Donaldson, Toronto on brink of elimination
In a close-out situation, Cleveland manager Terry Francona wants to leave as little to chance as possible. Which is why Corey Kluber, on short rest and all, will get the ball in Game 4 of the ALCS.
The Indians and Blue Jays meet again this afternoon, with a 4:08 p.m. ET first pitch at Rogers Centre. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives John Gibbons’ gang odds of -120 to extend their season. The visitors, on the other hand, represent +115 underdogs.
Cleveland’s on the cusp of reaching its first World Series in 19 years thanks to last night’s 4-2 win in the Great White North. With starter Trevor Bauer exiting after two-thirds of an inning, Francona leaned on six relievers to record the final 25 outs of the contest. Mike Napoli and Jason Kipnis added homers, putting Toronto in an 0-3 hole.
Can the host squad shake off a prolonged offensive drought in time to handle Kluber? The ace owns a 1-3 record with a 5.34 ERA in five career regular-season appearances against the Blue Jays. On Friday, though, he limited them to six hits, two walks and two runs while fanning six over 6 1/3 innings.
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Meanwhile, Gibbons tabs Aaron Sanchez for the mound assignment. In the third tilt of the ALDS, Texas reached the righty for six runs in 5 2/3 frames. It was a start contrast from his 2015 playoff resume, which featured nine scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.
Frankly, Toronto’s big boppers continue to look absolutely gassed. If Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki haven’t launched a moonshot by now, they’re unlikely to tee off on Kluber here. Ride with the Tribe to punch that long-awaited ticket to the Fall Classic.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: INDIANS +1.5