Kluber throwing hitters for loop with curveball By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:01 AM ET + 5 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Indians ace Corey Kluber retrieved a baseball from his locker and displayed the grip for the best pitch in baseball. There is only a fraction of difference between the positioning for his sinker. The index and middle fingers are together, running along the top of where the seams make a horseshoe. Most of the Commissioner's signature is covered. The grip reveals this is not a traditional curveball. Kluber calls it a curveball. Without hesitation, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway says it is a slider. Different pitch classification systems have filtered the results in both categories. Josh Tomlin, who has a locker next to Kluber, should know, right? "It's a slider, curve and cutter all in one," Tomlin said with a laugh. "I don't know, man. I just know it's nasty." Told of the ongoing confusion over Kluber's confounding pitch, the creator let out an amused laugh from his home in Skowhegan, Maine, a small town west of Bangor with a population of about 9,000. More than a decade ago, Garrett Quinn was the pitching coach for Stetson University, where a young Kluber arrived raw but full of potential. One of their first tasks was to fix the slow, loopy curveball that he used against high school players. Tonight, Kluber will take the mound against the Yankees in the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan (8 p.m. ET on FS1). He will be armed with a devastating curveball that has helped him develop into an AL Cy Young Award winner, ace and leader of the Majors' best rotation. When the pitch leaves Kluber's fingertips, it begins straight. The hitter's brain has a fraction of a second to process the information relayed by their eyes. Is it a cutter, four-seamer, two-seamer or is it that breaking ball? If the batter guesses wrong, there is not enough barrel on the bats that Quinn now produces for a living to catch up with the pitch as it sweeps away from the strike zone. What is Kluber's breaking ball? Kluber: "A curveball." Callaway: "It's a slider." Whatever it is, it's become baseball's best pitch. "He could always spin his curveball really, really well," Quinn said. "It was just a matter of reshaping a breaking ball for him. I used to tell people all the time, 'Let's forget the semantics and the "curveball" and "cutter" and "slider." Let's just call it a "breaking ball" and let's make your breaking ball unique to you, and make it as good as we can.' That's what I wanted to do with him." Quinn laughs again as he recalls the first time Kluber rolled the ball in his hand, found the suggested grip and began testing out the pitch. "He picked it up so fast it wasn't even funny," Quinn said. "It wasn't even out of my mouth yet and he was doing it. There's a genetic aspect to what he does that you can't coach into pitchers." It took time for Kluber to fine-tune the offering into what hitters see now. It also took rearranging the rest of his repertoire to get the most out of his signature curve. In college and during his early days in the Minors, Kluber relied mostly on his four-seam fastball, which has a little natural cut to it. It was not until 2011 that the right-hander began working extensively on a two-seamer to create movement in the opposite direction. Once that became a regular part of his approach, Kluber could continue to hone his cutter and breaking ball to create not only varying degrees of break, but multiple tiers of velocity. “He picked it up so fast it wasn’t even funny.” On the origins of Kluber’s curve Garrett Quinn has been retired from coaching for a little more than a year now. These days, he is running a baseball bat company, selling… bastian.mlblogs.com The pitch with no clear name has become his primary weapon. For this season, Fangraphs has given Kluber's breaking ball a 37.8 pitch rating, which is the highest mark for any pitch in the Majors. Dating to 2014, its 97.9 rating also ranks first, with Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw's slider (77.1) coming in second. According to Statcast™, hitters have hit .105 with a .149 slugging percentage and .119 weighted on-base average against Kluber's breaking ball. The MLB average against sliders and curves combined are .216, .363 and .272, respectively. "When I first started learning it, it probably was smaller. It was probably more of what my cutter is now," Kluber said. "And I think as I've gotten more comfortable with it, I've learned to manipulate it to make it a little bit different from my other pitches. It's just feel for me. I don't try to get too mechanical about it." Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia is scheduled to duel on the mound with Indians hurler Corey Kluber in the deciding Game 5 of the ALDS Callaway said the key to how Kluber can change the shape of his breaking ball -- tightening it up to look more like a cutter or creating a larger sweeping action -- is how the pitcher accelerates his arm speed at the end of his delivery. As Kluber nears the release point, he "rips" down through the ball, as Callaway phrased it. "He can take his curveball and he can backdoor it," Callaway said. "He knows when he's going to bury it every single time. He can rip on it to make it break a little harder. He can change the shape of it, get on top of it, throw it for a strike. He can pretty much manipulate it however he wants to. There's really no limitations on the way he can use it." Quinn was not surprised that Kluber credited his old pitching coach for helping create the pitch. "He's such a humble guy. He's just so down to earth," Quinn said. "It is really cool to kind of watch him, to watch his evolution as a pitcher, and to see what he's able to do with his craft now. It's just really unbelievable. It's just a joy to watch." But, enough's enough. What is the pitch called? "You tell me," Kluber said with a grin. Tito confident EE will be ready for Game 5 By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:00 AM ET + 34 COMMENTS

CLEVELAND -- Edwin Encarnacion headed out to left field at Progressive Field on Tuesday afternoon and went through a series of running drills under the watchful eyes of the Indians' medical staff. Considering how bad Encarnacion's right ankle injury initially looked, the slugger's progress in the past few days seems remarkable. During the Tribe's optional workout, Indians manager Terry Francona indicated that Encarnacion should be ready to return to the lineup tonight against the Yankees for Game 5 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan. Francona added that he is weighing multiple lineup scenarios, but Encarnacion will likely be back as the designated hitter. "He's been hitting off the machine already," Francona said. "He'll do some running, and we'll kind of gauge where he is. I think he'll be OK." Encarnacion's bat was missed in Games 3 and 4, when Cleveland scored a combined three runs in the two losses to the Yankees in New York. In all four games of this ALDS, the Indians' lineup has hit a combined .173 with a .590 OPS, with a .196 average with runners on (51 at-bats). Cleveland's offense has 25 strikeouts in the two losses, and it has struck out in 29.9 percent of its 154 plate appearances. The top of the lineup -- Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez -- has gone cold, batting a collective .143 in 49 at-bats through the first four games. Complicating matters further, Encarnacion's replacement at DH, Michael Brantley, has gone 1-for-11 with four strikeouts. Brantley, who missed most of August and September with a right ankle injury, made the ALDS roster as a pinch-hitter, but he was pressed into duty when Encarnacion was injured early in Game 2 on Friday. With the left-handed CC Sabathia scheduled to start in Game 5, Brantley might return to pinch-hitting duties. "Some of it may depend on who's available," Francona said. "Sabathia's been tough on him historically anyway. We may be better off having him on the bench. I haven't quite worked through that yet. Obviously, a lot of that hinges on Edwin." Encarnacion, who had a walking boot and crutches in New York over the past few days after rolling his right ankle in the first inning of Game 2, also took live swings against lefty Ryan Merritt during Tuesday's workout. Under the win-or-go-home circumstances in Game 5, Cleveland can run the risk of starting Encarnacion at DH, knowing that Brantley can easily take over if the slugger's ankle injury flares up. Yankees manager Joe Girardi knows all too well how Encarnacion's presence can alter the look of a lineup. Before Encarnacion's standout season (38 home runs, 107 RBIs and an .881 OPS) this year with the Indians, the Yanks faced the slugger as part of the Blue Jays' order for the past several seasons. "Obviously, he changes it,' Girardi said on Tuesday. "He's dangerous. We know how dangerous he is. You can look at Edwin, he's probably one of the best RBI guys in our league for the last three or four years. That's who he is. He knows how to drive in runs. He changes the lineup." There are other factors under consideration as Francona mulls his Game 5 lineup, too. Third baseman Giovanny Urshela took a 103-mph liner off the bat of Starlin Castro off his left shin in the second inning of Cleveland's 7-3 loss on Monday night. Francona noted that Urshela was still sore on Tuesday and that he would be monitored over the next 24 hours. If Urshela is unable to play, Cleveland has a few options. Center fielder Kipnis could move back to second base, with Ramirez sliding to third from second. Utility man Erik Gonzalez can also play third. If the Indians wanted to add Yandy Diaz to the roster to play third, the club would need to place Urshela on the disabled list. That move would make Urshela ineligible for the AL Championship Series presented by Camping World, if Cleveland were to advance. "We've got a couple things going," Francona reiterated. "One, we're certainly going to check on Edwin. We also need to check on Gio. He showed up a little more sore [on Tuesday]. That ball kind of attacked him last night. So we'll make a run through the entire group just to make sure we're OK. "I've got about four lineups down there, just because there's a lot of either/ors. We'll figure it out." Castrovince: 5 storylines for ALDS Game 5 By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | @castrovince | 12:00 AM ET + 60 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The plot has thickened in the American League Division Series presented by Doosan, and we go into Game 5 between the Yankees and Indians tonight at Progressive Field eager to know the outcome. One of these teams is going to move on to face the Astros in the American League Championship Series presented by Camping World. Will the Yankees become just the eighth team in 57 tries to storm back from a 2-0 hole and win the best-of-five Division Series, extending the misery of a Tribe team that coughed up the last three games of last year's World Series? Or will the Indians, with the help of the presumed favorite for the AL Cy Young Award, regroup from their Bronx bummer and get back to the ALCS stage? With Corey Kluber set to oppose CC Sabathia in this series' final chapter, here are five key plot points. 1. Will there be an Edwin Encarnacion sighting? It seems amazing to even be having this conversation given how ugly the right ankle injury looked in the moment in Game 2. But Encarnacion was fortunate to come out with only a sprain. He has taken some cuts in the cage, and he was doing some running in the outfield during the Tribe's workout on Tuesday. "I think he'll be OK," Tribe manager Terry Francona said. "During [Game 4], he was moving and hitting around a little bit. I think he'll be OK." The Tribe's lineup could use a boost. Michael Brantley, who worked his way back from an ankle sprain of his own, is 1-for-11 in Encarnacion's stead. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor are a combined 3-for-31 (though Lindor's one hit was a huge one -- the game-changing grand slam in Game 2). Francona is also keeping tabs on a left shin injury Giovanny Urshela sustained in Game 4, which could lead to an infield alteration. 2. Is the Klubot operational? Reporters asked Kluber if he has identified the issue with his Game 2 start. "Mmm hmm," he said. They asked him if he's healthy. "Mmm hmm," he said. They asked again if his only issue was command. "Mmm hmm," he said.

