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Right fielder Jose Bautista is set to become a free agent, but the Toronto Blue Jays will likely do what they can to keep their slugger around for as long as possible.

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Toronto Makes Keeping Bautista a Priority

Monday, Oct. 24

On Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reported the team is expected to extend qualifying offers to Bautista and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion. As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Oct. 13, the qualifying offer will equal $17.2 million this year.

Scott MacArthur of TSN provided the latest update on Toronto’s plans for the two power hitters:

Bautista finished this past season with a .234 batting average and 22 home runs.

The 36-year-old missed time after suffering injuries to his toe and knee. He managed to play only 116 games during the regular season and appeared to be at less than 100 percent when he was in the lineup.

Prior to 2016, however, Bautista earned a spot in six straight All-Star Games, winning three Silver Slugger awards in that stretch. He also finished in the top 10 in MVP voting four times, totaling at least 35 home runs with 100 RBI in each of those years.

The right-hander has twice led the American League in home runs since joining the organization in 2009.

Whichever team signs the veteran outfielder will hope he can replicate his previous numbers after a down year that was mired by injuries.

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The pitching matchup for Game 1 of the 2016 World Series is set as the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians attempt to win their first World Series since 1908 and 1948, respectively.

According to the MLB and Indians Twitter accounts, Jon Lester will take the mound for the Cubs while Corey Kluber gets the ball for Cleveland at home Tuesday.

Both pitchers have excelled so far in the postseason. Kluber has posted a 0.98 ERA in three starts, while Lester has been just as good with a 0.86 ERA in the same number of games.

It was likely an easy choice for Indians manager Terry Francona. Injuries to his pitching staff have created a number of question marks about the postseason rotation, but Kluber has been Cleveland’s one constant throughout the year. The 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner had a 3.14 ERA this season, and his 227 strikeouts ranked fifth in the AL.

According to Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer will likely start Games 2 and 3 in some order, depending on Bauer’s health after suffering a pinky injury on his throwing hand.

The Cubs had a few more options for Game 1, including 2016 ERA leader Kyle Hendricks and 2015 Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. However, Lester has been as good as both of them this season with a 19-5 record and a 2.44 ERA.

He is also one of the few players in this matchup with World Series experience, having compiled a 3-0 record and a 0.43 ERA in three starts in the sport’s final round. He won two titles with the Boston Red Sox.

Arrieta will get the ball in Game 2, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

While the rest of his teammates and fans were celebrating the National League pennant, Lester remained focused on the next goal, per JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago:

No matter who wins, Lester and Kluber are likely going to provide an entertaining duel in Game 1.

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The 2016 World Series is set, and no matter who wins, it will be a celebration a long time in the making.

The Chicago Cubs are considered the team of destiny as they try to win their first championship since 1908. On the other hand, the Cleveland Indians haven’t won a title since 1948, and their fans will be just as excited about the possibility of a win.

Both teams will come out with a lot of energy to provide fans with the best possible matchup on the sport’s biggest stage. Here is what you need to know about the upcoming battle. 

Preview

When it comes to the Cubs, it’s hard not to talk about history. Not only has it been more than 100 years since the last World Series win, but the organization hadn’t even won the pennant since 1945.

After the Cubs clinched the National League Championship Series, that was just about all anyone could talk about.

“To stand on that platform afterwards,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “and you’re looking at the ballpark and the fans and the ‘W’ flags everywhere. I think about the fans, and their parents, and their grandparents, and great-grandparents, and everything else that’s been going on here for a while.”

However, it’s important to remember that the current squad stands on its own as an elite team. The players aren’t necessarily carrying history with them; they won 103 games with a lot of talent in just about every part of the roster.

The starting pitching has been great all year, especially Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. The duo has allowed just five earned runs in 37.1 innings this postseason, including just three runs total in four starts in the NLCS.

Jake Arrieta hasn’t been quite as dominant, but he is the reigning NL Cy Young winner and has good enough stuff to be a shutdown pitcher in the upcoming round.

Meanwhile, the lineup is even more dangerous, as so many different players can carry the offense on a given night. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Javier Baez and others can get hot at any time, and they have shown it throughout the season and playoffs. If this team is clicking, there aren’t too many holes.

Of course, the Indians aren’t in this spot by luck, either.

The bullpen is the real story of the team’s success, featuring the lights-out combo of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. While Allen is usually considered the “closer” on the team, the reality is that either pitcher can come in any inning and shut down any part of the lineup.

Manager Terry Francona has been creative in his use of the bullpen this postseason, and it has led to opponents having seemingly no chance of coming back late in games.

