The Game: Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians, ALDS Game 2
The Time: 4:30 PM EDT
The Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
The Channel: TBS
The Starters: David Price (Red Sox) vs. Corey Kluber (Indians)
The Upshot:
Being up 1-0 is great, but the manner in which the Indians went up 1-0 -- relying heavily on ace reliever Andrew Miller -- puts added pressure on Tribe starter Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA). Though getting the Game 2 start instead of the Game 1 start, Kluber is the Indians’ ace, however, and averages 6.7 innings a start. Terry Francona will want to get at least seven innings out of him today, one figures. Favoring that approach: Kluber is on 10 days’ rest. Working against it: all that extra rest came because Kluber strained his quad.
For Boston it’s David Price (17-9, 3.99). Price has 14 career starts against the Indians in which he is 10-2 with a 2.24 ERA. Most of those starts came against much poorer Indians teams, however, and none of it came in the playoffs, where Price has never found much success. This year Price and Kluber went head-to-head on Opening Day. There Price pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks. Kluber was knocked around a good bit. Kluber faced Boston again on May 20 and put up the same two runs on six innings Price did in the earlier matchup.
Homers will be the order of the day, one assumes. Each club hit three yesterday. Kluber allowed 22 on the season which is fairly respectable. Price, however, allowed a career high 30 dingers in 2016.