The Cleveland Indians will get Monday off after securing home-field advantage for the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox.
Terry Francona was taking some heat early last week for resting some starters during the Cleveland Indians’ pursuit of home-field advantage, but it paid off. The Indians will host the Boston Red Sox to open the ALDS on Thursday, with the time of the game yet to be announced.
There was the possibility the Indians would have to play today against the Detroit Tigers, but it was not necessary as the Indians would lose the tiebreaker against the Texas Rangers for overall home-field advantage in the AL playoffs, and the Tigers lost two straight against the Atlanta Braves to fall out of Wild Card contention.
While it would be nice to have assured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Francona had to make sure the team didn’t get burnt out before the postseason even began. Even when starting a series on the road, a team just needs to win one of the first two games to swing the advantage back into their favor. But that doesn’t matter if the team is not prepared both physically and mentally for the playoffs.
For now, the Indians have to focus on the series against the Red Sox, which will begin at home. This was secured after a sweep of the Kansas City Royals this past weekend, a set of games that involved the return of Yan Gomes, who did the predictable and hit a home run in his first at-bat back.
Great baseball teams are often able to find ways to take care of the competition at the end of the regular season, and the Indians did just that. They may have been aided by an exhausted Kansas City Royals team, who finished .500 in their season as the World champs, but a sweep to end the season is impressive no matter who the opponent may be.
While we wait until Thursday for some Indians playoff baseball, let’s take a look at the news surrounding the Indians and the rest of the MLB in today’s edition of A.M. Wahoo’s.
Cleveland Indians News:
Three Takeaways from a Series Sweeping Win
A sacrifice fly by Francisco Lindor with one out in the top of the eighth inning brought Carlos Santana plateward to break a 2-2 tie, giving the Cleveland Indians their 94th win of the season, 3-2 over the Kansas City Royals.
Cleveland Indians Claim Home-Field Advantage in the ALDS
The Cleveland Indians could do nothing but watch to find out what their immediate future holds, both in terms of making up last Thursday’s postponed game against the Detroit Tigers and where they will be playing when the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox gets underway on Thursday.
Trevor Bauer Named Number One Starter for ALDS (Let’s Go Tribe)
Late Saturday evening after the Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals, Jordan Bastian posted on twitter that Trevor Bauer is the Cleveland Indians starter for its first playoff game this season.
No 4-Game-Or-More-Skids for Tribe in ’16 (Indians.com)
Indians manager Terry Francona does not spend much time thinking about streaks, let alone entertaining questions about them. He keeps his focus on the only thing that matters, which is the game that is in front of him on any given day.
MLB News:
Pirates May Shop Andrew McCutchen (FanSided)
The small-market Pittsburgh Pirates have managed to climb back into relevancy the past five seasons, largely due to Andrew McCutchen’s presence in their lineup.
Los Angeles Angels: Jered Weaver Looking To Pitch In 2017 (Call to the Pen)
Back in 2011, Los Angeles Angels starter Jered Weaver was an elite pitcher, finishing as the runner-up to Justin Verlander in the American League Cy Young voting. In August of that year, Weaver signed a five-year, $85 million extension with the Angels.
Ventura Announces Departure From White Sox (ESPN.com)
Robin Ventura has decided the success-starved South Siders need a new leader. Ventura announced Sunday that he will not return as the Chicago White Sox manager next season.
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