Bewerbungen » iriano will be eligible to pitch Saturday after reco

TORONTO -- Before the Cleveland Indians could even consider giving the ball to Andrew Miller, their bullpen faced a daunting task in the very first inning.After Trevor Bauers bloody exit , these remarkable relievers had to stitch together almost an entire game against the Toronto Blue Jays.Four outs apiece for Dan Otero and Jeff Manship. Three for Zach McAllister. Five each for winner Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen.After all that, Cleveland finally turned to Miller, who was overpowering again in closing out a 4-2 victory that moved the Indians within one win of their first pennant since 1997.If anybody has a hiccup, we probably lose, manager Terry Francona said Monday night after his team took a 3-0 lead in the AL Championship Series. They all made pitches against some really good hitters.Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli homered for the Indians, unbeaten in six playoff games this year. They can complete their second consecutive series sweep on Tuesday.In the bullpens most impressive feat yet this October, six relievers combined for 25 outs and 128 pitches while limiting Toronto to two runs and seven hits. Miller got four outs for the save.The bullpen was unbelievable, Bauer said. Co-MVP to everybody.Indians ace Corey Kluber is scheduled to start Game 4 on short rest after Bauers drone-related finger injury created more upheaval in a rotation thats been short-handed all postseason. Bauer faced four batters before getting pulled when his stitched-up right pinkie began dripping blood.Enter those stingy relievers, who pitched the Indians to a Division Series sweep over Boston and have them on the verge of another. Cleveland is one win from its sixth World Series appearance.The hard-hitting Blue Jays have mustered only three runs in the series and have never led.We felt like we had an opportunity with some of their lower-leverage guys coming out of the bullpen, but theyve got good arms, Toronto outfielder Kevin Pillar said. It makes it tough when youre facing a different guy every inning, every at-bat.Kipnis led off the sixth with a home run to right-center field for a 3-2 edge, and Jose Ramirez added an RBI single. Suddenly, the Indians were just a few outs from being able to turn the game over to Allen and Miller.They appeared in that order, yet another instance in which Francona maneuvered his bullpen unencumbered by rigid roles.It was all hands on deck, Miller said.Allen, who usually closes, entered in the seventh with a runner on and nobody out. A two-out walk to Jose Bautista put the potential tying run on, but Josh Donaldsons liner to left field stayed up long enough for Coco Crisp to make a sliding catch .Miller fanned three of five batters, giving him 20 strikeouts in nine playoff innings this year. The lanky left-hander has allowed five hits over 17 1/3 scoreless innings in his postseason career.Tito did a masterful job running that bullpen today, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. They shut us down.Cleveland has won nine straight dating to the regular season.Napoli entered 2 for 18 this postseason and in an 0-for-25 slump against right-handers dating to the regular season. He opened the scoring with an RBI double off righty Marcus Stroman in the first -- Napolis long fly popped out of Bautistas glove before both the ball and Bautista bounced off the right-field wall.Bauer made it through only 21 pitches. Hed been pushed back two days to Game 3 after cutting his finger last week repairing one of the drones he enjoys flying as a hobby. He received 10 stitches and tried to pitch, but couldnt make it far without blood dripping from his hand.Trevor got a little leak, Kipnis said. A couple of us had seen the wound kind of inside and knew it was a possibility of happening. He can deal with the pain, but its getting something like that to close up. Its hard to do in a short amount of time.Its yet another injury problem for a Cleveland team that couldnt include ailing starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar on its ALCS roster.Even with the Indians up 3-0, their rotation for the rest of this series isnt a sure thing. Kluber is set to come back for Game 4 (and presumably a potential Game 7) on short rest, and lightly used rookie Ryan Merritt is lined up for Game 5.Michael Saunders homered early for Toronto. Ezequiel Carrera tripled leading off the fifth and scored on Ryan Goins grounder to tie it 2-all.Kipnis answered with a home run, his first hit of the series.Stroman took the loss after allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings.Weve still got one more to get there, and its going to be tough, Kipnis said. We know these guys. Just kind of like the Boston series -- we dont want to wait around for them to figure it out. We want to get to them now.BLOOD WORKFrancona was Curt Schillings manager with Boston during the famous bloody-sock game against the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.TRAINERS ROOMFrancona said Salazar (forearm) was progressing well after throwing to hitters Sunday night.MILLER TIMEMiller has struck out 20 of 33 batters in these playoffs and 30 of 60 in his postseason career.EXTRA EFFORTCleveland relievers have pitched at least 7 1/3 innings five times since Aug. 18, with the Indians winning four of those games.UP NEXTKluber has never started on three days rest in his major league career, but Francona said before Mondays game that was the plan for Game 4 if Bauer had problems with his finger. Toronto will start AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez, who allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings against Texas in Game 3 of the ALDS.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Adidas Victor Rask Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Adidas Teuvo Teravainen Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. http://www.cheaphurricanesjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-justin-williams-jersey .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Jeff Skinner Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Sebastian Aho Jersey . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. CLEVELAND -- When the ball disappeared over the outfield wall, Francisco Lindor raised his right fist and took off.Smiling with every stride, Clevelands superstar-in-the-making shortstop sprinted around the bases as if he was being chased.He and the Indians arent slowing down for anything this October.Lindor hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Corey Kluber silenced Torontos booming bats, giving the Indians a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night.Lindor connected on an 0-2 changeup from Marco Estrada and tore around the basepaths as the bend-but-dont-break Indians won their fourth straight playoff game in this most unexpected season.I believe in my team. I believe in what we have, said Lindor, the talented 22-year-old who plays as if he has been part of postseason games for a decade. Were just trying to do our thing.Lindor made good use of the Indians resources before his pivotal at-bat, asking designated hitter Carlos Santana for advice on facing Estrada.[Santana] told me to look for a high pitch and stay through the ball, Lindor told ESPNs Marly Rivera. He told me that when hes had success against [Estrada], it has been looking for those high pitches, and thats what I did against him. I looked for the high pitch and then tried to hit it hard straight through the middle.Santana said he told Lindor: If you see a pitch about your waist, then you take a swing.After the game, Lindor came up to me and gave me a hug and said, Thank you, I did what you told me, and look at the result, Santana told Rivera.Kluber, Clevelands ace, pitched 6 1/3 spotless innings before manager Terry Francona turned things over to the Indians best weapon -- their bullpen. Andrew Miller made the Blue Jays look silly, striking out five of the six batters he faced, and closer Cody Allen earned the save with a perfect ninth as the Indians extended their longest postseason winning streak since 1920.The Blue Jays wasted some early scoring chances -- they had six runners in the first three innings -- against Kluber, and their frustration only grew as the night went on. 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.It wasnt like we faced the average Joe out there, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Kluber. Hes one of the elite pitchers in the game, as is Miller, as is Allen. We got some guys on base early. We couldnt get that big hit.After winning their first ALCS game since 2007, the Indians will try to take a 2-0 lead Saturday with Josh Tomlin facing Torontos 20-game winner, J.A. Happ. Tomlin was originally scheduled to start Game 3 but was moved up when Trevor Bauer sustained an odd injury as he sliced open his right pinkie while repairing a drone.Kluber kept flying in the postseason.The right-hander has not allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings this October, and he kept the Blue Jays inside Progressive Field after they teed off against the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series.Estrada carried a four-hit shutout into the sixth before walking Jason Kipnis with one out. Lindor was in an 0-2 hole before the shortstopp drove his homer over the wall in right-center.ddddddddddddI thought [Kevin] Pillar was going to catch it, Lindor said. As soon as it went out, I put my hands out. I looked at the dugout, and everybody was going insane.Estrada allowed six hits in Torontos first complete game all year but made one costly mistake.I was trying to bounce it, to be honest with you, Estrada said. Good hitters are going to hit it out, and hes a good hitter.Kluber dodged some early trouble and held the Blue Jays, who hit eight home runs and scored 22 times in their ALDS sweep of Texas, to six hits in the first six innings. The Indians needed every out they could get from Kluber, who shut out Boston for seven innings in his postseason debut 10 days after he injured a quadriceps in a start against Detroit.The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner, who will certainly get votes this season after winning 18 games, has been the only dependable starter all season for Cleveland, which lost Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to injuries in September and is now dealing with Bauers mishap.I laughed when I heard, Kipnis said. I dont care, as long as he can pitch for us. Its not as funny if he cant pitch. If he can, [Ill tell him], Youre an idiot, but go get some outs for us now.ODDS AND ENDSKluber became the fifth pitcher to throw at least six scoreless innings in his first two postseason starts. The others were Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson (1905), Joe Niekro (1980-1981), Dave Righetti (1981) and Steve Avery (1991). ... Indians 3B Lonnie Chisenhall went 3-for-3 and owns a franchise-best .529 batting average in five career playoff games. ... Cleveland OF Coco Crisp equaled the LCS record with two sacrifice bunts. ... Torontos only other postseason complete game was by Jack Morris in the opener of the 1992 ALCS.COMEBACK KIDBlue Jays lefty Francisco Liriano will be eligible to pitch Saturday after recovering from a concussion sustained in the ALDS when he was struck in the head by a line drive. Toronto played with a 24-man roster in the opener as Liriano remained in baseballs seven-day concussion protocol. As a result, RHP Marcus Stroman -- Torontos projected starter in Game 3 -- was available in relief for Game 1.TRAINERS ROOMDevon Travis?will have an MRI on Saturday after reinjuring his right knee when covering first base in the fifth. He sat out the final two games of the ALDS with a bone bruise and is worried its worse.It hurts pretty bad, he said. I jarred my knee a little bit. I felt a sharp pain in my knee.UP NEXTBlue Jays: Happ struck out 11 and allowed one run over seven innings in beating the Indians on July 3. He was second in the AL in wins, going 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA. Happ picked up the victory in Game 2 of the ALDS against Texas, allowing one run in five innings.Indians: Tomlin gave up three homers -- to Martin, Melvin Upton Jr. and Encarnacion -- in a loss to the Blue Jays on Aug. 20. Tomlin went 0-5 in August but has bounced back and given up seven earned runs in 31 2/3 innings over his past six appearances.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '