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A long drought is going to come to an end at the conclusion of the 2016 World Series between the National League champion Chicago Cubs and the American League champion Cleveland Indians.

The Cubs have not been to the World Series since 1945, when they lost in seven games to the Detroit Tigers. Chicago’s last World Series title came in 1908, and that was before the team called Wrigley Field home.

The Indians are baseball royalty in comparison. The Tribe last made it to the World Series in 1997, when they lost in seven heartbreaking games to the Florida Marlins (not yet rebranded as the Miami Marlins). Cleveland had the lead in the ninth inning of the seventh game but could not hold onto that advantage.

The Indians last won the World Series in 1948, surviving a one-game playoff with the Boston Red Sox to win the American League pennant and defeating the Boston Braves in six games to win the championship.

One of those droughts is about to go by the wayside, as one of these excellent teams will soon triumph in the World Series.

The city of Chicago went through a catharsis Saturday night when the Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in the sixth game of the National League Championship Series to clinch a long-awaited pennant.

The celebration outside Wrigley Field lasted until morning as Cubs fans laughed, cried, partied and broke out in song.

The World Series will start in Cleveland Tuesday night, and the Cubs will bring a dominant team to Progressive Field. The starting rotation includes Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey, and it appears likely that Arrieta or Lester will get the start in Game 1.

Arrieta was scheduled to start Game 7 versus the Dodgers if that had been necessary, but Chicago manager Joe Maddon did not make pronouncements on his Game 1 starting pitcher during the middle of the pennant celebration.

The Indians don’t appear to have the depth among their starters to compare to the Cubs. Corey Kluber is the ace and has been effective throughout the postseason. However, Josh Tomlin is the only other regular starter who is not battling an injury, and he appears to be hittable. He had a 13-9 record with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in the regular season.

Starters Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer (cut pinkie) are all hurt, and that means Cleveland manager Terry Francona will have to rely on a sensational bullpen led by Andrew Miller.

The Cubs have a powerful lineup, which is led by Kris Bryant (39 HR, .554 slugging percentage) and Anthony Rizzo (32 HR, 109 RBI) and has outstanding supporting players, including Dexter Fowler (.393 on-base percentage), Javier Baez (14 HR, 59 RBI), Addison Russell (21 HR and 95 RBI) and Ben Zobrist (18 HR, 76 RBI).

The Indians have a couple of power hitters in Mike Napoli (34 HR) and Carlos Santana (34 HR), and they also have a fine supporting cast in Francisco Lindor (.301 average, 78 RBI), Jason Kipnis (23 HR, .469 slugging percentage) and Lonnie Chisenhall (.286 average).

The Cubs, who won 103 games to lead Major League Baseball, are strong favorites to come away with the World Series title. They are minus-185 favorites (bet $185 to win $100) to win the title, according to Odds Shark.

The Indians are plus-160 underdogs (bet $100 to win $160).

A dramatic World Series is about to unfold, and each voracious fanbase is hopeful that its long World Series dry spell will come to an end.

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After suffering through back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3 of the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs‘ slumbering offense awoke for a 10-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 to tie the series at two games apiece.

Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo, who had both been slumping badly throughout the postseason, both homered to trigger the Chicago attack. Both men had three hits in the game, with Russell scoring two runs and driving in two while Rizzo scored two and drove in three runs.

While the Cubs got back to work at the plate, the Dodgers were held to six hits and committed four errors. 

The Cubs, whose 103-58 record was the best in baseball during the regular season, have seemingly recaptured the momentum that had disappeared in their consecutive losses.

They will attempt to regain the lead in the series Thursday night in Game 5 at 8:08 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium, sending left-handed ace Jon Lester to the mound to face Kenta Maeda of the Dodgers. The game will be televised on FS1, and the live stream is available on Fox Sports Go.

Some thought the Dodgers would send Clayton Kershaw to the mound in Game 5 on short rest, but Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts opted to go with Maeda.

The Washington Nationals tagged Maeda with a loss in the National League Division Series, and he allowed three runs on four hits in Game 1 against the Cubs.

Roberts explained his decision to go with Maeda to the media prior to Game 4.

“Well, I think that [Thursday] isn’t a deciding game,” Roberts said, per CBSSports.com. “It’s not an elimination game. And I think the accumulation of [Kershaw’s] usage over the last 10 days plays a factor in our decision.”

Lester has been in good form this postseason, as he is 1-0 with a 0.64 earned run average. In Game 1 of the NLCS, he gave up one run and four hits in six innings. Manager Joe Maddon replaced him after that, even though it looked like he could have gone further after throwing just 77 pitches.

Lester is coming off a strong regular season that included a 19-5 record, a 2.44 ERA and a 1.016 WHIP. He also struck out 197 batters and walked 52 in 202.2 innings.

Lester has also had success throughout his career in the postseason. The 6’4″, 240-pound Tacoma, Washington, native has a 2.57 ERA and 1.027 WHIP in 18 career appearances.

Lester’s status as one of the best money pitchers in baseball helps the Cubs in the eyes of the oddsmakers. Chicago is a -151 (bet $151 to win $100) favorite to take the 3-2 lead in the series, according to Odds Shark. The Dodgers are +141 (bet $100 to win $141) underdogs in the game.

Kershaw is scheduled to pitch Game 6 of the series on Saturday night against Kyle Hendricks. If the series goes the full seven games, Rich Hill of the Dodgers and Chicago’s Jake Arrieta are likely to be slated for a rematch.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have their first taste of victory in the American League Championship Series after picking up a 5-1 triumph in Game 4, and that appears to be the beginning of a momentum change in the series.

The Blue Jays got the best of Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, as Josh Donaldson’s third-inning home run gave Toronto the lead for the first time in the series. The Blue Jays were able to build on that lead, and after the Indians cut into the advantage and made it a 2-1 game, Edwin Encarnacion knocked in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning.

By itself, it looks like the Blue Jays still have a huge mountain to climb to get back into the series since they trail 3-1. However, the Indians have a problem with their starting pitching.

Outside of Kluber and Josh Tomlin, manager Terry Francona has few viable options open to him because injuries have caused big problems. In addition to Trevor Bauer and his bleeding pinkie finger, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are both injured.

As a result, the Indians will send untested left-hander Ryan Merritt to the mound Wednesday afternoon at the Rogers Centre in Toronto for a 4:08 p.m. ET start. Merritt spent most of the year at Triple-A Columbus and pitched just 11 innings for the Indians.

While he did relatively well in his small sample size by allowing six hits and two earned runs, he simply does not have the kind of experience that is usually associated with a postseason starter.

That makes it difficult for the Indians to take the field with true confidence in Game 5. 

Jose Bautista said the Cleveland starter may have a difficult time believing in his ability to get the Blue Jays out. 

“With our experience in our lineup, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be shaking in his boots more than we are,” Bautista told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.

In addition to Merritt’s lack of experience, the Indians are not an offensive juggernaut at this point. They have scored nine runs in four games, and they have yet to score a run from the seventh inning on in the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will send Marco Estrada to the mound with the hope of bringing the series back to Cleveland for the sixth game October 21.

Estrada did not have a sensational year as he finished 9-9 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.119 WHIP. Estrada has pitched 16.1 innings in the postseason, and he picked up a win over the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series and lost the opener to the Indians in the ALCS by a 2-0 margin.

The Blue Jays and Indians know that Estrada is capable of pitching an excellent game. Neither team knows what Merritt is capable of doing.

The oddsmakers have taken notice in the disparity among the Game 5 starting pitchers. The Blue Jays are minus-175 favorites, according to Odds Shark. The Indians are plus-165 underdogs to come away with the win and clinch a World Series berth.

Prediction

The worm has turned in the ALCS, and while it will still take quite a bit for the Blue Jays to come all the way back and join the 2004 Boston Red Sox as the only team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series, the Blue Jays should find a way to extend the series to six games.

Estrada is a strong pitcher, and the Blue Jays are getting enough hitting from Donaldson and Encarnacion to give them the belief that they will score enough runs to win. If Troy Tulowitzki and the slumping Bautista join the hitting parade, this game could turn into a rout.

Cleveland won a bullpen game in Game 3 when Bauer’s finger started to bleed badly in the first inning, and Francona had to remove him after just two outs. 

Perhaps Merritt can give the Indians three innings or more in this assignment, and the bullpen can take over from there. With Andrew Miller and Cody Allen dominating, they certainly have the relief pitchers to do an excellent job.

