☆ 2016 ALDS ☆ BOSTON RED SOX vs CLEVELAND INDIANS ☆
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10/3/2016 - From vegasinsider.com (the Indians would be higher if their #1-5 pitching rotation were still intact!)
ODDS TO WIN 2016 WORLD SERIES (10/31/16)
Team Odds
Chicago Cubs 9/4
Boston Red Sox 6/1
Texas Rangers 6/1
Washington Nationals 7/1
Cleveland Indians 8/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 10/1
Toronto Blue Jays 12/1
New York Mets 16/1
San Francisco Giants 18/1
Baltimore Orioles 20/1
ODDS TO WIN 2016 NATIONAL LEAGUE PENNANT (10/31/16)
Team Odds
Chicago Cubs 11/10
Washington Nationals 3/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 4/1
New York Mets 9/1
San Francisco Giants 10/1
ODDS TO WIN 2016 AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT (10/31/16)
Team Odds
Boston Red Sox 9/4
Texas Rangers 9/4
Cleveland Indians 3/1
Toronto Blue Jays 5/1
Baltimore Orioles 12/1
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Why would the Red Sox be favored as they are? They have a worse record and only hold home field advantage if they get to play the Wild Card winner?
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Because Vegas actually does real analysis instead of looking at 6 month old numbers.
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And pitching! Especially more recent tough breaks for Cleveland and Washington.Because Vegas actually does real analysis instead of looking at 6 month old numbers.
Plus a true wacky home field advantage, always is at that MLB minature golf course / jai ali court, garage door in center field....sorry it's just that way, what 307 down the right field line? High school stuff.
But when you practice and play 81 games there it may be (is?) the biggest home field advantage in MLB. Remember Vegas basically doesn't care who just doesn't want to lose money.
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Boston is a slight favorite in game 1 in Cleveland, the problem when you're down to one ace and he's pitching second instead of first with a quicker chance of pitching again in a five game series.
I imagine the money line in game 2 will be close too in Cleveland.
And Salazar is in Arizona and out for the ALDS.
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Twelve years ago, Terry Francona led the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years. Now at the helm of the Indians, Francona will open his seventh postseason as a manager tonight at Progressive Field against Boston, looking to end another long championship drought -- Cleveland's 68 years without a World Series crown.
"The one thing I think I need to be cognizant of is the players have worked so hard -- both sides -- to get to this," Francona said. "So, whatever my feelings are need to remain my feelings, and let the players [have the spotlight]."
The American League Division Series, which will air on TBS beginning at 8 ET tonight, will mark the fifth time the Red Sox and Indians have met in the playoffs. The most recent was the 2007 AL Championship Series, in which Boston overcame a 3-1 deficit to hand Cleveland a heartbreaking defeat in seven games. Led by Francona, the Red Sox would go on to win the World Series for their second championship in four years.
The two clubs also met in the 1999 ALDS (won by Boston), the 1998 ALDS (won by Cleveland) and the 1995 ALDS (won by Cleveland). Beyond the organizational October histories are the personal histories intertwined in this clash, from Francona and Red Sox skipper John Farrell (a former Indians pitcher and farm director) to Red Sox GM Mike Hazen (who began his front-office career as a Cleveland intern) to Tribe slugger Mike Napoli (a member of the '13 Boston club that won it all) and on and on and on.
How much does all of that matter between the lines? Not a whit. What matters more is the Indians' ability to overcome the rash of injuries to their once-loaded rotation and Boston's ability to keep its league-leading offense churning out the runs on the road.
Game 1 does not present the pitching matchup one would have expected back on Opening Day at Progressive Field, when former Cy Young winners David Price and Corey Kluber opposed each other. Instead, because of Kluber's late-season issue with mild quadriceps strain and because of the emergence of a new Cy Young candidate in Boston, those two are pushed back to Game 2.
In the spotlight for Game 1 on Thursday will be right-handers Rick Porcello of the Red Sox and Trevor Bauer of the Indians.
The 27-year-old Porcello, a leading Cy Young candidate, boasts a 3.15 ERA this season, and gave up two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings for a win over Cleveland on May 22 at Fenway Park. The right-hander had a stellar second half, posting a 2.62 ERA and 92 strikeouts to just 11 walks.
Porcello will make his third career start and ninth career appearance in the postseason -- he's 0-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings, all for the Tigers from 2011-13.
"They have some different guys and some different looks, but the core guys are still the same." Porcello said of the Indians. "They do a bunch of different things to come at you. We have to prepare for that and be ready to counter."
Bauer will start Game 1 instead of ace Kluber. Francona said he felt more comfortable starting Kluber in Game 2 following extended rest. Josh Tomlin is expected to start Game 3.
Bauer, who will make his first career postseason start, began the season in the bullpen but was moved into the starting rotation after fourth starter Cody Anderson struggled in the early going. As a starter, Bauer went 10-8 with a 4.35 ERA in 28 appearances. The 25-year-old posted a 3.30 ERA prior to the All-Star break, but has struggled in his last six starts with a 6.39 ERA.
In his lone start against Boston this season, Bauer surrendered four runs on eight hits over five innings in a loss at Fenway Park on May 21.
The Indians own the third-best home record in the Majors this season, at 53-28. But Cleveland lost two out of three against the Red Sox at Progressive Field.
Several Indians hitters have had success against Porcello in their careers: Carlos Santana is 12-for-41 (.293), with two doubles, three home runs and four RBIs; Jason Kipnis is 10-for-31 (.323), with a double, homer and eight RBIs; Napoli is 7-for-22 (.318) with two doubles and a triple; and Yan Gomes is 5-for-13 (.385) with two doubles.
"We're pretty similar, actually. I think we're No. 1 and 2 [in the AL] in offense," Kipnis said. "With the bullpens and quality starters that are going to be out there, it's going to be a fun matchup. I know a lot of guys are going to be the underdogs in our own ballpark now. ... All we can do is use that as an advantage for us. We just want to say, 'Be careful what you wish for.'"
The Red Sox have the highest-scoring offense in the Majors, and averaged 5.2 runs per game in their season series against Cleveland, winning four of six contests. Mookie Betts, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez have each hit well in a small sample size against Bauer: Betts is 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs, Ortiz is 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs, while Ramirez is 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
"I feel like this team is very comfortable on the road," said Price, who is expected to start Game 2 for Boston on Friday. "We've played really good baseball on the road, especially the past month and a half or two months and that's something we kind of relish."
One club is vying for its fourth championship in a dozen years. The other seeks its first in nearly seven decades. But the road to the World Series for the Red Sox and Indians begins Thursday on the shores of Lake Erie.
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1am here but I'm staying up for the game GO TRIBE
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That was amazing !
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I bet the over 8.5 total
I bet the over 8.5 total
2 great pitchers, you would not think. but that looks good tonight. on bat contact they are all smoked drives
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I bet the over 8.5 total
I bet the over 8.5 total
Whoa you've got guts -but- who'd guess the tribe would hit 3 HRs in one inning.
4-2 bottom 4 looking pretty good so far.
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6-3 then
6-3 then
Geezzz 4-3 top 5 and Bauer is out and it's Miller time! You need 2 runs somwhere.
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I'll take a 7-2 Tribe win from here !
I'll take a 7-2 Tribe win from here !
It's gunna take a FG or 2 from here..This is Cleveland. feelin 10-7 tribe
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Andrew Miller. Is the BOMB!!!!!!
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Andrew Miller. Is the BOMB!!!!!!
Nastiest slider in the league.
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And they take him out for a batting practice pitcher in Shaw
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