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Indians get ready for playoffs, White Sox to go home (Oct 01, 2017)
CLEVELAND -- After winning 101 of their first 161 games, the Cleveland Indians will play their 162nd game with nothing on the line. They've won the American League Central and they've clinched the home field advantage throughout the American League portion of the postseason.
On Sunday, the Indians will host the Chicago White Sox in the regular-season finale for both teams. The White Sox will use the game to continue to evaluate their young players for a rebuild that began this year.
The Indians will use Sunday's game as a final tuneup for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Thursday at Progressive Field between the Indians and the winner of the AL wild-card game between Minnesota and the New York Yankees.
Cleveland clinched the best record in the AL by virtue of Houston's loss to Boston on Saturday night.
"Obviously (winning the home-field advantage) means we had a good season," Indians right-hander Corey Kluber said. "If we're able to win our first series, we'd rather have four games at home than three. The fans are as excited as we are. Everybody's looking forward to getting started on Thursday."
Indians manager Terry Francona may use Sunday's game to get another at bat or two for outfielder Michael Brantley, who appeared in a game Saturday night for the first time in nearly two months.
Brantley, who had been on the disabled list since Aug. 9 with a sprained right ankle, was activated off the DL and singled in a pinch-hitting appearance in the fifth inning.
No decision has been made yet whether Brantley will be on the Indians' postseason roster.
"He's trying so hard to be a part of what we're doing," Francona said. "We appreciate what he's trying to do, but he's got a whole career ahead of him."
White Sox manager Rick Renteria is thinking more about next year than this year. He's looking for pieces that can help his team going forward, such as pitcher Carson Fulmer, who pitched five innings and got the win on Saturday night.
"His last three or four starts he has impressed everyone, and has shown signs that he can compete at the major league level next year," Renteria said.
Josh Tomlin, who has been a member of the Indians longer than anyone on the roster, will start the final regular-season game Sunday. Tomlin, a 19th-round pick by the Indians in the 2006 June Draft, made his Indians debut in 2010.
In 25 starts this year, he is 9-9 with a 5.11 ERA. Three of those starts have come against the White Sox. Tomin is 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in those three games.
His last start against Chicago came July 30, a 3-1 Indians loss in which Tomlin did not get the decision. In that game, he pitched four scoreless and hitless innings, with five strikeouts and no walks, before leaving with a left hamstring strain. In 13 career appearances against the White Sox, Tomlin is 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA.
The White Sox starter will be right-hander Chris Volstad.
Volstad spent most of the 2017 season at Triple-A Charlotte, where in 27 appearances (18 starts) he was 3-10 with a 5.57 ERA. In five appearances (one start) with the White Sox, he is 1-1 with a 4.73 ERA. This will be his first career appearance against the Indians.