However, the Blue Jays are not going to let this opportunity slip away and will earn the Game 5 win.

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The Cleveland Indians have a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series, so there’s nothing at all for Terry Francona and his team to be worried about, right?

To borrow a phrase from ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso, not so fast, my friend.

The Indians have a couple of issues after losing their first game of the postseason Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

They sent ace Corey Kluber to the mound with the hope of closing out the Blue Jays in four games. However, Toronto got the jump on Cleveland when third baseman Josh Donaldson launched a third-inning pitch from Kluber over the left field fence, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

That was the first time the Blue Jays had the lead in the series, and it was the first time the Indians had trailed in the playoffs since the early innings of Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox.

The Blue Jays added a run to make it 2-0, and after the Indians cut it to 2-1, the Blue Jays regained full control when Edwin Encarnacion hit a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to extend the advantage to 4-1.

While Kluber had a human effort and gave up a few runs in the playoffs for the first time in three starts, hard-throwing Aaron Sanchez was sharp for the Blue Jays. He gave up just one run on two hits in six innings.

It still looks like the Blue Jays have a big hill to climb, but the confidence level of John Gibbons’ team should be much higher as a result of the Game 4 win. The Blue Jays appear to have a major advantage in Game 5, as they’ll send Marco Estrada to the mound against Cleveland rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt.

Injuries to the Cleveland pitching staff have put the Indians in a precarious position for fielding starting pitchers.

Kluber is a stud, and Josh Tomlin has also pitched well in the postseason after an up-and-down regular season. But Francona has little to choose from aside from those two. Trevor Bauer has his infamous bloody pinkie finger that forced him to be pulled in the first inning of Game 3. Additionally, starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are both injured. 

That’s why Merritt will get the ball in Game 5. If you don’t know much about him, don’t feel bad. When Gibbons was asked what he knew about Merritt, his response was that he knew he was left-handed, according to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.

Merritt pitched 11 innings for the Tribe this season after spending the season at Triple-A Columbus. He gave up six hits and two earned runs in his limited time on the mound, but that’s not much of a sample size.

In addition to their injured starters, the Indians are not hammering the baseball at this point. They have scored nine runs in four games, and if they can’t significantly improve their production in Game 5, they are going to have a difficult time closing out the Jays.

Nevertheless, Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez said his team is not worried. “No one is panicking,” Perez told Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. “They’re a good team. We’re going to show up and play like we always do.”

The Blue Jays are down 3-1 and still have a long way to go. However, they just beat Kluber and have a pulse. If they were able to take care of the Indians’ ace, it seems they should be able to handle a pitcher who does not appear to be ready for prime time.

Keys for Cleveland

Get the bats going. While the story going into Game 4 was the Blue Jays’ inability to get their offense on track, that narrative is changing. The Indians have not scored a run from the seventh inning on in the postseason, and they are struggling to put enough runs on the board.

The Indians would like to get a solid five or six innings out of Merritt, but that may be unrealistic. Francona has been successful to this point in the postseason because the bullpen has been so effective. If the Indians are going to find a way to win this game, they’ll need to get another stellar performance from their bullpen.

If the Indians can get three good innings from Merritt, the bullpen may have to take over from that point. It is essential than Andrew Miller and Co. have a dominant game here.

Keys for Toronto

Jump on top early in this game. The Blue Jays appear to have a huge edge in the starting pitcher matchup, and the sooner they get the lead, the more pressure they can put on the Indians.

Donaldson and Encarnacion are starting to hit, and they have to continue to pound the baseball. If Gibbons can get something out of Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista, they’ll have a chance to register a knockout in this game.

Estrada pitched very well in Game 1, but he got beat when he gave up a two-run homer to Lindor. If he can hold the Indians to two runs here, the Blue Jays should be able to find a way to send the series back to Cleveland.

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The Toronto Blue Jays got just what they needed against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday, finding a way to remain alive in the American League Championship Series.

The Blue Jays took the lead for the first time in any game in the series when Josh Donaldson launched a home run off Corey Kluber in the third inning, and the Jays did a good job of building on that lead.

Edwin Encarnacion had a two-run single in the seventh inning to help Toronto pull away.