They don't call this guy the Klubot for nothing, folks. And that's why it was so strange to see him surrender six runs on seven hits with two homers over just 2 2/3 innings in Game 2. But one thing we've learned about Kluber in his career is that he's extraordinary at putting these kinds of clunkers on the back burner. He has only had seven starts since 2014 in which he has allowed at least six earned runs, and, in the outings that immediately followed, he has posted a combined 1.68 ERA (10 earned runs over 53 2/3 innings). Said Kluber: "I think it's just identifying when things go wrong and trying to address what you need to do to correct them and then going about using those four days -- or whatever it is -- to address them and try to get things back on track." 3. Can Sabathia stomp on Cleveland's heart? Indians fans watched Sabathia grow from a 20-year-old rookie with inspiring raw stuff in 2001 to a bona fide AL Cy Young winner in '07. But Sabathia is the first to admit that, in his biggest October opportunity with the club in the fall of '07, he put too much pressure on himself. CC simply didn't have his "A" game in the Tribe's seven-game loss in the ALCS. The following year -- his free-agent walk year -- his early-season struggles were a major factor in the slow start that eventually led the Indians to trade him to the Brewers in July. So as great as he was in his prime, Sabathia has a bit of a tortured legacy here. He was terrific in Game 2 of this ALDS, and, if he can come through with another pristine performance in a Yankee clincher, it would be quite the full-circle story. "I've pitched here a lot," Sabathia said. "Played here parts of almost eight years. So I'm very familiar with the city, a lot of the fans. A lot of who I am as an adult, as a male, as an adult man, Cleveland kind of shaped that. Three of my kids were born here. I have a lot of history in the city. So it will be a lot of fun to be able to take the [ball] in Game 5 and hopefully get a win." 4. Will Aaron Judge be the executioner? Judge had a historic rookie season and a huge homer in the AL Wild Card Game win over the Twins. But he had done absolutely nothing at the plate in this series until his two-run double off a Trevor Bauer fastball in Game 4. Generally, the Indians have succeeded against him with a breaking ball-heavy approach, and it has led to a 1-for-15 showing with 12 strikeouts and four walks. So far, Judge's biggest moment in this series came with his glove (robbing Lindor of a home run in Game 3) and not his bat. Can that possibly remain the case? 5. Who will be the skipper scapegoat? Every fall, it's the same. The leaves change colors, the air gets crisper and the pitchforks come out for postseason managers. That's happening all over the Major League landscape this October, but in this series, they could be particularly pointed. After all, while the Yankees have stormed back from a 2-0 deficit after Joe Girardi's famous flub, there would, in the event of a Game 5 loss, still be reason to say the non-challenge of the Lonnie Chisenhall hit-by-pitch in the sixth inning of Game 2 cost the Yanks this series. Girardi got emotional in the wake of Game 4 when talking about how the mood had changed since the aftermath of Game 2. "It's not just caring about myself," Girardi said. "It's caring about everyone else that is involved, and that is wrapped up in the Yankee baseball. You know, whether it's the fans, the front office, the owner, the players, the trainers, the support staff, the coaches, I really care. And, you know, we've gotten it back to 2-2, and we got a shot now." Francona, meanwhile, has obviously earned the benefit of the doubt in his managerial career. But the curious decisions with regard to the pitching alignment (despite a supposed overload of starting options, the Indians used Bauer on short rest in Game 4) are sure to be major talking points in Northeast Ohio if the Indians don't get this done. Francona rallies club before decisive Game 5 By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:06 AM ET + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona is not big on speeches. Over the years, he has learned that rounding up players, getting worked up and delivering a message driven by emotion tends to only make the manager feel better in the end. Francona now tries to pick his spots for such moments. Francona felt an opportunistic time arrived in the immediate wake of Monday night's 7-3 loss to the Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan. Cleveland's hitters got out of their typical approach. The defense lost its usual edge. And with every mistake, the Yankee Stadium crowd intensified and seemingly took the Tribe's relied-upon resiliency out of the equation. Francona said he spoke to his team behind closed doors for less than a minute. He felt that was all the time needed to deliver a simple message. "We've got to move forward," Francona said during Tuesday's workout at Progressive Field. "I just wanted to make sure, as a group, we figure this out together. It wasn't a rah-rah [speech]. It was just, 'Hey, let's remember who we are, how we got there and what we do.' I was glad we did it, because I felt better when we left. "You might as well start heading in the right direction as soon as you can. Not let guys think about it all night and everything like that. I was pleased that we did that." Francona delivered a similar message to his club in June, following a rough two-game series in Colorado that dropped the team's record to 29-28. From that point forward, the Indians went 73-32, set an AL record with a 22-game winning streak and finished the season with 33 wins in 37 games. That strong stretch continued at the outset of the ALDS, with the Indians winning the first two games at home. The past two losses in New York -- Cleveland's first consecutive defeats since Aug. 22-23 -- now have the Indians facing elimination in their quest to return to the World Series. Dating back to last October, the Indians have lost five consecutive games when they have had a chance to close out a series. • Shop for postseason gear Indians ace Corey Kluber, who is slated to start Game 5 tonight, shrugged off that run of losses in close-out contests. "We closed our first two playoff series last year pretty well," Kluber said. "I guess that's the way it is, but I don't think it's weighing on guys. We haven't talked about it at all. I don't necessarily see guys trying too hard or anything like that. We just didn't play well enough to win the last two games." On the other side, the Yankees have already won three games this postseason to avoid elimination. Kluber on win-or-go-home game

Francona chuckled when asked about New York's resiliency. "I haven't spent any time worrying about their resiliency," Francona said. "I hope they don't have it. We knew going in they're very good. We knew that." Francona does know that his own club has shown a knack for fighting through adversity. That was evident in Cleveland's 9-8, 13-inning comeback win in Game 2, and that is what powerered the club's run to the World Series last fall. Maybe it only took 30 seconds, but Francona reminded his players of that on Monday night. "I know the magnitude of these games," Francona said. "I want to do my part. I don't want to overdo it. You always kind of walk that balance. I just wanted to make sure they understood that, 'Hey, as bad as things happened in that game, that has nothing to do with the next game.'" Tribe aiming to rewrite history in Game 5 By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | 12:00 AM ET + 68 COMMENTS When this American League Division Series presented by Doosan progressed from Progressive Field, the math, the momentum, the magic -- all of these things were assembled in obstruction of the Yankees. The Yanks had just given up Game 2 in epic fashion, and an Indians team that had not only completed a classic comeback but had won 35 of its previous 39 baseball games needed only to go to the Big Apple and seal the deal. But with that deal decidedly unsealed, and with the Yankees riding high after their Bronx rebirth, it's impossible to know what to expect out of Game 5 tonight (8 ET, FS1) at Progressive Field. From Corey Kluber trying to avenge a rare misstep to CC Sabathia trying to eliminate his old club at the tail end of his Yankee contract to Edwin Encarnacion trying to boost the Tribe bats so soon after an awful ankle injury, there's intrigue all over the place. That's what we love about it. "We have a really exciting game that's in front of us," Indians manager Terry Francona said. Kluber, a presumed AL Cy Young Award favorite in his prime, vs. Sabathia, a former AL Cy Young Award winner in his back pages, might look like a mismatch. But isn't that what we thought going into Game 2, before Kluber got clobbered and Sabathia stepped up with 5 1/3 effective innings against his old squad? "It will be a great matchup," Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner said. "I feel great about our chances with CC on the mound. Every time he goes out, he's a big-game pitcher and always has been." You might not be surprised to hear the Indians feel much the same about Kluber, who, notably, will be making this start on regular rest, as opposed to the extra rest he rode into his Game 2 clunker. "What we've come to expect out of Corey is excellence," right fielder Jay Bruce said. "I think he expects it out of himself. The other day, baseball happened. He didn't throw eight shutout [innings] and strike out everyone like he usually does. But he'll be ready to go, and I couldn't ask for a better guy to be out on the mound." Without giving specifics, Kluber said he's identified an issue that caused command problems in Game 2, and he's been mentally prepping for Game 5 all along. "You don't want to be kind of caught with your pants down," he said. It might seem that returning home, where they'll be wearing white pants, is advantage enough for the Indians. But did you know that home teams are just 13-17 in all Game 5 scenarios in the Division Series, including just a 6-14 mark over the past 15 seasons (including the Nationals losing to the Dodgers last year)? And returning home certainly didn't do the Tribe any favors when it surrendered a 3-1 advantage in last year's World Series against the Cubs. So hey, you might look at it the other way and assume the Yankees will ride their good vibes from Games 3 and 4 right on into the AL Championship Series presented by Camping World against the Astros. But we have pretty recent evidence to suggest "vibes" are not exactly an accurate indicator of anything. In other words, take everything you might assume about this game and toss it into Lake Erie. In a winner-take-all situation, especially, anything goes. The Indians avoided using Andrew Miller in Game 4 and likewise the Yankees with Aroldis Chapman. It's all hands on deck as both clubs try to get to the ALCS. The Indians, clearly, need to get their lineup going. With Encarnacion unavailable for Games 3 and 4 because of a sprained ankle sustained in Game 2, the short bench and the lack of big hits from a banged-up roster in which team MVP Jose Ramirez has struggled and Lonnie Chisenhall (calf) and Michael Brantley (ankle) still aren't completely back to 100 percent has caught up to the club. Encarnacion did some running and took at-bats in a simulated game during Tuesday's workout. "I think he'll be OK," Francona said. The pressure is on a Tribe team that was the class of the AL this year and has spent all season awaiting its shot at redemption in the World Series. The Yankees, on the other hand, were unexpected entrants into October (relative to preseason prognostications, anyway) and seem to have been enlivened by the experience of fighting for their postseason lives in the AL Wild Card Game against the Twins, and when faced with 2-0 and 2-1 deficits in this ALDS. "We know we're facing a great pitcher," Yanks manager Joe Girardi said. "But there's a lot of confidence in that room, and they pick each other up, and they grind out at-bats, and pitchers pick each other up and make big pitches." The biggest pitches of this ALDS await. Strike all assumptions about this series. All that matters is what's ahead. Rested ace Kluber gets call for decisive G5 By Jason Beck / MLB.com | @beckjason | October 10th, 2017 + 11 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The chants started in the eighth inning on Monday night as Yankees fans felt their 7-3 victory over the Indians in Game 4 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan was in hand. By game's end, they echoed around Yankee Stadium.

"We want Klu-ber! We want Klu-ber!" Corey Kluber, in turn, would like another chance at the Yanks. He has had plenty of time to mull it over. "It's just identifying when things go wrong," Kluber said, "and trying to address what you need to do to correct them." With a Game 5 tonight in Cleveland to decide the ALDS, everybody gets their wish at Progressive Field. This is why Indians manager Terry Francona started Kluber in Game 2, to have him not only available for Game 5, but fresh on his normal routine. But to Kluber, it's about more than that. He has had a few days to figure out what went awry last Friday, when the Yankees roughed him up for six runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. Five of the runs came on homers from Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks. Statistically, it was Kluber's worst start of the season. Stuff-wise, it was a mixed bag. The Indians rallied to win in 13 innings, but Kluber clearly wasn't happy afterwards. Asked on Tuesday what he needs to correct, Kluber was blunt. • Shop for postseason gear "Everything," Kluber said. "I didn't pitch well, didn't have good command, didn't throw the ball where I wanted to. So that's kind of what it boils down to." Kluber's velocity was fine. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.5 mph in Game 2, according to Statcast™, compared to 92.7 mph during the regular season. His sinker was a bit livelier at 93 mph compared to 92.6 mph, but his spin rate was up. His curveball was harder -- 85.7 mph last Friday compared to 84.4 mph in-season. Where Kluber struggled was with his command. He threw 50.8 percent of his pitches in the strike zone during the regular season but just 43.4 percent in Game 2. Worse for him, the strikes he threw wandered into more hittable areas. According to heat maps, his sinker was higher in Game 2 compared to the regular season, and his curveball -- despite drawing seven swinging strikes -- was more toward the middle of the zone than on the inside corner to left-handed hitters. His cutter location was widely inconsistent. Heat map for Kluber's cutter in the regular season (left) compared to Game 2 The Yankees happily took advantage, smacking four balls with exit velocities of 101 mph or harder. If they can do so again, they'll head to the ALCS presented by Camping World and send the Indians home. "It definitely gives us some confidence going in," Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We've got a good idea of the stuff that he has, and he's a great pitcher, maybe a Cy Young winner. I know it'll be a tough battle, but we've got a great group of guys to go up against him and give him some tough at-bats." Kluber's Game 2 outing came on five days' rest, but his numbers on regular four days' rest show he's a creature of habit. He went 11-3 with a 1.67 ERA this season on his standard rest, allowing just 70 hits over 124 innings with 16 walks and 159 strikeouts. Kluber's numbers on extra rest are solid, with a 7-1 record and a 3.16 ERA, but it clearly doesn't compare. Still, Kluber downplayed the importance. "Throughout the course of the year, there's numerous times where you're not on your regular five days," Kluber said. "I mean, the beginning of the season, everything's jumbled up with all the off-days, things get moved around. At the All-Star break, the roster expanded in September, things can get moved around. There's numerous times where you're not always on that five days, so we're used to not being on our normal routine. "We do it enough to where we have ways to try to get ourselves to where we want to be that day we pitch, and I don't think that had anything to do with the last time I pitched. Like I said, I just didn't pitch well, and I look to correct it tomorrow." Nevertheless, when Francona saw a chance to line up Kluber for his standard rest and still have him start a potential Game 5, he took it. "He just feels more comfortable when he gets comfortable, like in his routine, in his delivery," Francona said. Kluber insists he has a lot left. With Cleveland's postseason hopes on the line, he hopes to deliver it. "Everything's still right there for us," Kluber said. Santana is Tribe's best bet to get to Sabathia By Mike Petriello / MLB.com | @mike_petriello | 12:00 AM ET + 1 COMMENT The Indians head into tonight's decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan in something of a mini-slump, having watched their 2-0 series lead turn into a 2-2 tie, and a lot of that is because an offense that was so strong in the first two games (13 runs on 14 hits) has gone quiet over the last two (three runs on nine hits). You can credit strong Yankees pitching from arms like Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka, surely. You can point to the right ankle sprain that prevented the dangerous Edwin Encarnacion from appearing in Games 3 and 4, certainly. But if the Indians are going to turn this around and emerge with a 3-2 series win as opposed to being the team that blew a 2-0 lead, they're going to need a bat to step up against CC Sabathia and the Yankees. So: Who is it going to be? It says here that if anyone is going to step up, it's going to be Carlos Santana. It has to be. It's not, to be clear, simply because Santana has the best career numbers against Sabathia of anyone in the Cleveland lineup, although it's true that he does. In 24 plate appearances against Sabathia, Santana has hit a scorching .524/.583/.714, though that comes with some serious caveats. For one thing, 24 plate appearances across seven seasons is hardly a reliable sample. For another, the ones back in 2011 came when Santana was in his first full season and Sabathia was still throwing 95 mph and finishing high in the AL Cy Young Award voting. In the same way that we don't worry that much that Encarnacion went 0-for-3 against Sabathia in June 2007, when Sabathia was Cleveland's ace and Encarnacion was Cincinnati's third baseman, we're not worried about long-ago outcomes, where an "out" can as easily be a weak grounder as it can be a scorched liner saved by excellent defense. We're more interested in skill, and preferably recent displays of it. • Shop for postseason gear