Although the starting rotation has been a mess because of a handful of injuries, the team still has Corey Kluber leading the way as one of the top pitchers in baseball. It’s tough to know what to expect from either Josh Tomlin or rookie Ryan Merritt, but you can’t count either out.

The real question mark is the lineup, which has loads of talent but struggled last series against the Toronto Blue Jays, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Cleveland is batting only .208 in the postseason, which is impressive for a team that has won two series already. With Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis capable of racking up hits and Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli adding power, this unit can be quite dangerous if it gets going.

In any case, these two teams should create a memorable World Series that could go the distance.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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The Cleveland Indians are in the World Series, but they will have to keep waiting patiently to see which team they will face in the upcoming round.

While the Chicago Cubs earned a 3-2 advantage in the National League Championship Series thanks to their 8-4 Game 5 victory, the Los Angeles Dodgers still have an opportunity to win the next two games and earn a spot in the World Series.

Regardless of who survives the NLCS, fans should be treated to an outstanding final round between two great teams. Here is what to expect no matter who advances.

Indians vs. Dodgers

There are a lot of similarities between these two teams, most notably when it comes to pitching. While plenty of squads around the league have their set starters in a rotation followed by developed bullpen roles, the Indians and Dodgers don’t adhere to that plan.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts was forced to get creative in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals, using closer Kenley Jansen in the seventh inning before starter Clayton Kershaw closed the game on one day’s rest.

The team was forced to react to a handful of pitching injuries during the year and it is now capable of handling adversity to the staff.

Of course, the Indians know all about injuries to the rotation after losing Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and, most recently, Trevor Bauer to various injuries. Manager Terry Francona explained how this transformed his strategy in the postseason.

“When you lose two pitchers like that late, I’m not sure you can move on conventionally and cover that,” Francona said, per Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated. “So we’ve tried to not feel sorry for ourselves and figure out, okay…how do we win four games before they do?”

Francona was forced to be more aggressive than usual, but it worked out for him, as noted by Richard Justice of MLB.com:

Andrew Miller and Cody Allen have been nearly flawless in the postseason, and this duo is capable of stealing a win or two against a Dodgers lineup that can be inconsistent. With Corey Kluber also playing outstanding baseball with a 0.98 ERA in three starts, this pitching staff should once again be able keep the Indians winning.

On the other side, the Dodgers will still be recovering from what will have to be a seven-game series against the Cubs, meaning the rotation will not be ideal. Kershaw is as good as any starter in baseball, but he won’t be available for Game 1.

While an extended break sometimes hurts teams, Cleveland has a good enough lineup to beat the Los Angeles pitching and come through with a solid performance to win its first World Series since 1948. 

Prediction: Indians 4, Dodgers 2 

Indians vs. Cubs 

Both fan bases think these teams are following destiny to win a title, but only one of them will be left standing at the end.

While the Indians have been able to get by thanks to their bullpen, there are serious questions about the rotation behind Kluber. Josh Tomlin is inconsistent and it’s tough to know what you will get out of Ryan Merritt. While the rookie did pitch 4.1 shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, it will be tougher against the Cubs in the World Series.

What Chicago has going for it is the depth of elite players both in the pitching staff and in the lineup. The hitters went cold for a couple of games during the NLCS, but key players have bounced back at the right time.

Kris Bryant is the likely National League MVP, but players like Addison Russell and Javier Baez are the ones turning heads in the postseason. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com praised the second baseman during Game 5:

With Anthony Rizzo also turning things around over the last two games, there should be a lot of confidence in this lineup.

Additionally, the starting rotation keeps coming at you with Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and even John Lackey. The last two are especially valuable thanks to their postseason experience.

Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and others are capable of a big game here or there, but facing top talent on the mound each game is a problem. The Indians are hitting just .208 as a team in the postseason and the Cubs pitchers will make sure those bats don’t come alive.

Cleveland’s bullpen still has a clear advantage and once again Kluber has been lights out, although this won’t be enough to stop the Cubs from winning their first title since 1908.

Prediction: Cubs 4, Indians 3

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Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was removed from Game 4 of the National League Championship Series with hamstring tightness, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

Continue for updates.

Cubs Lose Key Bullpen Piece

Thursday, Oct. 20

The 25-year-old pitcher came in for the seventh inning but only faced three batters, earning two outs before walking Corey Seager. After the walk, he was replaced by Travis Wood.

Edwards has pitched three innings so far in the postseason, allowing zero runs and only one hit.

In his first real work at the major league level this season, the young pitcher posted a 3.75 ERA in 36 innings. More impressively, he had a 0.81 WHIP to go with 52 strikeouts in this span for a rate of 13 per nine innings.

