Bosox Board

Bauer has been excellent in his last three starts, with three straight outings
of seven-plus innings with only one run in each.  That equals his career-best
streak of such performances.

The sinkerballer hopes to replicate the success he had two weeks ago
against the Indians when he held them to five hits and two runs over 7 2/3
innings.  Lifetime against the Tribe, Fister is 6-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 17
starts.

Rained out of their series finale with the Red Sox on Aug. 2, the Indians add Boston to what had already been a 10-game road trip. The two teams, who as of now would be American League Division Series competitors, are set for a makeup game on Monday at Fenway Park.

It will be the first meeting between the teams since they staged perhaps the Game of the Year to date in MLB on Aug. 1, an epic 12-10 win by the Red Sox that was completed with a three-run, walk-off homer by Christian Vazquez and included an amazing catch over the bullpen wall by Indians center fielder Austin Jackson

Instead of an off-day in Minneapolis, the Indians will be back in Boston for a brief engagement. The Red Sox lose what would have been a day off at home after a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. It is the start of a six-game homestand for Boston, which includes two games against the Cardinals and a three-game series against Yankees.

"I'd rather have the day off in Minnesota, just because Boston's got a really good team and they're playing well," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "It's OK. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal."

Plus, former Red Sox skipper Francona has a special perk waiting for him when he visits Boston.

"I get to see the grandkids, so I'm happy," he said.

The Indians come to Boston leading the AL Central by 4 1/2 games. The Red Sox entered Sunday night's game against the Yankees with that same lead in the AL East.

The Red Sox recently notched an eight-game winning streak, which began with two wins over the Indians. They averaged 6.25 runs per game over the stretch. Doug Fister (2-5, 5.03 ERA) will look for a similar outcome to the win he earned over Cleveland on July 31, his first victory of the season. He pitched a season-high 7 2/3 innings while holding the Indians to two runs on five hits.

Fister has done a nice job filling in for David Price, who is back on the disabled list with a left elbow injury.

"Yeah, I mean that's been extremely helpful and certainly we've missed David Price in the rotation, that goes without saying," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "But to have Doug to step in with the veteran presence he has, to his credit, some of the minor adjustments that he's made to solidify his pitch execution, that's been the case the last four appearances for him. He's been a huge plus to have that kind of veteran guy to plug in when needed."

Trevor Bauer (10-8, 4.79 ERA) will take the mound opposite Fister, working on a streak of three straight games of seven or more innings with one run allowed in each. He's struck out 22 batters over 22 innings in those starts.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Bauer is striking out a career-high 9.95 batters per nine innings, 14th best in the Majors (and a sliver ahead of teammate Carlos Carrasco, at 9.87).

• Fister has fared well against the Indians in his career, with a 3.07 ERA over 17 starts. His 1.03 WHIP against the Tribe is his lowest vs. any AL opponent.

• The Indians and Red Sox entered Sunday leading the AL in team ERA. The Red Sox have not led their league in ERA since 2007.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170813245759416/division-leaders-tribe-red-sox-set-for-makeup/?game_pk=491698