For that, we turn to Statcast™, which allows us to look at quality of contact, which combined with amount of contact (and walks) gets us a little closer to talking about how well a hitter can square up a pitcher. It's not perfect; we're still not talking about a ton of data here. But it gets us past outcome-based evaluations and into process-based trends, and since it goes back only to 2015, we are, for the moment, free of worrying about what happened many years ago. That's what we're trying to get at, isn't it -- which Indian is best positioned to make strong contact against Sabathia? Based on what limited data we've seen over the last three years, it's Santana. We can show that with Expected wOBA, which takes exit velocity and launch angle, along with real-world strikeouts and walks, to see how valuable a hitter's plate appearances have been. (wOBA is just like on-base percentage, except it gives increasing credit for extra-base hits rather than treating all times on base equally.) Since 2015, Carlos Santana has shown the best quality of contact against CC Sabathia of any Cleveland hitter. As you can see, most of these players have seen Sabathia just a handful of times, which is always the issue with this type of analysis. So, where do those numbers come from? Let's take you back to the AL Wild Card Game for a second, where if you were to look at the box score, you would have seen that Todd Frazier flied out to center in the second inning. That's an out. Of course, it was much more than that; Frazier hit it 103.6 mph and a projected 401 feet, and the only reason it was an out is because Byron Buxton is fantastic. Frazier was out, but we still give him credit for the 89 percent hit probability, because he showed the skill in hitting Ervin Santana that hard. That skill, that ability to square up a ball, is what's working for Santana here. He has whiffed only once against Sabathia, but he has hit four balls at more than 100 mph of exit velocity. He has put enough contact on the ball to send one 430 feet away at 107.4 mph, as he did in 2015: Santana made enough contact to drive in two, with a 93 percent hit probability, in Game 2 of the ALDS: And Santana showed enough patience to draw more walks than whiffs against Sabathia over the last three years, too. The point is not to guarantee that Santana is going to be the Indians' batter who does damage against Sabathia, because baseball doesn't work that way; nothing is fully predictive. He could crush baseballs right into waiting gloves. He could get fooled by a new Sabathia trick. He'll certainly face pitchers other than Sabathia, too. But if there's anyone who's going to help Cleveland strike early, Santana seems the best bet. He has long been one of the Indians' best hitters in all situations, and he's almost certainly the club's strongest option against Sabathia in this one. The data, after all, tells a positive tale. Tribe's postseason fate lies with Kluber, Tito By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:17 AM ET + 20 COMMENTS NEW YORK -- Trevor Bauer stood on a small portable platform in the middle of the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, making it easier for the large pack of reporters to circle him Monday night. As Bauer answered questions, Indians ace Corey Kluber sat unbothered at his locker, lacing up his dress shoes for the trip back to Cleveland. Kluber and his teammates had hoped to be uncorking champagne bottles in that clubhouse, but a 7-3 loss to the Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan delayed any celebration. If Cleveland is going to clinch and move on to the AL Championship Series presented by Camping World, it will be back home at Progressive Field, and it will be with Kluber on the mound, just as manager Terry Francona planned. "It's hard to imagine giving it to somebody better," Francona said. Francona was hit with some criticism before the ALDS began when it was announced that Bauer, not Kluber, would start Game 1 of this best-of-five series against the Yanks. Kluber started Game 2, and the manager had his well-thought-out reasons. If a Game 4 was necessary, Bauer was the best-equipped starter to bounce back on short rest. Then, if a Game 5 scenario arose, the Tribe would have its ace and AL Cy Young Award favorite going on normal rest. As the Indians now prepare for Game 5, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET tonight in Cleveland, there is an additional storyline that was unexpected. In his Game 2 start against New York on Friday, Kluber struggled mightily with his command and allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings. The Tribe is counting on that being a one-outing outlier and not a sign that the right-hander's incredible run has hit an ill-timed snag. Kluber said he has spent the past several days poring over video and studying how the Yankees' hitters approached him in that game in Cleveland. Asked if he identified an issue in need of addressing, Kluber cracked a slight smirk. "Mm hmm," Kluber replied. The ace had no words to offer on that topic. That, of course, was true to Kluber's character. The pitcher is a man of few words, but of intense preparation. His mannerisms both on the mound and behind the scenes are robotic. With Kluber leading the way, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway has said his staff has become one of the best in baseball at keeping their emotions in check. Outfielder Jason Kipnis, who has known Kluber for several years, laughed when asked what the pitcher is like to be around before big games. "Same way he is on small games and the same way he's going to lunch," Kipnis quipped. "Stoic. Monotonous. Very routine-oriented. You know what? He'll be the first to tell you. I don't think he's going to go into this start looking to change everything he's done just because they got to him the first game. • Shop for Indians postseason gear "What he does works. I think he's just going to be sharper. I think he's going to have a game plan. He's going to adjust accordingly. I think he's going to be ready." That was the whole idea. During the season, when Kluber went 18-4 with a Major League-best 2.25 ERA, he turned in a 1.67 ERA in the 17 starts he made on a normal five-day schedule. Kluber told Francona he did not care when he was scheduled to pitch in this ALDS -- he even said he was willing to come out of the bullpen, if necessary -- but the righty's comfort with that routine played a role in how the rotation was aligned. Kluber on struggles vs. Yankees

Kluber on struggles vs. Yankees Indians starter Corey Kluber talks about his short outing against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS In Game 3 in New York on Sunday night, Carlos Carrasco was brilliant on the mound, but Cleveland dropped a 1-0 decision. During Game 4, Bauer felt as strong as he did in his stellar Game 1 showing, but a handful of miscues by the Tribe's defense led to a heightened pitch count and an early exit. So here the Indians are, facing the Game 5 scenario that they planned for so many days ago. "We tried to set up for a five-game series with plans and contingency plans," Francona said. "There's been a lot of things that happened, and we go to Game 5. We're at home, and we have Kluber. We're looking forward to it. Kluber is prepared for the assignment. "Regardless of whether it's ideal or not, it is what it is," Kluber said. "It's kind of the cards that you're dealt. But things shook out this way, so we'll go out there and try everything we can to win the ballgame." DYK: Division Series Game 5 history By Andrew Simon / MLB.com | October 9th, 2017 + 4 COMMENTS The Yankees returned home on the brink of elimination. Now they head back to Cleveland for a winner-take-all showdown. New York's 7-3 victory on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, in Game 4 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan, sets up Game 5 tonight at Progressive Field (8 p.m. ET on FS1), with a ticket to the AL Championship Series presented by Camping World against Houston on the line. It also brings this series to a relatively rare place. Entering 2017, just seven of 56 teams to fall behind 2-0 in any Division Series had come back to win, including four of 40 in the current 2-2-1 format. But even forcing a Game 5 in that situation is an admirable feat. Out of those previous 56 Division Series to go 2-0, there had been only 12 in which the other team roared back to win the next two. History doesn't strongly favor either side in that scenario, with the Games 3-4 winners posting a record of 7-5 in Game 5. Home teams, meanwhile, have gone 6-6 (and 13-17 in all Division Series Game 5s). Here is a quick look at what happened in each of those back-and-forth Division Series (listed with Game 5 score): * Series had 2-3 format 2015 ALDS: Blue Jays 6, Rangers 3 Toronto won three straight after dropping the first two at home, with Jose Bautista's iconic three-run homer and bat flip capping a four-run seventh inning that erased a one-run deficit in Game 5 at Rogers Centre. 2012 ALDS: Tigers 6, Athletics 0 * The A's forced a Game 5 at home after winning Games 3-4 there, but momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. Justin Verlander tossed a four-hit, 11-strikeout shutout to lead Detroit to the ALCS. 2012 National League Division Series: Giants 6, Reds 4 * On their way to the second of three championships in five seasons, San Francisco recovered from losing the first two games at home by taking three in a row in Cincinnati. Buster Posey's grand slam off Mat Latos capped a six-run fifth inning that broke a 0-0 tie. 2011 NLDS: Brewers 3, D-backs 2 (10 innings) The home team won every game in this series, a pattern Cleveland hopes holds up on Wednesday. In this one, Nyjer Morgan sent Miller Park into a frenzy with an NLDS-ending walk-off single in the 10th. 2010 ALDS: Rangers 5, Rays 1 This series was the opposite, in that the road team went 5-0. Cliff Lee's 11-strikeout complete game lifted Texas past David Price and Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field in Game 5. 2003 ALDS: Red Sox 4, Athletics 3 Boston staved off elimination in Games 3-4 at Fenway Park. In Game 5 at Oakland, Pedro Martinez outdueled Barry Zito, with Manny Ramirez hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning. 2001 ALDS: Yankees 5, Athletics 3 Yes, the Yanks have won the last three games of an ALDS before. In this case, Games 3-4 came on the road and Game 5 at home, as Mariano Rivera's six-out save shut the door in the Bronx. 1999 ALDS: Red Sox 12, Indians 8 Cleveland fans, cover your eyes. The Tribe grabbed a 2-0 lead at home, then lost three straight, including Game 5 back in Cleveland. The Indians' pitching staff allowed 44 runs over those three defeats, including Troy O'Leary's go-ahead three-run shot in the seventh inning of the finale. 1995 ALDS: Mariners 6, Yankees 5 (11 innings) * Here, the Yanks were on the other end of an ALDS comeback, losing the final three at Seattle's Kingdome. New York grabbed a one-run lead against Randy Johnson in the 11th inning of Game 5, but Edgar Martinez's walk-off two-run double scored Ken Griffey Jr. to end the series. 1981 ALDS: Yankees 7, Brewers 3 * In '81, a strike-shortened schedule split the season into halves, creating Division Series between first- and second-half champions, 14 years before that round became a permanent fixture. In this one, the Yanks recovered from losing Games 3-4 at home to send the Bronx crowd home happy, thanks in part to Reggie Jackson and Oscar Gamble's back-to-back homers in the fourth. 1981 NLDS: Expos 3, Phillies 0 * Montreal won its only postseason series by taking Games 1-2 at home and then Game 5 in Philadelphia, as Steve Rogers threw a shutout and went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to outduel Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. 1981 NLDS: Dodgers 4, Astros 0 * The Dodgers rallied with three straight wins in Los Angeles to advance, capping off a series in which they allowed six runs. Jerry Reuss tossed a Game 5 shutout, while the Dodgers scored three off Nolan Ryan in the sixth to snap a scoreless tie.

Indians hold team meeting ahead of ALDS Game 5

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: As Cody Allen scraped gum off the bottom of his boots before exiting the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium after Monday night’s Game 4 loss, the mood around him was of frustration but not panic.

The Indians had two chances to put away the New York Yankees on the road and failed to do so twice. The series has now turned to a “do-or-die” Game 5 in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

The Indians, of course, have been in a similar spot before, that being Game 7 of the World Series last year. It’s not unfamiliar territory, nor was it entirely unexpected, at least the possibility of facing some adversity or eventually being in a tight spot during this postseason run. The Indians knew they wouldn’t just skate through the postseason.

They were going to get their boots dirty at some point. Now, beaten twice and with the momentum in the Yankees’ favor, they have had a chance to clean up and prepare for Game 5.

“We’ve been in big games before,” Allen said. “Unfortunately, we came into New York and we didn’t quite play the baseball that we needed to play. … It’s going to be all hands on deck. Everybody’s ready to go. These are the games, the do-or-die baseball, playing in the backyard, front yard, [that] you want, so you just show up and try to play.”

Jason Kipnis didn’t have to pick anything off his shoes before leaving the clubhouse in New York. But he echoed Allen’s sentiment.

“You know what? I don’t think any of us were going into this thinking we were going to win every single game,” Kipnis said. “I don’t think we went into this thinking there’d be no adversity, no part of the process that we had to overcome. … We’ll be on full throttle when we come into Game 5.”

Indians manager Terry Francona has often said he believes that momentum in baseball really only comes down to the next day’s starting pitcher. It’s something Allen agreed with, pointing out the Indians had all the momentum in this series until going to New York and facing a lights-out Masahiro Tanaka in Game 3. Francona has seen how a series can turn after he guided the Boston Red Sox to four consecutive wins over the Yankees after trailing 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS.

With the tables turning on the Indians, Francona did something he normally doesn’t and held a quick team meeting following the Game 4 loss that evened the series. It was only about 30 seconds long, and it wasn’t a yelling session.

“We just wanted to make sure, as a group, we figure this out together,” Francona said.

“It wasn’t a rah-rah. It was just, ‘Hey, let’s remember who we are, how we got there and what we do.’ I was glad we did it, because I felt better when we left. You might as well start heading in the right direction as soon as you can.”