He had a couple of bad games down the stretch, leading to a 6.00 ERA in August and 5.79 ERA in September, but he has turned things around in the playoffs, becoming one of the most reliable relievers in the Cubs bullpen.

If he is forced to miss time, it creates more question marks for a unit that already featured plenty of doubts.

Aroldis Chapman will still be asked to close out games, but pitchers like Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon will likely have to take on bigger roles for the remainder of the series.

While the Cubs have one of the better starting rotations in baseball, they will need the bullpen to step up to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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The Chicago Cubs find themselves in an unexpected position heading into Game 4, but this series is still far from over.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the surprise leaders of the National League Championship Series, currently up 2-1 after the 6-0 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday night. The pitching has been lights out over the last two games, shocking a Cubs team that won 103 games during the regular season.

This puts the pressure on Chicago to even the series or else end up in desperation mode in the coming days.

NLCS Game 4

When: Wednesday, Oct. 19

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

TV: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Preview

The big question after the past two games is the state of the Cubs lineup, which was seemingly unstoppable heading into the series. The offense finished the season third in baseball in runs scored, with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo representing arguably the best one-two punch in the sport.

Unfortunately, this group has been completely shut down over the past two games by Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill.

Failing to score a single run in two games is embarrassing enough; going 6-for-60 at the plate as a team in this stretch is a disaster. Dexter Fowler’s double was the only extra-base hit.

Ben Finfer of ESPN Radio noted the extended concern going forward:

Of course in baseball, a team is only as good as its next day’s starting pitcher. This puts a lot of pressure on 20-year-old Julio Urias. The Dodgers rookie has pitched only two innings this postseason—he allowed one hit and no runs against the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series—which means he is likely to feel the pressure in by far the biggest start of his career.

The southpaw has a lot of talent, but the Cubs can get after him if they are patient at the plate. If the walks start coming, the hits will follow—and so will the runs.

On the other side, the Cubs will use a pitcher with a lot more playoff experience. John Lackey comes to the mound with a respectable 3.22 ERA in 131.1 career postseason innings. That is almost double the amount of innings Urias has pitched in his entire major league career (79 innings including playoffs).

He also has two World Series titles, and he pitched in both of the championship-clinching games.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon explained the advantage Lackey has compared to a younger pitcher, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times:

You could always say that what you don’t know can’t hurt you — you just go out there and you’re winging it and you’re not over-analyzing it; I get that. But having an experienced guy like John … he really understands what he’s doing out there and how to manipulate and work against certain hitters.

He knows how to use a hitter’s aggressiveness against him. He knows who to stay away from in certain moments. He’ll pick his poison, who to pitch to and who to not pitch to. He has a really good feel for this part of the game.

Even after allowing three runs in four innings in his only other start of the postseason, the Cubs should feel confident sending their fourth starter to the mound Wednesday.

While the Dodgers lineup has been effective, especially Adrian Gonzalez and Corey Seager, this group is not unstoppable.

Still, none of it will matter if the Chicago offense does not come alive. Rizzo’s 3-for-29 in the playoffs stands out, but just about everyone is to blame for the current slide.

The good news is there is enough talent on the roster to turn things around. If just one or two players perform to their ability, the Cubs should be able to break out of the slump and find a way to even up the series.

Prediction: Cubs 4, Dodgers 3

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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The Cleveland Indians are one win away from the World Series, but the Toronto Blue Jays are going to keep fighting until they are officially eliminated.

Any comeback in the American League Championship Series will have to start in Game 4, with the Blue Jays down 3-0 and facing the Indians’ best pitcher. Clearly, it is going to be an uphill battle to get back in the series.

Still, Indians manager Terry Francona knows you can win an ALCS from down 3-0 after accomplishing the feat with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. This will keep things interesting heading into the upcoming battle between the two talented squads.

ALCS Game 4

When: Tuesday, Oct. 18

Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto

Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Live Stream: TBS.com

Preview

The story of this series through three games has been the performance of the Indians bullpen. The group had shut down the Blue Jays in the first two contests with six scoreless innings, but Game 3 was a completely different type of impressive.

Starter Trevor Bauer only lasted two outs before a bloody pinkie forced him to leave the game, per Steve Gardner of USA Today. The bullpen responded by going 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs in a 4-2 victory.

Andrew Miller has been the star of the show with five shutout innings in three games, striking out 13 while allowing just two hits in this stretch.

