Indians, Astros rely on starting rotation
This postseason may be best remembered for its bullpen openers. Just not in the AL Division Series between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians.
Relief pitchers are covering entire games for other championship contenders this October, but the Astros and Indians are ready to roll old school, starting with Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber facing off in Game 1 on Friday.
"I love starters," Astros manager AJ Hinch said Thursday. "Why? Because I've got good ones. I think that's the easiest way to fall in love with a rotation and have that mindset, do I want my starters to go deep in the game? Yeah, they're good."
Cleveland knows the feeling. This series will feature some of the best pitchers in the American League, with Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco opposing two-time All-Star righthander Gerrit Cole in the second game Saturday, and Mike Clevinger of the Indians and 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel pitching in Monday's Game 3.
Verlander, a 14-year veteran, believes the AL West champion Astros and AL Central champion Indians have the top two rotations in the AL. He thinks the performance of each team's starters will be paramount to success in this series.
Sale seeking postseason redemption
Chris Sale waited eight years to make his first postseason start and then another 365 days for a chance to put that memory behind him.
The Boston Red Sox left-hander will start Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees on Friday night, one year after he was bombarded by the championship-bound Houston Astros in his playoff debut.
He's thought about it. He's learned from it.
And he wants to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes again.
"Last year, obviously, I got my feet wet. Didn't do too well. But sometimes you learn from the bad more than the good," Sale said Thursday, a day before the longtime AL East rivals open their bestof-five series.
A's make surprising run
The Oakland Athletics surprised most everyone but themselves.
A young team that gained momentum with a strong September a year ago slugged its way right into the playoffs and onto the national radar by hanging tough in the difficult AL West this season.
Still, it all ended with the same result: a playoff defeat in an elimination game. After a 97-65 regular season, Oakland lost the wild-card game 7-2 to New York on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
"Unless you play the last game, it's disappointing," manager Bob Melvin said. "So I think when you reflect back and look where we started the year, you know kind of where we came from, it ends up being a good year but it doesn't feel good right now."
Khris Davis and the A's rallied all year long to reach the postseason for the first time since 2014 following consecutive last-place division finishes.
Davis led the majors with 48 home runs, his third straight 40-homer season.
Indians' Davis makes playoff roster
Rajai Davis is getting the chance to further his October legacy.
Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday the speedy outfielder will get his team's final spot on the 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros.
Davis was given the nod over backup infielder Erik Gonzalez. Davis cemented his place in October baseball lore with a tying home run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series before Cleveland lost to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings.
Houston manager A.J. Hinch chose to carry just two catchers, leaving off Max Stassi for rookie Myles Straw, another speedy outfielder who has been mostly used as a pinch-runner.