The Indians are likely in a spot they’d have accepted before the season began, having ace Corey Kluber on the mound at home in a decisive game. The Yankees hold the momentum and roughed up Kluber in Game 2. Still, the likely Cy Young winner taking the ball is something that can still have the Indians feeling like they’re in the driver’s seat.

“He’s a hell of a driver,” outfielder Jay Bruce said.

“Yeah, absolutely. I know the regular season doesn’t really matter, but we earned the right to play Game 5 at home. That’s something we’re going to embrace.”

Not many teams have been able to light up Kluber like the Yankees did in Game 2 in the past few seasons. Even fewer have success twice. Kluber was succinct in answering what he thinks he could correct for Game 5.

“Everything,” Kluber said, smiling.

“I didn’t pitch well, didn’t have good command, didn’t throw the ball where I wanted to. So that’s kind of what it boils down to.”

Now, the series boils down to one game with the Houston Astros waiting to take on the winner. Kluber will try to change everything for the game that means everything.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 10.11.2017

Indians report: Manager Terry Francona juggling fou r potential lineups for Game 5

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Indians manager Terry Francona has four different lineups made out in his office for the Indians’ win-or-go-home Game 5 showdown against the New York Yankees Wednesday night. He’ll have to pick one before the 8:08 p.m. first pitch, but several variables remain, most of them health-related.

One of the biggest questions is with the designated hitter spot. It’s possible — even likely — that Edwin Encarnacion is able to return for Game 5, a major break for the Indians if he can play. Encarnacion sprained his ankle in the Indians’ Game 2 win Friday night. Based on the nature of the injury, it seemed unlikely he’d be able to return, but the diagnosis was easier for the Indians to hear than the video was to watch.

Encarnacion ran sprints and took live batting practice off Ryan Merritt during the Indians’ optional workout on Tuesday. After sitting out both of the Indians’ losses in New York in Games 3 and 4, it sounds as though he won’t be missing the decisive Game 5 to determine which team advances to face the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. When asked if Encarnacion would be available, Francona said, “I think so.”

“I think he’ll be OK,” Francona said. “[Monday] night during the game he was moving and hitting around a little bit. I think he’ll be OK.”

If Encarnacion is the DH, the next question is with left field. Left-hander CC Sabathia is starting for the Yankees, which means Austin Jackson could be a natural selection for the starting lineup.

Michael Brantley might be healthy enough to start in left field, but he’s struggled at the plate, going just 1-for-11 this series and would be at a platoon disadvantage. He’s been trying to find his swing and his timing on the fly but hasn’t yet looked like the same player who went down with a sprained ankle in early August.

The Indians could opt to have Brantley available as a pinch-hitter if a high-leverage situation arises late in the game.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that one,” Francona said when asked about Brantley starting Game 5. “Some of it may depend on who’s available. Sabathia’s been tough on him historically anyway. We may be better off having him on the bench. I haven’t quite worked through that yet. Obviously, a lot of that hinges on Edwin.”

The defensive alignment, and at least third base, could also see a shift. Giovanny Urshela, who committed two costly errors in Game 4, took a liner off the shin Monday night and was a little more sore on Tuesday, according to Francona. Staying with the current roster, the Indians could start Urshela if he is able to, turn to Erik Gonzalez at third base or shift the defensive alignment to move Jason Kipnis back to second base and Jose Ramirez to third, opening up another spot in the outfield.

The Indians also have the option to place Urshela on the disabled list, though that would make him ineligible for the ALCS if the Indians advance. Yandy Diaz could then be activated in his place, offering an offensive upgrade at third.

The Indians have a number of lineup configurations from which to choose, making a pivotal Game 5 a bit more complicated. It also might make for a tougher night of sleep for Francona.

“I’ve got four lineups down there just because there’s a lot of either-ors,” Francona said. “And we’ll figure it out.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 10.11.2017

Indians juggling 4 potential lineups for Game 5; Sta tuses of Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Brantley, Giova nny Urshela all up in the air

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Indians manager Terry Francona has four different lineups made out in his office for the Indians’ win-or-go-home Game 5 showdown against the New York Yankees Wednesday night. He’ll have to pick one before the 8:08 p.m. first pitch, but several variables remain, most of them health related.

One of the biggest questions is with the designated hitter spot. It’s possible—even likely—that Edwin Encarnacion is able to return for Game 5, a major break for the Indians if so. Encarnacion sprained his ankle in the Indians’ Game 2 win last Friday night. Based on the nature of the injury, it seemed unlikely he’d able to return, but the diagnosis was easier for the Indians to hear than the video was to watch.

Encarnacion ran sprints and took live batting practice off Ryan Merritt during the Indians’ optional workout on Tuesday. After sitting out both of the Indains’ losses in New York in Games 3 and 4, it sounds as though he won’t be missing the decisive Game 5 to determine which team advances to face the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. When asked if he’d Encarnacion would be available, Francona said, “I think so.”

“I think he’ll be okay,” Francona said. “[Monday] night during the game he was moving and hitting around a little bit. I think he’ll be okay.”

If Encarnacon is the DH, the next question is with left field. The Yankees are throwing left-hander CC Sabathia, which means Austin Jackson could be a natural selection for the starting lineup. Michael Brantley might be healthy enough to start in left field, but he’s struggled at the plate, going just 1-for-11 this series and would be at a platoon disadvantage. He’s been trying to find his swing and his timing on the fly but hasn’t yet looked like the same player who went down with a sprained ankle in early August. The Indians could opt to have Brantley available as a pinch-hitter if a high-leverage situation arises late in the game.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that one,” Francona said when asked about Brantley starting Game 5. “Some of it may depend on who’s available. Sabathia’s been tough on him historically anyway. We may be better off having him on the bench. I haven’t quite worked through that yet. Obviously, a lot of that hinges on Edwin.”

The defensive alignment, and at least third base, could also see a shift. Giovanny Urshela, who committed two costly errors in Game 4, took a liner off the shin Monday night and was a little sorer on Tuesday, according to Francona. Staying with the current roster, the Indians could start Urshela if he is able to, turn to Erik Gonzalez at third base or shift the defensive alignment to move Jason Kipnis back to second base and Jose Ramirez to third, opening up another spot in the outfield.

The Indians also have the option to place Urshela on the disabled list, though that would make him ineligible for the ALCS if the Indians advance. Yandy Diaz could then be activated in his place, offering an offensive upgrade at third.

The Indians have a number of lineup configurations to choose, making a pivotal Game 5 a bit more complicated. It also might make for a tougher night of sleep.

“I’ve got four lineups down there just because there’s a lot of either-ors,” Francona said. “And we’ll figure it out.”

End of the line, but for whom? Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees in ALDS Game 5

By Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio - When asked if there was anything he wanted to correct about his first start in the AL Division Series, Corey Kluber said one word - "Everything."

Kluber, following a Game 1 win over the Yankees by Trevor Bauer, allowed six runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings in Game 2. The Indians still won, rallying from an 8-3 deficit to beat the Yankees, 9-8, in 13 innings.

But the aftershocks of Kluber's start are still being felt as the ALDS goes to a winner-take-all Game 5 on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. The winner will advance to the AL Championship Series against Houston.

"I didn't pitch well, didn't have good command," said Kluber during Tuesday's workout. "I didn't throw the ball where I wanted to. So that's what it kind of boils down to."

The Indians set their rotation so Kluber would start Game 5 if it was needed. It didn't look like it would be, but the Indians lost Games 3 and 4 at Yankee Stadium. Now it will be Kluber on the mound once again in an elimination game. On Nov. 2, he stood on the same mound in Game 7 of the World Series in an 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Cubs.

Pragmatically, Kluber (18-4, 2.25) and manager Terry Francona would have preferred to already have won this series and be preparing to meet the Astros. Deep down, though, what pitcher or player doesn't want to be a hero in a win-or-go-home game?

Terry Francona says Indians "will be in a good spot" for Game 5

"I think we would have all liked to have won the third game in New York and not be here in Game 5," said Kluber. "But if you think about it, going all the way back to spring training, every team wants to get to the postseason and that's where we are right now. This is what everybody plays for, to have a chance to play in October and move on. That's what we'll try to do Wednesday."

CC Sabathia (14-5, 3.69) will start for the Yankees in a Game 2 rematch with Kluber. Sabathia and Kluber are two of only four Indians pitchers to win a Cy Young Award. Sabathia was drafted, developed and brought to the big leagues by the Indians, winning 106 games in eight years.

Now he is starting for a Yankee team that has avoided elimination three times in less than a week. They are a wild-card team on a roll, a dangerous proposition at this time of year.

"I've pitched here a lot," said Sabathia, referring to Progressive Field. "I played here parts of eight years. I'm familiar with the fans and the city. A lot of who I am as an adult man, Cleveland kind of shaped that. Three of my kids were born here. So it's going to be a lot of fun on Wednesday night and hopefully we get a win."

The Indians' recent postseason history is not good when facing elimination. They lost Game 7 of the World Series last year. They lost Game 7 of the ALCS against Boston in 2007. In 2001, Seattle beat them in Game 5 of the ALDS and in 1999 they lost Game 5 of the ALDS against Boston.

Corey Kluber - "This is what everybody plays for" Press conference 10-10-17

On Monday night, after the Indians lost to the Yankees, 7-3, in a game where they made four errors, Francona called a quick team meeting. He said it lasted maybe 30 seconds.

The message was about moving forward. It was about Game 5, not Game 4.

"I just wanted to make sure they understand that, 'Hey, as bad as things happened in that game, that has nothing to do with the next game,'" said Francona.

Yankee manager Joe Girardi said he'll probably start close to the same lineup that Kluber faced in Game 2: LF Brett Gardner, RF Aaron Judge, C Gary Sanchez, SS Didi Gregorius, 2B Starlin Castro, 1B Greg Bird, CF Aaron Hicks, DH Jacoby Ellsbury and 3B Todd Frazier.

"We've seen Kluber extremely sharp," said Girardi. "I think we caught him on a night that he wasn't sharp. So you hope you catch him on another night when he's not sharp.

"He's extremely talented. There's a good chance he's going to win the Cy Young this year."

Yankees pitching has held the Indians to three runs over the last two games. Francisco Lindor is hitting .071 (1-for-14) and MVP candidate Jose Ramirez is hitting .118 (2-for-17). When asked if Ramirez was pressing and what he could do about it, Francona said, "Do you want me to give him a Xanax? I mean, mechanically, he's a little bit off."

Francona said DH Edwin Encarnacion could return for Game 5 after spraining his right ankle in Game 2. He was also considering other lineup adjustments.

"We play every game like it's our last game" - Terry Francona press conference pre-final ALDS game

No season is endless, but baseball comes close. Wednesday night it will end for the Yankees or Indians. If it is the Indians, it will be the second time in two years that they've failed in a situation where these is no choice but to win.

Pressure comes with that, but Francona tries to deflect it by getting his players to concentrate on the game at hand and play that game like it's their last.

"There's a lot going on in a game that I think people lose sight of," he said. "I don't think you're either dumb or smart or good or bad. Sometimes there's some gray there."

There is finality as well. It is coming for one team on Wednesday night.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.11.2017

Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona considering lineu p changes for ALDS Game 5

By Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Manager Terry Francona told reporters on Tuesday that he's considering lineup changes for Game 5 of the ALDS on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

Several positions could be in play.

"I've got about four lineups right now," said Francona.

Francona said third baseman Giovanny Urshela, who committed two critical errors in Monday night's 7-3 loss to the Yankees, was still hurting because of a bruised left shin suffered when Starlin Castro hit a line drive off his left shin in the second inning for his first error.

Terry Francona considering lineup changes for Game 5

If Urshela can't play, the Indians could move Jose Ramirez from second to third base; move Jason Kipnis from center field to second and play Austin Jackson or Greg Allen in center field against Yankee left-hander CC Sabathia.

If Edwin Encarnacion returns to the lineup, Michael Brantley would probably start the game on the bench. Brantley is 1-for-11 since replacing the injured Encarnacion in the first inning of Game 2.

When asked if Brantley would be in the lineup against Sabathia, Francona said, "I don't know about that one. Part of it will be about who's available. Sabathia, historically, has been tough on him.

"We may be better with him on the bench. I haven't quite worked through that yet. A lot hinges on Edwin."

The winner of Game 5 will advance to the AL Championship Series and play Houston in a best-of-seven series.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.11.2017

Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona says Edwin Encarn acion could play in ALDS Game 5

By Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Manager Terry Francona said DH Edwin Encarnacion could return to the Indians' starting lineup Wednesday night for a decisive Game 5 of the ALDS at Progressive Field.

Encanacion has not played since Game 2 when he left in the first inning after spraining his right ankle going back into second base to try and avoid a double play.

