GAME #127, BOSTON RED SOX AT CLEVELAND INDIANS

[Bear]

BOSTON V INDIANS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017, 7 PM AT PROGRESSIVE FIELD

TV:  NESN, MLBN, (OUT-OF-MARKET ONLY), SPORTS TIME OHIO

BOSTON, (73-53)..................................................................................CLEVELAND, (69-56)

BOSTON:

CHRIS SALE, LHP, 14-5, 2.62 ERA, 250K

The ace will try to avenge a tough outing against the Indians on August 1,
when he gave up eight hits and seven runs in five innings.  In fact, Sale had his
share of troubles against Cleveland in his career, going 5-7 with a 4.81 ERA
in 17 starts.

CLEVELAND:

TREVOR BAUER, RHP, 128, 4.50 ERA, 149K

Bauer went 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Royals his last time out,
striking out four and allowing seven hits to earn his 12th win of the season.
Bauer has posted a 1.51 ERA in his last six starts, and has not lost since July
16.

Sale, Bauer duel in MLB Network Showcase

Ian Browne

The schedule indicates that Thursday's MLB Network Showcase game at Progressive Field will be the final time the Red Sox and Indians meet this season.

But that doesn't account for the postseason. And right now, the two teams are on a collision course to meet in an American League Division Series for the second straight October.

Given the quality of the games between the Sox and Tribe in 2017, that is a matchup people should be rooting for.
In Thursday's finale of a four-game series at Progressive Field, the Red Sox will send lanky lefty ace Chris Sale (aka "The Stickman" for Players Weekend) to the mound. The Indians counter with right-hander Trevor Bauer (aka "Bauer Outage" for Players Weekend).

Sale has been everything the Red Sox had hoped when they acquired him from the White Sox back in December.
However, Sale has had his share of trouble against Cleveland in his career, going 5-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 17 starts. In fact, Sale was rocked by the Indians in an Aug. 1 epic at Fenway, giving up eight hits and seven runs over five innings in a 12-10 victory by the Red Sox.

Last October, the Indians stole home field from the Red Sox for the ALDS in the final weekend of the season. The Indians wound up sweeping the Red Sox in three games. Boston leads Cleveland by 3 1/2 games in the race for home field entering Thursday's game.

"Extremely important. Home-field advantage is important for any team," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "We know where we stand, we know what's ahead and believe me, we're doing everything we can to secure it."

Right now, the Indians are just trying to get healthy. Star reliever Andrew Miller and second baseman Jason Kipnis were placed on the disabled list this week, joining Lonnie Chisenhall, Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin.

"There's no team on the other side that's going to feel sorry for us," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "We talk about it all the time. There's times during a season where winning is harder than others, and there's times where maybe you've got to keep your head above water. That's why we always fall back on, let's try to win tonight."

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Veteran outfielder Rajai Davis, acquired by the Red Sox from the Athletics during Wednesday's game, will arrive in time for Thursday's finale and might start in center. Davis played for the Indians last season and hit a game-tying two-run homer in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

• Indians first baseman Carlos Santana was out Tuesday and Wednesday due to lower-back tightness, but was on the mend. Francona said there is a strong chance that Santana can play Thursday. Santana has posted a .930 OPS in August.

• Sale thrown the fourth-highest rate of pitches within strike zone of any full-time starter (min. 1,500 pitches), and he has also recorded more punchouts within the bounds of the Statcast strike zone -- 132 -- than any other pitcher this year. Using strikeouts and the quality of contact he's allowed on batted balls, Statcast also calculate Sale's expected batting average allowed on in-zone pitches to be .218, which ranked as the third-lowest of any full-time starter entering Wednesday's action.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170823250185388/sale-bauer-duel-in-mlb-network-showcase/?game_pk=491997

[Bear]

Finale in CLE:

Nuñez 2B,
Betts RF,
Benintendi CF,
Ramirez DH,
Devers 3B,
Bogaerts SS,
Moreland 1B,
Leon C,
Holt LF,

Sale LHP

[Bill-806]

& the JUGGERNAUGHT keeps moving forward....  Chris Sale , GO SOX !! thumb_u

[MongoLikeSox]

Instead of this:
"Last October, the Indians stole home field from the Red Sox for the ALDS in the final weekend of the season. "

How about:
"The Red Sox gifted home-field advantage for the ALDS to the Indians in the final weekend of the season. "

Of course that 'shut your a** up' video was priceless.

Anyone else wondering if Sale will make someone quite uncomfortable in the later innings tonight to "defend" Nunez if the game isn't close? My 'eye for an eye' mentallity is coming through on this one.  :-[

[longgame]

Instead of this:
"Last October, the Indians stole home field from the Red Sox for the ALDS in the final weekend of the season. "

How about:
"The Red Sox gifted home-field advantage for the ALDS to the Indians in the final weekend of the season. "

Of course that 'shut your a** up' video was priceless.

Anyone else wondering if Sale will make someone quite uncomfortable in the later innings tonight to "defend" Nunez if the game isn't close? My 'eye for an eye' mentallity is coming through on this one.  :-[

Interesting idea.  Really stupid of Kluber to plunk him in that situation.

[SeaBeachFred]

We have Sale on the mound tonight but if anyone thinks this is going to be a cakewalk they better get their brains unscrambled.  Every game is tough now and we have seen that Sale hasn'dt always gotten the hitting support he needs, plus he has had a couple of hiccups too because he is human.  We beat their ace last night; what's to say they can't beat ours.  Well they won't if we hit when we have to and get a  top quality effort from Sale.  It gets harder and harder to figure out what might happen in any upcoming given game.  We need the team to go out and play at their best and our chances for a win increase exponentially.

[ojdidit]

Maybe our game will be like the NYY and Tigers. What a wreck! Lost count of players tossed.

[BoSoxFanNY]

CRAZY Yankee vs Tigers game.
Ejections . . .
Lead changes and finally -
Tigers 10 - Yankees 6
in the bottom of the 8th inning.

[elktonnick]

We are also watching the Detroit New York game.  Looks more like a Rangers Red Wings than a Tigers Yankees game.  There will be a lot of suspensions coming out of this one.

[ojdidit]

We are also watching the Detroit New York game.  Looks more like a Rangers Red Wings than a Tigers Yankees game.  There will be a lot of suspensions coming out of this one.

I looked at the box score and counted eight tossed, but it might be more since my eyes were tired from reading the list.

[markj]

The good news is the Yanks lost, so the Sox have a chance to pick up a game here. Never easy against Tito's crew, though.

[BoSoxFanNY]

Thank you Tigers!
Yankees LOSE.

[Bear]

Wow, brings back memories.  Yankees lose; but above all, there will be suspensions
handed out.
Should we win tonite, and we are hoping, we'd be 5.5 games ahead.
You gotta love the Tigers as they have nothing to lose. rofl

[SeaBeachFred]

Let's just see if we can take advantage of the break we got this afternoon when the Tigers beat the Yankees in their brawl game.  We had a chance of pick up a half-game on Monday with the Yanks idle and puked it away.  Today we have a chance to pick up a full game and this time we must make it through the rain and get straight.  A lot riding on this game because a win today is worth just as much as a win on September 24, something I think Farrell still does not understand.  Let's hope now he does.  Go Red Sox----get it done tonight.

[markj]

What happened with that steal attempt by Nunez? He got beat by a football field and appeared to just give up running. Blown signals? Another missed hit and run?