Indians One Game Away From ALCS After 6-0 Win vs Red Sox

On a night where LeBron James and his Cavs teammates reminded Cleveland sports fans of their fairy tale ending, the Cleveland Indians gave a glimpse of what happily ever after might look like with a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox to go up 2-0 in the ALDS.

The Indians take their 2-0 lead to Boston this Sunday needing just one victory in the final three games to win the series and advance to the ALCS.¹

With his strong performance, Corey Kluber quelled any fears of lingering impact from a late-season leg injury. He pitched like a jerk. Just a big, mean bully. Kluber went seven scoreless innings giving up just three hits and striking out seven. The Tribe’s ace gave the Red Sox very few moments of optimism and slammed those moments shut like he was chasing down an Andre Igoudala lay-up.

A day after Roberto Perez played the part of the “unexpected hero” in Game 1, right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall provided the spark in Game 2. Having just 52 plate appearances against left-handed pitching all season, Lonnie got the start in Game 2 and took David Freaking Price yard for a three-run bombenhall in the second inning. Much like Perez before him, he also provided multiple stellar defensive plays in critical spots to secure the win.

Brandon Guyer was 3-for-4 with an RBI, Jason Kipnis had an RBI single of his own, and Rajai Davis provided a sacrifice fly for the final Tribe run. The Indians again showed their strength on the base paths; creating scoring opportunities by taking extra bases and being aggressive. Jose Ramirez went first to third on a bloop single and later scored on the Chisenhall home run, and Roberto Perez scored from second on Kipnis’ single.

The Indians on the bases are like a basketball team that runs a fullcourt press constantly. Creating all kinds of stress.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 7, 2016

I’d summarize the Boston’s scoring, but Kluber didn’t let them. Dan Otero and Bryan Shaw served as henchmen to Kluber’s evil genius, pitching shut out innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to seal the victory.

The Indians continue to overcome a myriad of injuries and find fun and entertaining ways to win. It’s hard to point to a specific category where the Indians should best this Red Sox team, but the sum of their parts has controlled almost the entirety of the first two games. David Ortiz has noticed.

David Ortiz was asked about his dour demeanor after the game. "We're getting our asses beat. No reason to celebrate."

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 8, 2016

Unlikely heroes like Perez and Chisenhall have emerged, aggressive baserunning has forced the Red Sox into making mistakes, and creative bullpen use has given the Tribe a spark. But beyond that, the Tribe is getting production from places you wouldn’t expect. Through two games, the six through nine hitters in the Tribe’s order are hitting .321 with six of the team’s eleven RBIs. Tyler Naquin’s defense has been a question throughout most of the season, but he recorded a huge outfield assist in Game 1. Mike Napoli is so slow that every hit is technically walk, and yet he was able to become only the second player in the past two seasons to steal a base off Price in Game 2. And Jason Kipnis provided a defensive gem that had fans at Progressive Field checking to see if Lindor had accidentally worn the wrong jersey.

The Tribe’s next game is Sunday at Fenway. Josh Tomlin takes the mound for the Indians and faces Clay Buchholz.

Clam Chatter

It will be interesting to see the reaction to the rest of this series as quite a few subplots have emerged.

First, Boston Herald writer Jason Mastrodonato made a joke about Tribe fans cheering too loud at a playoff game:

David Ortiz flies out. And by the sound of it, you'd think the Indians just won the World Series. Poor town.

— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) October 7, 2016

To which the official Indians account responded in their snarky glory:

Jason was the crowd reaction acceptable on the two home runs

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) October 7, 2016

Later, Mastrodonato reported the Red Sox had changed their signs mid-game in fear the Indians were somehow getting tipped off on pitches.

Rick Porcello hasn’t had bad command all year. Were the Indians stealing signs? Was he too amped? Confusion lingers: https://t.co/aoNyiWjrbg

— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) October 7, 2016

A claim that Red Sox manager John Farrell quickly denied.

BOS manager John Farrell squashes idea that Indians stole signs: "Those were mis-located pitches. They’re good hitters. … We paid for it."

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) October 7, 2016

David Ortiz also had thoughts on the strike zone when Tribe reliever Andrew Miller was on the mound, saying, “It’s so frustrating facing Miller because it seems like every pitch is a strike … I mean, I got two strikes, none of those pitches were a strike. They were down in the zone, so … it’s the second time it happened to me with him.”

And finally Bill Simmons chimed in with the old “my team is losing please just let my favorite players have good stats” misery we’ve all experience at some point in our lives. *coughcoughDionWaiterscoughcough*

I love that they scored Ramirez's infield chopper that Holt butchered as a hit just so Price could get screwed with 4 ER.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 7, 2016

These stories, as well as Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s blow up on the game-ending strike three call in Game 1, seem to hint at some frustration this series on the part of Boston.

Like A Good Neighbor

The night began with Cleveland Cavaliers and recent champions LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, Dahntay Jones, as well as free agent J.R. Smith appearing on the field prior to the first pitch. LeBron James addressed a frenzied crowd, pointing at the Indians dugout and saying, “we’re here for these guys over here.” The crowd lost it.

.@KingJames is ready to #RallyTogether.

Let's go!!!! pic.twitter.com/1vuBXVOgxi

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) October 7, 2016

It is difficult to remember a group of players that have not only bonded, but done it in such an outward and public way as these Cavaliers. We see it in interviews, we see it on Richard Jefferson’s snap chat, and Friday night, we saw it on the jumbotron. I need friends like these.

Look at these friggin guys pic.twitter.com/9A8nuzgBtD

— SportsNom (@SportsNom) October 8, 2016

Asked about the support, Francona gave a very Francona answer.

https://twitter.com/kevin_vargo/status/784545317962256384

1. Editor’s Note: Do not look up the 1999 ALDS versus the Boston Red Sox. [↩]