Asked if Encarnacion could play in Wednesday's winner-take-all game, Francona said, "I think so. He's been hitting off the machine already. We're going to have him run during the workout today. He's never exactly our biggest basestealing threat, but we want to use common sense.

"He'll do some running during our workout and we'll gauge where he is. But I think he's going to be OK."

After taking a 2-0 lead against the Yankees in the ALDS, the Indians went to Yankee Stadium and lost two straight. Encarnacion did not play in Gamed 3 or 4 after spraining his ankle in the first inning of Game 2. Wednesday night's winner will face Houston in the AL Championship Series.

The Tribe's offense scored three runs in Games 3 and 4 in the Bronx. They could definitely use Encarnacion's presence in the middle of the lineup. He hit 38 homers and drove in 107 runs during the regular season for them.

"During Monday night's game, he was hitting in the cage and moving around a little bit," said Francona. "So I bet you he's OK."

Encarnacion and several other players took some swings of Ryan Merritt in a simulated game. Merritt is nowhere near as big as Sabathia, but he is left-handed.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.11.2017

Cleveland Indians 2017: Awaiting perhaps the last t omorrow of a special year -- Bill Livingston

By Bill Livingston

CLEVELAND, Ohio - As the last century died in 1999, so did the Cleveland Indians' longest sustained run of postseason success.

The Indians' pitching collapsed with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series. Manager Mike Hargrove short-rested Bartolo Colon in Game 4. Colon, pitching on three days' rest, was hit as if the ball were placed on a tee, and the Indians lost to the Boston Red Sox by a surreal score of 23-7.

Pedro Martinez, one of the most despised, but brilliant, Boston players came out of the bullpen to close out a 12-8 fifth game victory.

The Indians missed the playoffs the next season, lost another five-gamer, to Seattle, in 2001, and were next heard from, October-wise, in 2007.

If you know your history, you don't repeat it, right?

Some shades of '99 and other dark times

Terry Francona, whose team took a 2-0 series lead, short-rested an ineffective Trevor Bauer on Monday night in Game 4 at Yankees Stadium. The rubber-armed Bauer, however, was not quite the human Hindenburg that Colon, pitching on three days rest for the first time, was a generation ago.

There is also the matter of the Indians losing the last three games of the World Series last year.

And the three straight losses to Boston in the 2007 ALCS, when Francona was the Red Sox manager.

Close-out games are supposed to be hard, but this is ridiculous.

The Kluber factor

They say momentum in baseball is the next day's pitcher, and the one tomorrow for the Indians is the best in the American League during the regular season, Corey Kluber.

In a series in which each team has scored 16 runs, Kluber will be on the four days rest Francona gained by finagling his pitching rotation from the start.

There will be no more shuffling and shifting of the rotation, such as when No. 3 starter Bauer won Game 1; No. 1 starter Kluber -- working on the five days' rest Francona wanted to avoid at all costs if it went to fifth and final game - struggled through a stunning off-key performance in Game 2; and No. 2 starter Carlos Carrasco got a no-decision in the Indians' taut 1-0 loss in Game 3.

The past doesn't matter, tomorrow does

Nothing in the tangled Indians-Yankees history matters except tomorrow, not the Yankee heists of Graig Nettles and Chris Chambliss; nor the pinstriping of their fifth game starter CC Sabathia, albeit through intermediaries, the Milwaukee Brewers, that brought Michael Brantley; nor the dynasty in New York by spurned Indians suitor and native Clevelander George Steinbrenner.

There will also be a grim reminder for the Yankees too, given Francona's presence in the Tribe dugout. It was he whose Red Sox staged the only comeback from an 0-3 deficit in baseball history to stun the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, on their way to Boston's first World Series championship since 1918.

It's down to the stark urgency of perhaps the final game of a very special season. The Indians will go with the best they have, Kluber, who will try to win his team another tomorrow.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.11.2017

Dennis Martinez: Happy for return of Carlos Carrasc o -- 1995 Indians on the 2017 Tribe

By Nathaniel Cline, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco's improvement over the past several years has not gone unnoticed by one former ERA champion.

Dennis Martinez, who played three seasons with the Tribe a generation ago, said two of the noticeable changes with Carrasco are his growth and confidence.

"His mindset I think from one year to another year has matured a lot," said Martinez. "He realizes how good he is and his game is always confident."

Carrasco worked into the sixth inning in last Sunday's Game 3 of the ALDS against New York, getting a no-decision in the Yankees' 1-0 victory. Last season, Carrasco missed the playoffs after his pitching hand was hit by a line drive from Detroit's Ian Kinsler. Doctors found a broken bone and his playoff experience ended before it began.

In 2017, Carrasco finished with seventh-most strikeouts (226), and tied for first with the most wins (18) in the majors. His .750 winning percentage was the best in his eight-year career.

"His aggressiveness has not changed, he's still the same guy, but mentally I think from one year to the next is the difference that I see," Martinez said. "You can see a different Carrasco as legit starter for any team. He can be a No. 1 in any rotation. So, I'm really happy for him."

On three occasions the Indians won 100 or more games in a season (1954, 1995, 2017). Martinez was a member of the 1995 team that lost in six games to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.

The four-time All-Star said one of the keys to a Series title for the Indians is having a healthy group of pitchers.

"They have all the tools to beat anybody, anywhere, anytime," Martinez said. "I think they feel that way, built that confidence in themselves, learned from last year and have a little flavor in their mouth. They are going to close the door this year."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 10.11.2017

Terry Francona says Edwin Encarnacion looks good to go for Game 5 Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle -TelegramPublished on Oct. 11, 2017 | Updated 3:14 a . m. CLEVELAND — Edwin Encarnacion took batting practice off left-hander Ryan Merritt and did some light running Tuesday during a workout at Progressive Field. And though Indians manager Terry Francona would not officially say so, it sounds as if the team leader in home runs and RBIs will return to the lineup for a series-deciding Game 5 tonight. “I think so,” Francona said. “We’re going to, obviously, go through the workout (Tuesday). He’s been hitting off the machine already, and we’re going to have him go out and run just to see where he is running-wise. He was never exactly our biggest base-stealing threat, but we want to use common sense. “He’ll do some running and we’ll kind of gauge where he is. I think he’ll be OK. (Monday) night during the game he was moving and hitting around a little bit. I think he’ll be OK.” The Indians were hopeful Encarnacion, who sustained an ankle injury Thursday in the opening inning of Game 2, could at least pinch hit, but he didn’t appear in either of Cleveland’s losses in New York. Michael Brantley filled in for Encarnacion at DH in both games, but has gone just 1-for-11 with four strikeouts in the series as he attempts to find his rhythm after missing nearly two months at the end of the regular season with an ankle injury. Brantley, who was expected to start in the outfield prior to the Encarnacion injury, will likely give way to Austin Jackson in left for Game 5. “Sabathia’s been tough on him historically anyway,” Francona said of Brantley. “We may be better off having him on the bench. I haven’t quite worked through that yet. Obviously, a lot of that hinges on Edwin.” Encarnacion’s addition would be a welcome sight for the Indians, who have struggled offensively in the series, batting .173 over four games and scoring three total runs over the past two. No way, Jose

MVP candidate Jose Ramirez has been one of the biggest offensive disappointments, managing only two hits in 17 at-bats and striking out seven times in four games. “Mechanically, he’s a little bit off,” Francona said. “I think we talked about this the other day. When you’re not exactly perfect mechanically and then you face a guy like (Masahiro) Tanaka (in Game 3 on Sunday), who’s got a ton of deception and movement, it exacerbates it. But he’s one of the best hitters in the game. We believe in those guys. “For us to get where we’re going, those guys will help us get us there. It’s not always going to be 72 (degrees) and sunny. We realize that. You’ve got to fight through it together and that’s what we intend to do.” Ramirez’s double-play partner, shortstop Francisco Lindor, has also scuffled. He hit a game-changing grand slam in a Game 2 win, but it’s his only hit of the series. Defensive disaster The Indians were one of the majors’ best fielding teams during the regular season — tops in the American League — but they were one of the worst Monday night in Game 4. Cleveland committed four errors — two of them by third baseman Giovanny Urshela, who is on the roster because of his elite defense. Francona said Urshela was sore from taking a Starlin Castro line drive off the leg in the second inning — an error that led to four unearned runs off Trevor Bauer in the second inning of a 7-3 loss. If Urshela can’t go or Francona decides to make a change for Game 5, he could bring Jason Kipnis back to second base and move Ramirez over to third. “I’ve got about four lineups down there just because there’s a lot of either/ors,” Francona said. “We’ll figure it out, though.” SPORTS Indians need uber Kluber: Cleveland confiden t ace will return to his dominating self in must-win Game 5 against Yankees Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on Oct. 11, 2017 | Updated 3:15 a. m. CLEVELAND — It’s pretty simple for the Indians. If ace and Cy Young award front-runner Corey Kluber pitches like he did over the final five months of the regular season, they’re in business. If he pitches like he did in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, it’s curtains. Kluber offered up a rare poor outing, but Cleveland’s offense rescued him in a 9-8, 13-inning win Friday to take a 2-0 series lead. The right-hander has the opportunity to return the favor tonight at Progressive Field when the Indians and Yankees square off in a series-deciding Game 5. New York, which will start former Cleveland ace and Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia against Kluber for the second time, comes in riding momentum after evening the series at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are also feeling confident against Kluber, who was asked Tuesday what he needs to do differently in the rematch. “Everything,” said Kluber, who allowed six runs on seven hits — two home runs — in lasting only 2 2⁄3 innings in Game 2. “I didn’t pitch well,

didn’t have good command, didn’t throw the ball where I wanted to. So that’s kind of what it boils down to.” After watching Kluber pitch so poorly, there was speculation he was injured. It was bolstered by manager Terry Francona’s decision to start Trevor Bauer in Game 1, while giving Kluber another day of rest before making his postseason debut. The Indians continue to contend that the move was made in order for Kluber to be on regular rest should the series advance to five games. “I think we tried to be prepared for just about every scenario that could be thrown at us,” Francona said. “And I think we feel real comfortable with how we went about everything and we wanted Kluber if we got to this game. We got to this game. We have a lot of information at our hands that we’re supposed to have, and we make the best judgments for our ballclub always, and I’m comfortable with where we are.” Kluber, who does have a regimented prestart routine, said rest and health weren’t factors in his bad outing. “I think that throughout the course of the year, there’s numerous times where you’re not on your regular five days,” he said. “I mean, the beginning of the season, everything’s jumbled up with all the off days, things get moved around. At the All-Star break, the roster expanded in September, things can get moved around. There’s numerous times where you’re not always on that five days, so we’re used to not being on our normal routine.

“We do it enough to where we have ways to try to get ourselves to where we want to be that day we pitch, and I don’t think that had anything to do with the last time I pitched. Like I said, I just didn’t pitch well and I look to correct it (tonight).” The Indians were unable to build on their momentum from series-opening wins. Now, the Yankees look to keep theirs from series-changing ones in New York tonight in a winner-take-all affair. “I think it’s our responsibility and our challenge to not let that happen,” Francona said. “I don’t think it’s wrong to be honest about it, like I listen to other coaches talk, other managers talk. I think being honest is probably the best way to go about it. (I) would much have preferred us to have won and move on. We didn’t do that. Now, saying that, we have a really exciting game that’s in front of us. I think the day off helps us. We can regroup a little bit. And the challenge is to, by the time you get to the first pitch, to have everything behind you so you can play your best game. “And just watching the guys show up (Tuesday), we’ll be in a good place. I mean, we’re playing a good team and we respect that. They’ve showed that. But our challenge is to play the best game we can and I think we will.” “There’s the obvious that the winner advances and the loser goes home,” Kluber said. “I think aside from that, it’s still the game of baseball. You’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to, as a pitcher, execute your pitches. And hitters are going to try to take advantage of your mistakes. “It boils down to it’s still the same game, still 27 outs, all that kind of stuff. There’s a little more, maybe, emotion, things like that. But when it comes down to it, it’s still the same game.” The Indians hope it’s still the same Kluber and not the one they saw the first time around. Indians expect Encarnacion in lineup for Game 5 By Jeff Schudel, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal Edwin Encarnacion’s swing is strong. His right ankle apparently is even stronger. The Indians’ mighty designated hitter, seemingly out for at least the rest of the postseason when he was injured in Game 2 on Oct. 6, ran sprints in the outfield and took batting practice during a workout Oct. 10 at Progressive Field. He ran to first after getting a hit off Indians lefty Ryan Merritt on his final swing and tipped his cap to the Indians shagging flies in the outfield. Barring swelling and new pain, Encarnacion will be in the lineup Oct. 11 when the Indians host the Yankees in Game 5 at 8:08 p.m. “He changes (the Indians’ lineup), because we have a lefty going, too,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after Encarnacion’s workout. “We know how dangerous he is. You can look at Edwin, he’s probably been one of the best RBI guys in our league for the last three or four years. That’s who he is. He knows how to drive in runs. He changes the lineup.” Encarnacion was 0-for-3 in Game 1. He was hit by a pitch on his right leg in his only at-bat in Game 2, and then a few minutes later sprained his right ankle when he jammed his foot into the bag getting back to second base to avoid being doubled up on a lineout by Jay Bruce. He was called out after the Yankees challenged the original safe call. He clouted 38 homers and drove in 107 runs in the regular season. The winning team in Game 5 advances to play the Astros in the ALCS beginning Oct. 13. The losing team says their goodbyes and won’t get together again until spring training starts in February. The Indians had a 2-0 series lead, but it vanished with two losses in Yankee Stadium. “We met real quickly after the game (the 7-3 loss Oct. 9),” Francona said. “The meeting literally was 30 seconds. The idea is to move forward, just like we say when we’ve won a lot in a row. We don’t look back. So that’s the same idea now. “Just watching the guys show up today, we’ll be in a good place tomorrow. I mean, we’re playing a good team and we respect that. They’ve showed that. But our challenge is to play the best game we can, and I think we will.” Right-hander Corey Kluber will start for the Indians. Lefty CC Sabathia will start for the Yankees. Francona and Girardi will each use an “all-hands-on-deck” approach, meaning each will go to his bullpen quickly if a starter falters. Kluber, who gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings as the starter in Game 2, says he has to do “everything” better in his rematch with Sabathia, who back in 2007 won the Cy Young Award pitching for the Indians. Kluber won it in 2014 and is expected to win it again this year. “I didn’t pitch well, didn’t have good command, didn’t throw the ball where I wanted to,” Kluber said. “I don’t care if I get the win (in Game 5). All that matters is we get a win as a team. That’s the only goal in mind.”