Meanwhile, Joel Sherman of MLB Network wanted to give credit to the managing job as well as Miller:

Although Francona can’t win MVP, he deserves a lot of praise for the work he has done in this series. While anyone can just tell a setup man and a closer to go out in the eighth and ninth innings, the Indians manager has been more creative to put his pitchers in the best possible chances to win.

This includes flipping the duo Monday, sending in closer Cody Allen in the seventh inning and start of the eighth against the tougher right-handers before Miller came on for the last four outs.

All of this has worked perfectly to keep the Blue Jays out of rhythm offensively.

Jose Bautista is just 1-for-9 in the series, Edwin Encarnacion is 2-for-11 and Troy Tulowitzki is 1-for-11, contributing to just three runs for Toronto in three games. This is a big drop from the 27 runs scored in the first four games of the postseason.

There is obvious talent on the roster, but the question is whether the players can figure out a way to produce against this Cleveland staff.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said after Game 3 that his offense is “due to erupt,” per the Associated Press (via USA Today): “It hasn’t happened yet. But I’ve seen it too many times. Hopefully [Tuesday] is that day. We’ll see.”

The confidence is a good thing, but getting it done against Game 4 starter Corey Kluber won’t be an easy task. The one positive is the unknown of pitching on three days’ rest for the first time in his career, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.

While one would think pitching Kluber on short rest would be an unnecessary risk up 3-0, there aren’t many options with a makeshift rotation, as Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com explained:

Rookie Ryan Merritt would be forced to start if Kluber can’t close things out, which makes winning Tuesday’s game important. It should also give Toronto confidence knowing that one win can turn around the series.

Aaron Sanchez gets the ball for the Blue Jays after going 15-2 during the regular season. Although he struggled in his only other postseason start, he has the talent necessary to keep a tough Cleveland offense in check.

However, none of it will matter if Toronto’s offense doesn’t start hitting.

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The Cleveland Indians again relied on their bullpen in Game 3, earning a 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to build a 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series on Monday.

Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer was removed after recording just two outs, but six relievers combined to throw 8.1 innings, allowing only two runs.

Jason Lukehart of Let’s Go Tribe provided an incredible stat from Cleveland’s victory:

The Indians are one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1997.

Bauer’s early exit was the big story of the game after a pinkie finger injury he suffered while repairing a drone pushed his start back from Game 2 to Game 3. The cut turned out to be more serious than expected, and his stitches opened a couple of batters into the contest, causing the finger to bleed all over the mound.

Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine described the situation:

Fox Sports provided a gruesome image (warning: NSFW) of Bauer’s finger as he exited the game.

Bauer walked two batters and recorded two outs before Dan Otero found a way to get out of the first-inning jam. Cleveland was then forced to piece together innings from its bullpen for the rest of the night, although manager Terry Francona came prepared.

In addition to using a wide variety of relievers throughout the game, Francona asked closer Cody Allen to pitch in the seventh inning for the first time since 2014, per ESPN Stats & Info. Allen came through with 1.2 hitless innings.

Andrew Miller then followed with a four-out save featuring three strikeouts.

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com summed up Cleveland’s mindset:

Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman couldn’t keep up, allowing four earned runs in 5.1 innings.

Mike Napoli sparked the Indians offense Monday. He got Cleveland on the board with an RBI double off Jose Bautista’s glove in the first inning and followed that up with a solo home run in the fourth.

Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com described the veteran’s confidence:

Napoli was 2-for-18 in the playoffs coming into the day but finished 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI.

Toronto again struggled to generate much offense, although Michael Saunders did his part with a solo home run in the second inning.

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer described the big hit:

The blast got the home fans excited, but the Blue Jays didn’t score again until the fifth, when Ezequiel Carrera hit a triple into the right-center field gap and eventually came around to score on a Ryan Goins groundout.

Eric Engels of Sportsnet praised the left fielder as Toronto evened the score at 2:

The tie didn’t last long, however, as Jason Kipnis drilled a solo home run to right, giving Cleveland a 3-2 lead in the sixth and knocking Stroman out of the game. Napoli then continued his great showing with heads-up baserunning after getting on with a walk. He advanced on a wild pitch before scoring on a Jose Ramirez RBI single.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com summed up the difference for the key players in Cleveland’s lineup:

The Blue Jays had a chance to cut into the lead with two runners on base in the seventh inning against Allen, but Josh Donaldson’s line drive ended up in Coco Crisp’s glove.

Toronto got the first runner aboard in the ninth inning but couldn’t do anything else as Miller closed out the 4-2 win.

After Toronto scored 27 runs in its first four games of the postseason, Cleveland has limited the Blue Jays to three runs in the ALCS.