The Jays also got excellent pitching from starter Aaron Sanchez and their bullpen to emerge with a 5-1 win at the Rogers Centre.

The Indians still lead the series 3-1.

Sanchez was credited with the victory, as he gave up just one run on two hits and two walks in six innings. Kluber took the loss after surrendering two runs on four hits and two walks in five innings of work.

Game 5 will be played at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday afternoon, pitting Cleveland’s Ryan Merritt against Marco Estrada.

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The Cleveland Indians continue to shock the baseball world. 

Even though starting pitcher Trevor Bauer had to come out of Game 3 with a bleeding pinkie finger in the first inning, the Cleveland Indians came through with a 4-2 win at the Rogers Centre, and they are on the verge of knocking out the Toronto Blue Jays and advancing to the World Series.

It was a surprise that the Indians beat the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series. Repeating the task in such a straightforward fashion against the Blue Jays is an even bigger shocker.

Bauer had cut his finger while repairing a drone that he owned, and his start was pushed back from Game 2 to Game 3. That change turned out to be ineffective, as Bauer’s injured finger started bleeding almost immediately, and manager Terry Francona had to remove him after two outs.

Rules prevented the pitcher from putting anything like a bandage on the injury, which forced the Indians to make it a bullpen game.

That should have helped the Blue Jays, but the Indians led 1-0 and 2-1 before finally taking the 4-2 lead that would serve as the final score. The Indians got home runs from Mike Napoli (who also had an RBI double) and Jason Kipnis, while Michael Saunders hit one for the Blue Jays.

Relievers Dan Otero, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister and Bryan Shaw combined for 5.1 innings before Francona brought in closer Cody Allen and superb relief weapon Andrew Miller for the final three innings.

This time, Francona used Allen in the seventh and into the eighth, while Miller closed out the game by striking out three batters in 1.1 innings.

“That wasn’t the way we drew it up, but [our] bullpen—that’s one of the most amazing jobs I’ve ever seen,” Francona told reporters after the game (h/t Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com). “I mean starting with Otero to Manship to McAllister to Shaw. If anybody has a hiccup, we probably lose.”

The Indians will start Corey Kluber in Game 4 on Tuesday afternoon at 4:08 p.m. ET, and their ace will have a chance to complete the triumph and sweep the ALCS. Kluber has thrown 13.1 scoreless innings in the postseason and has a 2-0 record. He beat the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS and the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the ALCS. 

He is starting on short rest for the first time in his career.

The Blue Jays have a formidable task in front of them, as they now must win four straight games if they are going to advance to the World Series. That’s a near-impossible task, as only the 2004 Boston Red Sox were (famously) able to climb out of such a hole in MLB history.

The Blue Jays will send Aaron Sanchez to the mound for his second career postseason start. He also started against the Texas Rangers in the ALDS and was not effective in that effort, giving up six earned runs on three hits and four walks.

Sanchez was 15-2 during the regular season with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP. He hopes to have a more even-keel performance against the Indians in this start.

“Hopefully just to keep my emotions in check,” Sanchez said, via CBSSports.com, of what his previous start taught him. “I’ve been there before, last year, but it was out of the ‘pen. The roles were a little bit different.”

Prediction

A Cleveland sweep certainly was an improbable result before the start of this series, but not any longer.

The Indians are sending their best starting pitcher to the mound at the Rogers Centre, and Kluber has shown he can make his best pitches in critical situations.

Sanchez is a talented pitcher, but he did not pitch well in his only postseason start. Combine that with the 0-3 hole and it seems unlikely the Blue Jays will solve Kluber and his remarkable bullpen.

Look for the Indians to win another low-scoring game and sweep the previously hard-hitting Jays out of the postseason.

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Are the Cleveland Indians ready to play the role of destiny’s darlings?

It seems that way as the American League playoffs unfold. They have picked up two consecutive wins over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series after sweeping the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series.

Cleveland’s win in Game 1 of the ALCS was not a surprise, as the Indians had home-field advantage and ace Corey Kluber on the mound. However, when they were able to come up with their second straight victory with Josh Tomlin pitching Saturday, that was surprising.

Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista gave the Blue Jays a formidable lineup against Tomlin, who had a 13-9 record with a 4.40 ERA while allowing 36 home runs in the regular season.