The Indians need a rebound game from Kluber, and they need one from most of their hitters. Jose Ramirez is 2-for-17 (.118), Michael Brantley 1-for-11 (.091) and Francisco Lindor (1-for-14). The only RBI the trio has produced was the grand slam hit by Lindor in Game 2. “For us to get where we’re going, those guys will help us get us there,” Francona said. “It’s not always going to be 72 and sunny. We realize that. You’ve got to fight through it together, and that’s what we intend to do. I think (Encarnacion) will be OK.” The home team has won each game in the series, so the Indians have that going for them. The Yankees have faced elimination three times — in the wild-card game with the Twins and Games 3 and 4 with the Indians. They won each time, so the Yankees have that plus on their side. “Our guys are confident,” Girardi said. “We know we’re facing a good team, and we know we’re facing a tough pitcher. But you go through that during the course of the season, a lot of games. We’ve had three must-wins and we’ve been able to come out on top on all three of them and hopefully tomorrow, a fourth one, we can do it, too.” Francona said he has four different lineups prepared based on the health of Encarnacion and third baseman Giovanny Urshela. Urshela is nursing a sore shin after being hit by a line drive in Game 4. He was charged with an error on the play. “He picked it up so fast it wasn’t even funny.” On the origins of Kluber’s curve by Jordan Bastian Garrett Quinn has been retired from coaching for a little more than a year now. These days, he is running a baseball bat company, selling real estate and spending his time in Skowhegan, Maine, a small town west of Bangor. Several years ago, Quinn was the pitching coach at Stetson University, where a kid from Coppell High School in Texas came to him with a promising fastball and loopy curve. An elbow injury as a prep star led to the pitcher going undrafted in 2004. He would be a project. Corey Kluber is now the ace of the Indians and looks to be on the cusp of capturing his second career Cy Young Award. On Wednesday night, he will take the ball for Cleveland in a win-or-go-home Game 5 in this American League Division Series with the Yankees. Quinn played a small, but important role in Kluber’s development. During those early days at Stetson, they worked together on developing a breaking pitch that would be a cross between a curve and a slider. Kluber has since turned that offering into one of the best pitches in baseball. MLB.com recently caught up with Quinn to discuss the origins of the best curveball in baseball… JB: What did Kluber’s curve look like when he arrived at Stetson and what was the goal when you began working with him on altering the pitch? Quinn: “He came to us with a big 12-to-6 curveball, but it was the makings of a very good breaking ball, because he could really impart really good spin on it. It was a slower pitch, but it had big break. So, it was very difficult to control. So, what I wanted Corey to do, because he was obviously a power pitcher in the making, what we wanted to do was to just kind of tighten up the break a little bit and give him something that he could throw hard, and get a more consistent release point on that was more similar to his fastball. “He threw a lot of four-seamers back then. He was a young guy and he really couldn’t get the feel of the two-seam fastball, but he could really, really command the four-seamer. So, the idea was, OK, let’s tighten up the break a little bit, so we can have more of a fastball release point, rather than having a different release point for all three pitches. That was just the genesis of it and it was basically, OK, let’s adjust the grip, let’s adjust what we’re doing out of the hand and let’s get a pitch that we can throw really hard kind of right at the catcher’s facemask, and then let it break through the zone. “I mean, Corey picked it up. He picked it up so fast it wasn’t even funny. It wasn’t even out of my mouth yet and he was doing it. There’s a genetic aspect to what he does that you can’t coach into pitchers.” JB: Kluber has said often that pitching for him is more about muscle memory and feel, rather than breaking things down analytically. Was he that way in college, too? Quinn: “The thing with the breaking ball for Corey was that he could spin his curveball really, really well. It was just a matter of reshaping a breaking ball for him. I used to tell people all the time, ‘Let’s forget the semantics and the “curveball” and “cutter” and “slider.” Let’s just call it a breaking ball and let’s make your breaking ball unique to you and make it as good as we can.’ That’s what I wanted to do with him, was just take that natural spin that he had and just fashion it and reshape it to his delivery and to a consistent release point to him. He picked it up really quick. Every pitcher’s different how they learn. Some guys are more analytical. “Corey was one of those guys that was not an analytical kid. He was just kind of a grab it and do it. He picked that up so fast and literally it was barely out of my mouth and it was exactly the way we wanted it. It was like, OK, yeah, just keep doing that. “I don’t think we ever had to revisit it with him. He was just so good from that standpoint. He just took it and went with it.” JB: It’s funny you mention the lack of name for the pitch. That’s become kind of running joke here. Kluber calls it a curve. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway says it’s a slider. It’s classified different ways by different websites…

Quinn: “I always thought it was ridiculous that we have to name our pitches. Just throw a good breaking ball. Who the heck cares what you call it? I don’t think the American League hitters care what it’s called. They just know they can’t hit it.” JB: How much fun has it been to watch Kluber’s evolution as a pitcher, and do you take pride in the fact that he credits you for helping develop the curve? Quinn: “It didn’t surprise me that Corey would mention other people, because he’s such a humble guy. He’s just so down to earth. I’m just stoked for him, because he was such a good person to be around and such a good kid and such a hard worker. I couldn’t imagine a better kid to work with. When you talk about the intangibles and everything else, you hang around him, you know him. The guy has intangibles that are off the charts. It is really cool to kind of watch him, to watch his evolution as a pitcher, and to see what he’s able to do with his craft now. It’s just really unbelievable. It’s just a joy to watch. I try not to sit back and think about how I may have made a contribution. I just kind of like it and my kids think it’s really cool, because my son remembers Corey when he was just a little kid. We just have fun with it. We sit back and we watch him and we say, ‘Wow, that’s awesome. Look what that guy’s doing for himself and for his team and for the city of Cleveland now.’ If anybody deserves it, it’s him. He’s one of the most humble, down to earth people you’ll ever meet. I just couldn’t be happier for him.” JB: You’re in Red Sox country. When Kluber pitches against Boston, who do you root for? “I root for Corey no matter who he’s pitching against. When he pitches against the Red Sox, I’m rooting for Kluber. You know what? I’m still mad that they got rid of Tito. I’m really salty about that, because I think Tito is one of the greatest managers ever. He handled the press in Boston so well. I was such a big Tito fan that, if they do match up, just out of spite, I’ll probably root for the Indians anyway.”

Indians-Yankees Game 5 figures to be a beautiful, d ark, twisted fantasy

By Zack Meisel

Giovanny Urshela sat at his locker, repeatedly pointing to his left leg as reporters asked if Starlin Castro’s line drive had produced a welt.

Eventually, he hobbled out of the clubhouse, away from the spotlight and the cameras. The Indians’ defensive performance in Game 4 left Urshela devastated.

Elsewhere, the mood wasn’t so somber or depressing. Francisco Lindor flashed his patented smile as he joked that he had struck out 15 times in the series. Jason Kipnis spoke optimistically about the Indians’ chances with Corey Kluber steering the ship in Game 5.

The Indians are eager to embrace the high-stakes atmosphere that will descend upon Progressive Field on Wednesday night.

For fans, it’s a bit unsettling. In fact, it’s probably terrifying.

Sports are supposed to plant that sour feeling in your stomach. Your team should drive you nuts every so often and make you question if it’s healthy to remain invested. At the end of the journey, if it wasn’t a whirlwind ride, defined by peaks and valleys, occasionally teetering on the edge of failure, was it really worth it? Was it as memorable as it could be?

Postseason baseball, rooted in randomness, is a beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy. It unfolds at a rapid pace and chews up division winners and top seeds with an unforgiving haste.

If the Indians escape their series against the Yankees, Cleveland will partake in a collective exhale. Then, it’s on to the next challenge less than 48 hours later. The Astros, feet up, bowl of popcorn in their laps, are waiting.

Or, the club’s season could end in severe disappointment, enough so that no one will be daydreaming in December about 22-game win streaks or 102-60 regular-season records. Those sorts of laurels won’t matter as much moving forward. The feedback next summer will fall along the skeptical lines of, “Yeah, this is nice, but wake us up in October, and don’t squander the opportunity this time.”

The 1999 Indians scored 1,000 runs, the first team in 49 years to accomplish the feat. But that team coughed up a 2-0 advantage in the ALDS against the Red Sox. As a result, that club tends to take a backseat in conversations to the ’95 and ’97 editions, which reached the World Series.

The postseason outcomes have permanence. And that’s what has many panicked: A lackluster three games against the Yankees would tarnish the long-lasting perception of this season, one that garnered national attention for a historic, late-summer surge.

So, the weight of the season rests on Kluber’s right arm and Lindor’s lumber and Urshela’s glove. A nervous air figures to fill the ballpark as the sun disappears Wednesday night.

And that’s precisely the sort of emotion that sports should provide. As Terry Francona described after a thrilling series against the Blue Jays last August: “Your heart is in your throat, but you like it. It’s agony, but it’s awesome.”

That’s how two fan bases will feel Wednesday night. It’s just another pivotal point along a beautiful, dark, twisted journey.

Meisel's Musings: Life comes at you fast in October, as the Indians are finding out

Zack Meisel 19 hours ago

NEW YORK — Everything moves at 100 mph in October.

Well, except for Luis Severino’s 107th pitch Monday night at Yankee Stadium. That third strike clocked in at 99.9 mph, and Lonnie Chisenhall didn’t even bother to offer at it.

There’s no slow motion, though, no time to sulk about missed opportunities or to bask in the glory of successful ones.

Trevor Bauer breezed through the first inning of Game 4. The next inning — after an error, a debated checked-swing call, a couple of singles and an Aaron Judge double — Bauer was standing still, his back turned to the plate and his glove on his hip as he stood at the front of the mound, watching Chisenhall return the baseball to the infield. Bauer retreated to the back of the mound, raised both arms to signal for a new baseball, issued an intentional walk to Didi Gregorius and then exited the game.

Life comes at you fast during the postseason.

Now, the Indians’ season hinges on the outcome Wednesday night. Chants of “We want Kluber” echoed throughout Yankee Stadium in the late innings Monday. The Yankees will indeed square off against the Indians’ ace, who insists he identified some mechanical flaws from his shoddy outing in Game 2.

The Indians certainly hope to avoid a quick exit after a 102-win regular season.

Here are a handful of thoughts as the series shifts back to Progressive Field.

1. Bring the noise: Four of the loudest cheers of Monday night came:

• When the scoreboard displayed Jimmy Fallon in Yankees gear

• When Judge ripped the two-run double to left in the second inning

• When Joe Girardi paced to the mound to yank Dellin Betances in the eighth

• When Tommy Kahnle struck out Jay Bruce to escape Betances' mess

Betances’ season-long command issues persisted in Game 4, and it would be a surprise if he logged any pivotal assignment Wednesday. After he reached a 3-0 count on Francisco Lindor, a fan behind home plate shouted, “Get your shit together!” Betances promptly fired the next pitch to the backstop.