The teams will return to action Tuesday for Game 4. Corey Kluber is set to take the mound on three days of rest for the Indians after tallying 13.1 scoreless innings in his first two postseason starts. Aaron Sanchez is scheduled to make his first start of the series for Toronto after allowing six runs in his only other playoff start this year.

Postgame Reaction

Francona has excelled this postseason at using his bullpen in creative ways, but getting a win after replacing the starter in the first inning was impressive even for this team. Still, it wasn’t exactly the plan, per Erik Boland of Newsday:

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays aren’t ready to give up despite being down 3-0 in the series.

“I still believe our offense is due to erupt,” manager John Gibbons said, per the Associated Press (via USA Today). “It hasn’t happened yet. But I’ve seen it too many times. Hopefully tomorrow is that day, we’ll see.”

Of course, breaking out against Kluber will not be an easy task Tuesday.

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The Cleveland Indians have gotten out to a fast start in the American League Championship Series, but the Toronto Blue Jays are not going to go down without a fight.

Pitching has surprisingly been the story so far in this series, with the Indians earning wins of 2-0 and 2-1 in the first two games. Considering what we had seen from these two offenses coming into the week, fans were likely expecting a lot more scoring.

With the series shifting to Toronto for the next few games and each staff forced to go further down its rotation, we might finally start seeing some offense in Game 3.

ALCS Game 3

When: Monday, Oct. 17

Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Odds (via Odds Shark): Cleveland (17-10), Toronto (20-37)

Preview

There were question marks about the Indians rotation coming into the postseason with both Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar suffering injuries. However, Corey Kluber and Josh Tomlin showed there is still plenty of talent on the roster.

The two starters combined for 12 innings of one-run ball, which was more than enough for the shutdown bullpen to take over. Andrew Miller is getting most of the headlines—and rightfully so—after tallying 10 strikeouts in two games, but the entire bullpen has been incredible to this point, per Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs:

With manager Terry Francona’s creative use of Miller, Cleveland is truly getting the most out of its pitching staff from top to bottom.

Despite the shutdown performances through two games, however, the Blue Jays aren’t ready to give up on the series.

“I believe in this team,” Edwin Encarnacion said, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “I know we can hit. That’s one thing I know. And the way the pitchers have been throwing the ball, that’s why I feel so comfortable.”

Toronto’s pitching staff has held up its end of the bargain, especially Marco Estrada in Game 1. The team will now turn to Marcus Stroman in Game 3, who had an up-and-down year but might be the most talented pitcher on the roster.

After allowing just two runs in six innings in the AL Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Orioles, he should have plenty of confidence going into Monday’s battle.

The question is whether the Blue Jays offense can finally get going. Encarnacion knows the team can hit, and hitting 10 home runs in the first four postseason games wasn’t a fluke. However, the squad has zero home runs in the ALCS so far and is batting just .159 as a team.

Josh Donaldson remains red-hot, but the rest of the lineup has been inconsistent at best.

The Blue Jays will hope to find some Rogers Centre magic in the next couple of games, starting Monday against Trevor Bauer. The Indians starter failed to get out of the fifth inning in his only postseason start and is known to allow home runs.

Toronto needs to take advantage of the Indians’ third starter and finally generate some offense. Otherwise, this series is over.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have been stymied by the Cleveland Indians over the last two games, but the blame might not fall completely on the players.

Jose Bautista hinted the umpires have been giving Indians pitchers favorable calls so far in the American League Championship Series. The outfielder explained Sunday, per Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star:

I’m having great at-bats. It’s just sometimes the elements and the circumstances that we have to deal with as hitters sometimes doesn’t necessarily go our way. But I’m not trying to really get into that.

All you have to do is go look at video and try to count the number of pitches they have thrown over the heart of the plate. It hasn’t been many. But they’ve been able to do that because of…the circumstances.

The Indians had some fun with Bautista’s comments on their Twitter account: 

Bautista cleverly avoided any specific mention of the calls, but it’s clear he isn’t happy with the breakdown of balls and strikes so far in a pair of losses to the Indians.

Toronto’s offense has struggled immensely in the series, generating just one run in two games after scoring 27 in the first four games of the postseason. The offense is 10-for-63 through two games, good for just a .159 batting average with zero home runs.

The Blue Jays have also struck out 25 times over two games, including 10 against Indians reliever Andrew Miller.

Bautista has been one of the biggest holes in the lineup to this point, going 0-for-6 with five strikeouts.

The squad will try to bounce back with its return home to the Rogers Centre for Game 3 on Monday. Whether the team gets more favorable calls or simply hits better, something has to change for the Blue Jays to avoid falling into an 0-3 deficit.

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