However, the Blue Jays couldn’t figure him out in Game 2, and he allowed just one run in 5.2 innings before Cleveland manager Terry Francona went to his bullpen.

That has been the key factor for the Indians in their first five postseason games. Their relief pitchers, led by sensational left-hander Andrew Miller, have dominated against the Red Sox and Blue Jays.

Miller pitched two scoreless innings apiece in the first two games of the ALCS. He struck out five of the six hitters he faced in Game 2 before closer Cody Allen took care of the ninth inning without any issue. Allen retired the side in order, striking out two hitters.

The lesson for Cleveland’s postseason opponents is to get a lead off the Indians starters before Francona goes to the bullpen.

The Blue Jays will try to make that happen Monday at Rogers Centre in Toronto:

The Blue Jays hitters again appear to have a favorable matchup as Trevor Bauer takes the mound against Marcus Stroman in Game 3. Bauer was 12-8 during the regular season, but he had a 4.26 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. 

He also suffered a laceration of his right pinkie while trying to repair a drone, forcing Francona to make Tomlin his Game 2 starter while pushing Bauer back to Game 3.

Sportsnet shared Francona’s thoughts on the situation:

The Blue Jays will send out Stroman, who will have the huge responsibility of trying to hold down the Cleveland attack while hoping the Blue Jays hitters figure out how to get to Bauer.

Stroman was 9-10 with a 4.37 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in the regular season, but he limited the Baltimore Orioles to two runs in six innings on the mound in Toronto’s Wild Card Game victory.

Toronto catcher Russell Martin thinks the Blue Jays’ past postseason success can help them come back from their deficit. The team rebounded from a 2-0 deficit against the Texas Rangers to win the 2015 ALDS and then climbed out of a 2-0 hole to extend the ALCS to six games before bowing out to the World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

“Because we’re a good team,” Martin said, per Scott Mitchell of the Toronto Sun. “Just because somebody gets ahead or whatever, I think, we were down 0-2 against Texas last year, and we ended up finding a way to win.”

Nobody in the Cleveland dugout is taking anything for granted.

“Continue to be ourselves,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said, per Richard Justice of MLB.com. “We got to continue to play the game the right way, respect our opponent. Just because we’re up 2-0 doesn’t mean nothing. We have to respect who’s on the other side, because they can come back just like that.”

The Blue Jays are favored to win Game 3 and cut the series deficit to 2-1, according to Odds Shark. They range from minus-183 (bet $183 to win $100) to minus-200 favorites, while the Indians range from plus-165 to plus-183 underdogs for Monday’s game.   

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Marcus Stroman is about to pitch one of the biggest games of his life for the Toronto Blue Jays.

When he takes the mound Monday at the Rogers Centre against the Cleveland Indians for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, he will be attempting to keep his team in the series and out of a desperation 0-3 hole.

Despite possessing a huge power advantage with Edwin Encarnacion (42 home runs, 127 RBI during the regular season), Josh Donaldson (37 homers, 99 RBI), Troy Tulowitzki (24 home runs) and Jose Bautista (22 home runs), the Blue Jays scored a grand total of one run in the two games played in Cleveland and are down 0-2.

The Blue Jays’ inability to get to Cleveland starters Corey Kluber and Josh Tomlin in the first two games caused huge problems. The Indians were able to build small but significant leads at 2-0 and 2-1, and that enabled Cleveland manager Terry Francona to turn the game over to his scintillating bullpen. The Toronto Star‘s Richard Griffin (via his colleague Brendan Kennedy) elaborated on the dominance of Cleveland’s bullpen:

That’s something Toronto manager John Gibbons does not want to see. The Cleveland bullpen, led by the redoubtable 6’7″ left-hander Andrew Miller, may be the single most intimidating weapon of the postseason.

The Cleveland bullpen will almost certainly have an opportunity in Game 3 Monday night, but the Blue Jays need to find a way to get to starting pitcher Trevor Bauer before the bullpen gets called into action.

Encarnacion and Donaldson should be able to hammer the ball off of Bauer. The Cleveland starting pitcher was 12-8 during the regular season but posted an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.311.