Both teams should have their full complement of relievers for Game 5. Aroldis Chapman warmed up in the ninth Monday, but he didn’t enter the game. Terry Francona purposely limited the usage of each of his bullpen arms when covering the final seven-plus frames of Game 4.

2. I’ll be the judge of that: Judge is 1-for-15 with 12 strikeouts in the series, though he has twice shifted the momentum in the Yankees’ favor. His two-run double gave Severino some wiggle room on the scoreboard. His catch of Lindor’s potential home run in Game 3 also looms large.

That said, Judge squandered plenty of chances at the plate. The Indians’ pitching staff appears to be a good match for the strikeout-prone slugger.

3. Mo’ mentum: If the Yankees seal a series comeback Wednesday, it’ll be the result of impressive play (or lack thereof from Cleveland's side), not the mysterious work of some magical sorcerer named Momentum.

“We had all the momentum in the world and Masahiro Tanaka comes out here and pitches an unbelievable game,” Cody Allen said.

Kluber could do the same Wednesday. Or, he could repeat his Game 2 performance and leave the Indians with a miserable winter to ponder how it all fell apart.

4. Center of attention: There’s more to defensive evaluations than glancing at the error column on the scoreboard (though the giant “4” spoke volumes Monday). One play that didn’t surface in the box score was Jason Kipnis’ catch in the fifth.

Brett Gardner skied a pitch to right-center, where Kipnis called off Jay Bruce, hauled in the baseball and made a tardy throw to the plate, resulting in a 6-3 Yankees advantage. Should Kipnis have allowed Bruce, blessed with a stronger arm, to make the catch? Should he have approached the ball differently?

Here’s how Kipnis explained the play:

“I talked to the other outfielders. It’s one of those ones, it’s tough, it being a high one that you have to wait under. You can’t really build your momentum to get behind the throw. But no, you’re not going to hear me make an excuse or anything like that. I’d love to make the play and throw him out for our defense and our pitchers and the game, but he was safe.

“It’s a new position, but I think you guys have been Statcasting me enough. I don’t think I want to start second-guessing myself. My job is to go out there and play and let my instincts take over, so I’m not going to sit here and overthink stuff.”

5. Lacking lumber: As a team, the Indians have compiled a .173/.275/.316 slash line during the series.

Jose Ramirez: 2-for-17

Michael Brantley: 1-for-11

Francisco Lindor: 1-for-14

Granted, Lindor’s one hit altered the complexion of the series. It’s too small of a sample size to make any sweeping declarations, and with the stakes so high, every player is pressing. The offensive struggles are even more glaring, however, with Edwin Encarnacion sidelined.

6. Going streaking: Before the nightmarish trip to the Bronx, the Indians hadn’t dropped consecutive games since Aug. 22-23 against the Red Sox. They haven’t lost three in a row since Aug. 1, when they dropped a wacky, 12-10 decision at Fenway Park to cap an abysmal stretch for the starting rotation.

“I don't think any of us were going into this thinking we were going to win every single game,” Kipnis said. “I don’t think we went into this thinking there'd be no adversity, no part of the process that we had to overcome. We know this is the playoffs. Every team that's left is still good. Everyone comes to play, and I think, that being said, we were either tight or flat, whatever you want to label it these last two games. But you also tip the caps to the Yankees.”

7. Peeking ahead for just a second: Surely, the Indians must win Wednesday to even consider thinking about the ALCS, but we do whatever we want to in this space.

The benefit of winning the division series in four games? The Astros can set up their rotation for the next round in their preferred fashion. Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander can pitch this weekend in the first two games.

Should the Indians advance, they wouldn’t have Corey Kluber available until Game 3. Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer could start the first two tilts. Of course, Wednesday is the priority, and the only priority at the moment.

8. Injury ward: Brandon Guyer won’t be joining the Indians at any point this postseason. He’ll undergo surgery on his left wrist Wednesday in Scottsdale, Arizona. Guyer filled a vital role for the Indians last season, when he feasted on left-handed pitching. This year, he suffered through an inconsistent, injury-plagued campaign. The Indians are fortunate that Austin Jackson has outperformed expectations.

Pitcher Adam Plutko underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn labrum in his hip. He is expected to return to full baseball activity in four to six months.

Yankees Ask Sabathia to Beat the Indians and Keep t he Season Alive

By WALLACE MATTHEWSOCT. 10, 2017

At the start of spring training, hardly anyone in the Yankees organization would have predicted that C. C. Sabathia, with a cumulative 18-26 record and 4.42 earned run average over the previous three seasons, would wind up being entrusted with the team’s most important start of 2017.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi had two options for the decisive Game 5 of the American League division series on Wednesday in Cleveland. He could choose Sonny Gray, 27, fit, ready and under the Yankees’ control until 2020. Or Sabathia, 37, approximately 300 pounds, working on a bad knee and unlikely to be a Yankee after this season ends.

Girardi went with the elder, and the reaction in the Yankees’ clubhouse after their Game 4 victory on Monday was resounding.

“I don’t like it,” said Brett Gardner, who has been a teammate of Sabathia’s for the past nine seasons. “I love it.”

“He’s built for this,” said Todd Frazier, who has been a teammate of Sabathia’s for the past three months. “I’ve been watching him pitch ever since I was younger. Just knowing him, he might not sleep tonight. He’s ready to go. I couldn’t be happier to have him on the mound.”

Chase Headley, whose four seasons as a Yankee have overlapped with Sabathia’s weakest years, looked at his questioners as if they had just disembarked from a spaceship.

“Who else would you pick?” he said.

Sabathia’s surprising 2017 performance — a 14-5 record, the best on the team, and a 3.69 E.R.A. that was second on the starting staff to Luis Severino’s 2.98 — explains some of the reaction. Sabathia may not have returned to the level of 2009, when he helped lead the Yankees to their last World Series title, but he has given Girardi reason to favor him over Gray, who did not last four innings in the Yankees’ loss in Game 1.

Sabathia started Game 2, allowing two earned runs over five and a third innings and leaving with the Yankees holding an 8-3 lead. Girardi’s decision to remove Sabathia, who had thrown just 77 pitches, turned out to be his second-most questionable move that evening — behind his failure to challenge a hit-by-pitch call on Lonnie Chisenhall that set up Francisco Lindor’s game-changing grand slam.

Wednesday’s elimination game will be a rematch of Game 2: Sabathia against Corey Kluber, who is widely expected to win his second A.L. Cy Young Award in November and become the Indians’ fourth winner in 11 years. The stretch began when the 2007 award went to Sabathia, who spent his first seven and a half major league seasons with Cleveland.

Girardi, who is always averse to discussing future games, was reticent when asked on Monday why he had chosen Sabathia.

“We liked the way he pitched,” Girardi said, referring to Sabathia’s Game 2 outing.

Lindor and Jose Ramirez, both switch-hitters with speed, could test Sabathia’s balky right knee by bunting. But Sabathia’s October experience outweighed every other consideration, Girardi said. He has appeared in 20 postseason games over all, compiling a 9-5 record with a 4.47 E.R.A. But in the 15 of those games that he has pitched for the Yankees, he has a 7-2 record with a 3.49 E.R.A., and he was named the most valuable player of the 2009 American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels.

“All those things went into it,” Girardi said.

“There’s not going to be a moment that’s too big for him,” Headley said. “I know he’s going to go out there and whether he pitches great or doesn’t pitch his best, it’s not going to be because of the moment. He’s going to be C. C., and I expect him to do a phenomenal job.”

Sabathia’s contract — an extension of the seven-year, $161 million deal he signed before the 2009 season — will expire along with the Yankees’ postseason run. He has made it clear that he intends to continue pitching next season, and he might even do it with the Yankees, who could be inclined to bring him back on a short contract at a greatly reduced salary.

It is questionable whether Sabathia would be amenable to returning to the Yankees on a one-year deal for about $5 million, which is one-fifth of his current salary.

But his resurgence this year, and Girardi’s decision to start him on Wednesday, sent a powerful message about the life remaining in his left arm.

Sabathia’s season was all the more remarkable considering that, to pitch effectively, he needed a brace for his degenerative right knee, which demanded constant maintenance, including regular painkilling injections, and which led to two stints on the disabled list.

And when he left the mound in the sixth inning of his final start of the regular season, after holding the Toronto Blue Jays to four hits and no runs, the fans at Yankee Stadium — thinking they might have witnessed Sabathia’s final game with the team — gave him a standing ovation.

“That could have been his last game as a Yankee, but it wasn’t,” Gardner said. “I’m glad we were able to bring it back to a Game 5 and hand the ball over to him. He’s a big-game pitcher, and right now there’s no bigger game than this. But he’s pitched in a lot of big situations, a whole lot bigger than this is going to be. And hopefully he gets to pitch in a couple more.”

New York Times LOADED: 10.11.2017

It’s Yankees vs. Indians, and Chapman vs. His Memorie s

By BILLY WITZOCT. 10, 2017

CLEVELAND — Just down the stairs from the visitors’ clubhouse at Progressive Field, on the way to the dugout, is a weight room. It is little different from those in most other ballparks, but for Aroldis Chapman it is filled with memories — poignant, intense and ultimately transformative ones.

It was here, nearly a year ago, where Chapman congregated with the rest of his Chicago Cubs teammates during a rain delay at the end of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series and listened to a stirring speech from Jason Heyward, who told his teammates that they were to play in extra innings like the best team in baseball.

Chapman was the last player to enter the room — and he did so in tears, a sign of the emotional weight of surrendering the game-tying home run to Cleveland’s Rajai Davis in the eighth inning, and of carrying an extraordinarily heavy workload as the series reached its conclusion.

It is hard to imagine Chapman won’t draw on those experiences Wednesday night for another winner-take-all game here, when he is all but certain to pitch for the Yankees in the decisive fifth game of their American League division series against the Indians.

“It’s definitely an experience, right?” Chapman said of last year, speaking through an interpreter after saving Sunday night’s 1-0 victory in Game 3 of this series by getting the final five outs. “I wasn’t used to throwing multiple innings in the postseason but going through that prepares you, it helps you do your job.”

With a Yankee bullpen that now seems taxed — David Robertson and Chad Green have not looked the same since their long stints in the wild-card playoff game last week and Dellin Betances has been erratic — Manager Joe Girardi said he was ready to count on Chapman for two innings on Wednesday night, something he did just once during the regular season.

Chapman will not be the only one forced to confront his past when Game 5 begins. The Indians, too, are dealing with the fact that they are back to a similar point they were a year ago.

In the 2016 World Series, the Indians had a three-games-to-one lead over the Cubs and three chances to finish them off, including a deciding game in their home park. They couldn’t do it.

Against the Yankees, the Indians had a 2-0 lead in this series and failed in their first two chances to close out the series. Their third, and final, chance will come at home.

Indians Manager Terry Francona, who managed the Boston Red Sox when they staged an epic comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series, pointed to the capricious nature of these series and the fine margin between winning and losing.

“There’s a lot going on in between that I think people lose sight of,” Francona said. “I don’t think you’re just either dumb or smart, or good or bad. Sometimes there’s some gray there.”

The same could be said for Chapman.

There has existed, throughout a major league career that began in 2010, an air of imperviousness about him. It is owed not just to a fastball that once touched 105 miles per hour, but also to his chiseled, athletic frame and his dispassionate demeanor on the mound, with a smile that more closely resembles a sneer. Never did he evoke a sense of vulnerability.

If Game 7 of the 2016 Series opened a hole in that armor, so, too, has this season.

It began with Chapman coming back to the Yankees after signing a five-year, $86 million free-agent contract last December, the longest and most lucrative ever for a reliever. But in May, Chapman went to the disabled list for a month with a sore shoulder and in August he struggled so severely that he lost his role as closer.

Many eyes were on Chapman when the Yankees demoted him, but Chapman did not complain. At pitching coach Larry Rothschild’s suggestion, he widened the grip on his fastball, sacrificing movement for command, and began to work his way back to form.

Since returning to the closer’s role in early September, Chapman has not allowed a run in 14⅔ innings, including the postseason. The Indians, though, have challenged him. Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez singled off him in the ninth inning of Game 3, with the Yankees holding on to a 1-0 lead. Carlos Santana then drove a 3-2 fastball just short of the warning track in left field for the final out.

The Indians forced Chapman to throw 26 pitches in that inning — 23 of which were fastballs that were 100 m.p.h. or faster.

“It’s a different at-bat than you’ll see versus most pitchers,” Kipnis said before Game 4. “You just have to pay attention to what he’s trying to do that night. Is he in love with his fastball because it’s hitting 103, or is he trying to establish a little bit of a slider?”

He added: “You watch what he’s doing and he’s not just a guy that you literally take any direction with. You don’t try to pull. You don’t try to spray. You literally just try to see the ball over the plate and get the barrel to it.”

