-10, 3.69 ERA) will take the mound for Kansas City while right-hander Josh Tomlin (12-9, 4.48 ERA) will pitch for the Indians. Kennedy was a free-agent addition in the offseason, a five-year $70 million signing some observers considered risky.
But Kennedy has been solid, throwing a team-high 188 innings as of Saturday. "He's been what we thought he'd be," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's a very reliable starter who throws strikes and gives us innings and competes."
Kennedy has struggled against the Indians, going 2-3 with a 5.76 ERA in five starts.
Tomlin will be working on six days' rest since he gave up one earned run in 6 2/3 innings on Sept. 25 against the White Sox. Tomlin is 8-4 with a 4.46 ERA against the Royals in his career.
Things to know about this game
• The Royals will draw the second-highest attendance total in franchise history. The Royals went over the 2.5-million mark on Friday. Their record was in 2015, when they drew 2,708,549 fans.
• Yost said catcher Salvador Perez, who did not start the first two games of the series, likely won't start Sunday's finale. Perez has been dealing with a sore right knee and hamstring. That would make Tomlin happy, as Perez is a career .577 hitter off Tomlin.
• Daniel Nava, who started for Eric Hosmer on Saturday, is 3-for-3 in his career off Tomlin.
• Francisco Lindor, who homered against the Royals on Friday, is one of four Indians who have five or more homers against the Royals this season: Lindor (5), Mike Napoli (5), Tyler Naquin (5) and Carlos Santana (6).
-
If the Indians win today and the BOSOX lose it's over -and- the Indians will only play 161 games this year.
If the Indians lose today and the BOSOX lose today it's also over.
If the Indians lose today and the BOSOX win today the Indians must play Monday in Detroit and win to get home field and burn another starter.
~~~~~~~
BOS 3:05 CLE 3:15 starts today
-
-
-
And it's far from over. We should play the Jays at home next week... I hope. Then to get the ring. Cleveland Indians.... world series champs!
-
Hey my first post here on the BROWNS BOARD!
Indians are on pace (currently 64-48 .571) for a 92-70 season now with only 50 games left in the 2016 regular season.
It's always been said that good pitching wins so do they:
a. Win the wild card
b. Win the AL Central
c. Go to the World Series
d. Dare we say win the World Series
e. Miss the playoffs all together
OMG this was my first post here and the INDIANS have made it to c. with a chance at d.Hey my first post here on the BROWNS BOARD!
Indians are on pace (currently 64-48 .571) for a 92-70 season now with only 50 games left in the 2016 regular season.
It's always been said that good pitching wins so do they:
a. Win the wild card
b. Win the AL Central
c. Go to the World Series
d. Dare we say win the World Series
e. Miss the playoffs all together
From that post the INDIANS went on to win 30 more games to finish at 94-67 (161 games) and win the AL Central.
What an amazing season!
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login