The Blue Jays should be able to find a way to get to him and get their booming bats going. They ripped through a strong Texas Rangers pitching staff by scoring 22 runs in three games, but the Indians’ pitching staff simply hasn’t allowed the Blue Jays to gain any traction.

Nevertheless, Donaldson says the Blue Jays believe they have the ability to turn things around. 

“Everyone in this room is confident,” Donaldson told Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com. “We get to play three at home. We feel good at home. We feel good in playing in front of our fans. They have had two to play in front of their fans.”

They should feel confident that they can get to Bauer, who was pushed back from a Game 2 start after cutting the pinkie finger on his right hand while trying to repair a drone, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick:

However, once the game gets turned over to Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen, the Blue Jays need to have the lead or they will be playing with fire.

Miller has thrown 3.2 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays in Games 1 and 2, and there is no reason to think Francona will lessen his workload in Toronto. Allen closed out each of the first two games, while Shaw, who appeared in 75 games in the regular season, has been a workhorse for the Indians.

Keys for Cleveland

The Indians must get another strong pitching effort from their starter. Francona can’t expect Bauer to come through with a Kluber-like effort, but if he can provide five solid innings and the Indians are within a run, they should have an excellent chance of tying the game or going ahead in the late innings. If he can leave with the lead, the Tribe will likely secure a 3-0 series advantage.

Carlos Santana hit a home run in Game 2, and that’s not a surprise, considering he hit 34 home runs during the regular season. Mike Napoli also hit 34 bombs during the regular season, and the Indians would like to see him come through with a long ball or two in Toronto.

Of course, the Indians need superior relief pitching from their bullpen stars. As good as Miller is, he can’t have any lapses. Allen will likely be asked to close out the game if the Tribe has the lead. He needs to remain consistent against a powerful lineup.

Keys for Toronto

The Blue Jays need to jump out to an early lead and then keep adding to it. The best thing they can do for themselves and their fans is get runs in the first inning. They need to dictate the pace of the game by hitting the ball hard from the start against Bauer, who is not an ace.

They must also run the bases well—take the extra base when it is available, but don’t force the issue. Cleveland is a strong defensive team and would be happy to take advantage of reckless baserunning.

Finally, Stroman needs to do a solid job. He pitched six innings and gave up two runs in the Wild Card Game victory over the Baltimore Orioles. A similar or better effort will be needed here.

Stats are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Cleveland Indians drew first blood in the American League Championship Series, and now it’s time for the Toronto Blue Jays to see if they can answer back.

That will not be an easy task, because the Indians continued their shutdown pitching as they defeated the Blue Jays 2-0 in the first game of the ALCS at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Strangely, it was Toronto pitcher Marco Estrada who threw the complete game for his team in a losing effort. While Estrada was sharp, he gave up a two-run homer to Francisco Lindor in the sixth inning, and that was the only hit that produced runs in the series opener.

Estrada became the only Toronto pitcher to throw a complete game this season.

The Indians figured to have an excellent chance to win Game 1 at home with ace Corey Kluber on the mound. He had his good stuff working, but it was more of his ability to work out of trouble that got the job done for 6.1 innings.

Kluber made his best pitches with runners on, and he kept Toronto’s big bats from getting clutch hits. Manager Terry Francona then brought in bullpen ace with one out in the seventh inning, and Andrew Miller pummeled the Blue Jays throughout the rest of the seventh and eighth. Cody Allen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and allowed the Indians to secure the win.

In many ways, Game 1 was a must-win game for the Indians because they had their ace on the mound. They will have a much more difficult time in Game 2 Saturday with Josh Tomlin on the mound against J.A. Happ.

On the surface, the Blue Jays have the advantage. Happ was 20-4 with a 3.18 earned-run average and 1.169 WHIP, and he has the ability to shut down good teams.

Tomlin is not a hard thrower, and the Blue Jays hitters should feel confident that they can get good swings against him.

Tomlin was 13-9 with a 4.40 ERA this season and gave up 187 hits in 174.0 innings. More importantly, he gave up 36 homers this season, and that’s the most of any pitcher on the Cleveland staff by a wide margin.

However, Tomlin is not a pushover. He pitched the clinching game Monday night in the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox, limiting his opponents to four hits in five innings.