Often lost in last year’s Game 7 is that Chapman — who had little life left on his fastball after throwing 42 pitches in Game 5 for the Cubs and another 20 in Game 6 — set the Indians down in order in the ninth inning with the score tied. In that instance, he leaned heavily on his slider and changeup. Then the rains came, allowing the Cubs to regroup, and Heyward to make his impassioned speech. Chicago won the title in the 10th.

Many things will have to go right for the Yankees on Wednesday night, beginning with solving what promises to be a much sharper Corey Kluber. Aaron Judge, who has struck out 12 times in 15 at-bats in this series, may need to get a big hit with the game on the line. But if the

Yankees are in a position to cap their comeback, it is hard to imagine a scenario where Chapman isn’t standing on the mound at the end, trying to finish off the Indians — and his own ghosts.

New York Times LOADED: 10.11.2017

Why the Indians don’t think they have a clinching p roblem

By Dan Martin October 11, 2017 | 3:15am

CLEVELAND — The Cubs proved last year that any amount of history can be overcome, finally snapping a World Series title drought that spanned 108 years.

When they knocked off the Indians in Game 7, Cleveland was left with the longest streak without a championship, since the Indians haven’t won since 1948.

But that’s not the only number working against the Indians heading into Game 5 of the ALDS against the Yankees on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

They also have dropped five straight games in which they could have clinched a series, starting with the three in a row they lost to the Cubs last year, when they went up 3-1, only to lose in devastating fashion in 10 innings in Game 7.

And now they have seen the Yankees beat them in consecutive games after the Indians won the first two games of the ALDS this year.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona, though, doesn’t believe that is hanging over his team.

“Because we don’t view it like that,” Francona said. “I think if you viewed it like that, you could set yourself up to press. We play every game like it’s our last game. I mean, that’s the hope. And our group does a good job of that.”

And he pointed to how close the Indians came to winning Game 3 in The Bronx, which would have ended the ALDS.

“I think there are so many things that are within a game that sometimes between winning and losing is so little margin,’’ Francona said. “Like [Sunday] night, if [Aaron] Judge is 6-2, we win. And everybody’s like, ‘My God, you guys swept ’em.’”

Instead, the 6-foot-7 Judge was able to jump just high enough to catch Francisco Lindor’s fly ball to right in the sixth inning to prevent a two-run homer and the Yankees survived, 1-0.

“There’s a lot going on in-between that I think people lose sight of,” Francona said. “I don’t think you’re just either dumb or smart or good or bad. Sometimes there’s some gray there.”

That may be the case, but the Indians’ recent struggles in these situations didn’t just start last season.

They’re 4-16 in their last 20 series-clinching games, stretching to 1997.

Wednesday night’s starter for Cleveland, Corey Kluber, didn’t think the franchise’s issues this time of year was affecting this team.

“I don’t think so,” Kluber said. “We closed our first two playoff series last year pretty well.”

They swept the Red Sox in the ALDS and beat the Blue Jays in five games in the ALCS to get to the World Series, where they ended up on the wrong side.

“I guess that’s the way it is, but I don’t think it’s weighing on guys,” Kluber said. “We haven’t talked about it at all. I don’t necessarily see guys trying too hard [or] anything like that. We just didn’t play well enough to win the last two games.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.11.2017

Indians will turn to Corey Kluber and bullpen for G ame 5 bailout CLEVELAND -- The Indians' grim postseason history suggests they should have reason for concern as they prepare for a fifth and deciding game against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. The Tribe has lost five straight potential postseason series clinchers and 16 of its past 19 such games since 1999. Pardon the Cleveland players if they don't treat that ominous track record as an emotional anchor around their necks. The Indians will be playing at home Wednesday night behind Corey Kluber, and those two factors are enough for one new arrival to think they're in the driver's seat. "He's a heck of a driver,'' outfielder Jay Bruce said of Kluber. Kluber's long- and short-term résumé suggests he's not an opponent that anyone would relish facing in a win-or-go-home game. He led MLB starters this year in WHIP (0.87), ERA (2.25), quality start percentage (76 percent), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.36-to-1) and OPS against (5.56), and he applied a one-man full-court press in August and September to overtake Boston's Chris Sale in the AL Cy Young Award race. When Cleveland manager Terry Francona strayed from convention and started Trevor Bauer in the division series opener, he gave the Indians a cushion at the back end with the knowledge that Kluber would be pitching on full rest in Games 2 and 5. But Kluber threw a glitch into the game plan when bombed in his first start at Progressive Field on Friday. He failed to develop any kind of rhythm on the mound, threw an uncharacteristically low 45 strikes among his 76 pitches and lasted a mere 2 2/3 innings in a game Cleveland rallied to win 9-8. Francona, from his vantage point in the dugout, noticed Kluber was sitting on his back side more than usual and seemed out of sorts mechanically. Kluber tried to work out the kinks with pitching coach Mickey Callaway in his between-starts side session, and he's ready to try and rectify everything that went wrong in Game 1.

"I didn't pitch well, didn't have good command, didn't throw the ball where I wanted to,'' Kluber said. "So that's kind of what it boils down to.'' While there's a natural inclination to think Kluber will be extra motivated to bounce back from a rare downer of a day, he never strays from his approach regardless of the circumstances. When the Indians lined up for the opening introductions before ALDS Game 1 and the home crowd cheered wildly for him, Kluber didn't smile, tip his cap or change his expression one iota. It was a snap shot of the demeanor he shows around the park from the first day of spring training until the Indians clean out their lockers at the end. Yankees ace Luis Severino recovered from a horrific outing in the wild-card game against Minnesota to pitch well in ALDS Game 4 on Monday night, and the Indians expect a similar script from Kluber. "He'll be the same way he is when he's going to lunch, or pitching in [smaller] games, whatever,'' center fielder Jason Kipnis said. "He'll be stoic, monotonous and very routine-oriented. I don't think he's going to go into this start looking to change everything he's done just because they got to him in the first game. "What he does works. I think he's just going to be sharper. He's going to have a game plan and adjust accordingly. I think he's going to be ready.'' The Indians have the luxury of knowing that the bullpen tandem of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen will be rested and ready to go in late innings. Allen has been sharp against the Yankees -- with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 shutout innings -- and the Indians' faith in Miller wasn't tested in the least by Greg Bird's solo homer off him in New York's 1-0 victory Sunday. The challenge for Cleveland will be mounting enough offense to avoid playing catchup against New York's dominant bullpen. The Indians struck out 25 times in back-to-back losses in New York, and several Cleveland hitters appear to be pressing in the absence of designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, whose ankle injury kept him pinned to the bench in the Bronx. The Indians have hit .173 as a team with 46 strikeouts in 133 at-bats through the first four games of the series. If Encarnacion is able to return to the lineup for Game 5 as Francona expects, it will help provide a tangible and emotional lift for the Indians. They'll also have the support of a home crowd that got all dolled up in red during the first leg of the series and is hungry for the city's first World Series title in 69 years. The Indians posted a better record on the road (53-28) than at home (49-32) this season, logged a slightly better OPS (.793 to .782) and hit more home runs away from Progressive Field. But regular-season numbers are secondary to the sense of comfort they'll feel upon returning to their usual routines in the lead-up to Game 5. It all begins with Kluber, who has a way of injecting confidence throughout a clubhouse on the days he pitches. Few nicknames in baseball convey a better sense of what a player is all about than "Klubot.'' "What we've come to expect out of Corey is excellence,'' Bruce said, "and I think he expects that out of himself. The other day, baseball happened. He didn't throw eight shutout innings and strike out everyone like he usually does. But he'll be ready to go. We couldn't ask for a better guy to be on the mound.'' As the Yankees closed out their 7-3 victory in the Bronx late Monday night, a hearty group of fans behind home plate broke into a chant of "We want Kluber!'' They'll get their wish Wednesday night. If the Yankees want to advance and play Houston for the pennant, they'll have to beat the best that Cleveland and the American League have to offer. Indians, Edwin Encarnacion optimistic about DH's sta tus for Game 5 CLEVELAND -- Indians designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion told ESPN's Marly Rivera that he believes he will be in the lineup for the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Encarnacion has been out since Game 2, when he landed awkwardly while retreating to second base on a line-drive double play. "I feel very good," he told ESPN after Tuesday's workout. "I ran, I hit, and did everything we deemed necessary to evaluate if I can play tomorrow. Me being in the lineup tomorrow is what we all want; it's what I want. Tomorrow I'm coming in early to do my treatment and follow up and do everything I did today in order to be ready for the game." Speaking before the workout, Cleveland manager Terry Francona also said he was optimistic that Encarnacion would play. "I think he is going to be OK," Francona said. Encarnacion said the fact that Wednesday is an elimination game makes a difference in his status. Indians will turn to Corey Kluber and bullpen for Game 5 bailout We've seen that Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller can be beaten, but now it's up to them to be unbeatable as the Indians face the Yankees in a winner-take-all Game 5. Your guide to Wednesday's LDS games: Indians, Nationals asking who's available for elimination games

Cleveland hopes Edwin Encarnacion can come back to power a return to the ALCS, while Washington's Game 4 pitching decision is already being second-guessed. "Yes. It would be different if you knew that you had one more chance," he told ESPN. "But there is no tomorrow and I have to do whatever's necessary to be in the lineup because I know that I can help this team win." After signing a three-year, $60 million contract last offseason, Encarnacion hit .258 with 38 home runs and 107 RBIs for the Indians during the regular season. The right-handed-hitting slugger has not fared well against the Yankees' Game 5 starter, lefty CC Sabathia; Encarnacion has a career batting average of .273 with 0 home runs and 4 RBIs in 55 at-bats. In Encarnacion's place, Michael Brantley has gone 1-for-11 in the series. Brantley, a two-time All Star, has had to deal with injuries the past two years, and Francona was hoping the outfielder's timing may be off. Michael Arace | Forget curses; Indians can win if t hey play better If you are a Cleveland Indians fan, you are getting skewered by the saber-toothed statistics that have been chewing on your brain since the Game 4 fiasco in the Bronx on Monday night. The Yankees scored six (!) unearned runs, beat the Indians 7-3 and evened the American League Division Series at two games apiece. Game 5, winner-take-all, is at Progressive Field on Wednesday night. The doom is in the details. The Indians are 0-7 in elimination games since Jose Mesa toed the rubber in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series on Oct. 26, 1997. (The Yankees are 3-0 in elimination games since last week.) Since Mesa, the Indians have had 21 chances to clinch a postseason series. They lost 17 of those chances. The Indians did not lose two games in a row from Aug. 24 through Oct. 9, a span of 47 days. Then, they lost two in a row in a span of a little more than 24 hours. In October. You don’t want to talk about the last time the Indians lost three postseason games in a row. I can go on here, but there is a self-inflicted puncture wound in my left temple, and it has me thinking about curses. I do not believe in them. We can conjure Willie Mays’ over-the-shoulder catch in 1954 or Mesa in 1997 or the blown series lead against the Red Sox in 2007 or the rain delay in Game 7 against the Cubs last year. There’s always something. On Monday, the Indians made four errors and struck out 14 times. That is not a curse. That is bad baseball. When my paternal grandmother was naturalized as an American citizen, she had to renounce allegiance to Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy. She didn’t turn her back on Victor because he was cursed; indeed, he was known as Il Re vittorioso — “the Victorious King” — after World War I. He wasn’t cursed. But he was the political equivalent of four errors and 14 strikeouts, and America was a field of dreams. This is what my grandmother used to say about curses: She’d wave her hand and go, “Baeccsh.” There is no translation, but you know what it means it when you see it. Full disclosure: When something was beyond “baeccsh,” she might throw a sign known as “the horns of the devil” at any offending party. Some construed this as a curse, but it was most often taken as a cue to run away as fast as possible, and hide. If there is a point here, it is curses to curses. When I was wooing my future bride, I happened to agree to meet her family on the evening of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Fitzgeralds are all Red Sox fans, and I was partial to the New York Metropolitan National League Baseball Club. Goodness, but the Fitzgeralds popped the champagne when Bob Stanley was one strike away. Then came Buckner, and all I heard from the kitchen was forlorn cackling about curses. They drank the champagne anyway. Years later, the Red Sox turned into the Yankees, and all those people are insufferable. Suddenly, they even like the Patriots. My advice to Zach, my Cleveland correspondent and Indians season ticket-holder, is to make a sincere attempt to enjoy Game 5. Manager Terry Francona might have overthought his pitching rotation for this series — or maybe he got it just right. He set it up to have Corey Kluber ready for the high-stakes game, in Cleveland. See what happens, and if you need to, throw the horns of the devil — it’s like the Longhorn sign, jabbed forward with a twist of the wrist — at CC Sabathia. But don’t pop the champagne until the last out.