The Blue Jays are -125 favorites (bet $100 to win $80) to win Game 2, according to Odds Shark. The Indians are +115 underdogs in Game 2 at Progressive Field.

When it comes to the World Series, the Chicago Cubs are solid favorites among the four remaining teams. The Cubs are +140 favorites to win their first World Series title since 1908. The Blue Jays are the second choice at +250, while the Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers are both +450.

Predictions

The Indians may have gotten the jump on the Blue Jays, but it’s difficult to see them winning this seven-game series. They have the advantage when Kluber pitches, but the rest of their starting staff looks vulnerable. Look for the Blue Jays to turn the series around starting Saturday night. They will win Game 2 with Happ on the mound and take the series in six games.

The Cubs are the strongest team left in the postseason, and they are set up well to beat the exhausted Dodgers in the first two games of the series at Wrigley Field. Cubs manager Joe Maddon will send Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA, 197 strikeouts and 1.016 WHIP) and Kyle Hendricks (16-8, 2.13 ERA, 0.979 WHIP) to the mound in the first two games, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA, 1.139 WHIP) will start the series opener.

The Dodgers showed plenty of heart in beating the Washington Nationals in five games, and they are likely to fight the Cubs to the limit in each game. However, the Cubs will earn the National League pennant by a 4-1 margin.

The Cubs get to their first World Series since 1945, and their 108-year drought and worldwide following will make them heavy sentimental favorites.

However, the Blue Jays have the depth, power and talent to extend this series to seven games, and by the time it’s over, the Cubs, Maddon and their fans will be left thinking about what might have been. 

Toronto will win the World Series in seven memorable games.

Advanced stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

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The Toronto Blue Jays made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season after an inconsistent month of September, but they are playing in the American League Championship Series after sweeping the favored Texas Rangers in the division series.

The Cleveland Indians limped into the playoffs with an injured pitching staff after winning the AL Central and then swept the hard-hitting Boston Red Sox. 

Now these two teams will battle in a best-of-seven series to represent the American League in the World Series. The Indians will have the advantage of playing the decisive game at Progressive Field if the series goes seven games.

The Blue Jays appear to have the more powerful offense. They feature Edwin Encarnacion (42 HR, 127 RBI), Josh Donaldson (37 HR, 99 RBI), Troy Tulowitzki (24  HR, 79 RBI) and Jose Bautista (22 HR, 69 RBI in 116 games), and their presence allows Toronto to string long hits and runs together.

The Indians have a pair of big-time sluggers in Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana, who both hammered 34 homers this season.

It’s not going to be easy for the Cleveland pitching staff to keep those big bats in check, but there is no panic among Terry Francona‘s hurlers. Corey Kluber is capable of shutting down the best lineups, and the numbers prove his excellence.

Kluber went 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.056 WHIP. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin started and pitched well in the division series, but the strength of the pitching staff is in the bullpen. Andrew Miller is Cleveland’s dominant reliever, and Francona uses him in a creative manner. Miller can pitch at any point from the fifth inning on and throw 40 pitches effectively.

Miller was remarkable after being acquired from the Yankees. In 29 innings with the Indians, he had a 1.55 ERA, gave up 14 hits and had an otherworldly 0.552 WHIP.

Since closer Cody Allen is so effective (32 saves, 1.000 WHIP), Francona does not have to employ Miller in the ninth inning. That may be the key to Cleveland’s success in this series or beyond if the Indians make it to the World Series.

The Blue Jays have excellent starting pitching as well. Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ are capable of going deep into games while giving up a minimal number of runs.

The Blue Jays are slight favorites to defeat the Indians in the ALCS. According to Odds Shark, the Blue Jays range from minus-115 to minus-150 to win the series, while the Indians range from even to plus-142.

Prediction

The Blue Jays are the more explosive team and probably have more talent from top to bottom. However, the Indians are a competitive bunch that welcomes any challenge. They will not be cowed by facing the Toronto sluggers, just as they were not fearful about facing David Ortiz and the Red Sox in the first round.

The Indians have big edges in the bullpen and on the bench. Francona should be able to manage circles around spit-and-vinegar John Gibbons. Francona is the better psychologist and strategist, and that should pay off when the games are late and close.

Look for the Indians to take the series in six games and represent the American League in the World Series.

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