Cleveland Sports Forum

3 keys for Indians in ALCS vs. Blue Jays

Running game, Game 4 and home-field advantage are important

CLEVELAND --

With the odds stacked against them, the Indians surprised the baseball world with a sweep of the Red Sox in the American League Division Series. The next challenge comes in the form of a Blue Jays team that features an aggressive offense and a strong pitching staff that goes under the radar.

Game 1 of the AL Championship Series is set for Friday at Progressive Field, where ace Corey Kluber will go up against Toronto righty Marco Estrada at 8 p.m. ET on TBS in the U.S. and Sportsnet (English) and RDS (French) in Canada. The Indians expect to be considered the underdogs again, and they know they have a formidable opponent in the Blue Jays.
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"They're a great ballclub," Indians first baseman Mike Napoli said. "Obviously, their lineup's pretty solid and they can score a lot of runs, and they've got some great starters. It's going to be a great series. We're looking forward to it. We've got all the confidence in the world that we're good enough to go to the next step, but you've got to take one game at a time. It should be a fun series.

Here are three ways the Indians can punch their ticket to the World Series:

1. Keep running aggressively

The Indians were the AL's best baserunning team this season both in terms of stealing bases and taking extra bases. The Blue Jays were one of the Majors' worst teams when it came to stopping clubs from running. That creates an intriguing aspect to monitor throughout this ALCS. If Toronto's pitchers do not post good times to the plate, making it harder on catcher Russell Martin, Cleveland will look to take advantage.

During the regular season, Martin threw out 11 of 72 would-be basestealers for a 15 percent caught-stealing rate. As a group, Toronto's catchers caught runners at a 19 percent clip, which was 10 percent lower than league average. While Martin is not the same defender he was in the past, some of the onus falls on the pitching staff. Per Statcast™, Toronto's pitchers recorded an average release time of 1.60 seconds, which was last in the AL.

2. Survive the fourth-starter slot

Indians manager Terry Francona announced on Wednesday that rookie Mike Clevinger will take the ball as the starter for Game 4 on Tuesday in Toronto. Here's the catch: Clevinger has been working as a reliever for Cleveland and has not started since Sept. 27. The righty was not stretched out behind the scenes during the Tribe's ALDS sweep of the Red Sox, either.

Going in, it was no secret that this was a potential weakness for the Tribe. The Indians have three clear-cut starters in Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin, but there is no obvious option behind them in the wake of injuries to Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. The Indians made it through four bullpen days in September, and they hope -- with the percentages saying Kluber can work deep into Game 5 next Wednesday -- it can be done again.

3. Take care of business at home

The Indians secured home-field advantage for the ALDS on the final day of the regular season, and they then earned the same right for the ALCS after Toronto knocked top-seeded Texas off the October stage. Being able to play at Progressive Field is a big deal for the Tribe. Beyond just being more comfortable and better able to maintain a solid routine, the players have flat-out performed better in front of the home audience.

During the regular season, the Indians scored 452 runs, collected 287 extra-base hits, posted an .827 OPS and recorded a 120 weighted Runs Created Plus at home. On the road, Cleveland plated 325 runs, knocked 235 extra-base hits, compiled a .691 OPS and produced an 85 wRC+. The Indians also led the league with 11 walk-off wins. Home-field advantage certainly helped in the ALDS, in which Cleveland swept Boston.

Welcome to Cleveland, where the Indians have made 2016 the year of the walk-off

Cleveland Indians, a School for Executives, Face Mark Shapiro, a Top Alumnus

In his spring-training office, overlooking right field at the Toronto Blue Jays’ ballpark in Dunedin, Fla., Mark Shapiro stands when he works at his computer. It is good for his posture and in keeping with the athletic pose of a former Princeton University offensive lineman. It also makes Shapiro seem ready for anything, in an instant.

For the Blue Jays’ president and chief executive — responsible for both business and baseball operations — that only makes sense. Shapiro welcomes the duties, but he never works alone.

“In any culture that I’ve enjoyed being a part of, it involves a collaborative effort of how do we get better today and how do we pool intellect, experiences and skill sets to make the best collective decision?” Shapiro said in that office, explaining his principles while taking a break after a spring game.

“I’ve never been convinced one person can make a decision better than a group of people.”

Shapiro joined the Blue Jays last fall after 24 seasons with the Cleveland Indians. His old and new teams will meet on Friday at Progressive Field in the opener of the American League Championship Series, after the Blue Jays swept Texas in their division series and the Indians swept Boston.
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As his former lieutenants celebrated on Monday night at Fenway Park, Shapiro was a powerful presence in spirit. The Indians relish the matchup with their former architect.

“It will be really fun to see those guys and compete against them,” said Mike Chernoff, the Indians’ general manager, ducking into a dry corner of the clubhouse. “Mark was a mentor to all of us here, and it means a tremendous amount. He’s helped to build all of this.”

Shapiro did not build an empire in Cleveland. The Indians have not reached the World Series in 19 years, a drought nearly as long as Toronto’s, which dates to 1993. But what he did, within a framework that changed radically during his tenure, was so impressive that the Indians have become a kind of model franchise in the industry.

Shapiro succeeded John Hart as the Indians’ general manager after the 2001 season. Hart — now the president of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves — had created an environment that valued input from a wide range of young deputies, and Shapiro helped turn Cleveland into a feeder system for other front offices. The Indians’ deep bench of sharp executives helps make up for their small payroll.

“It seems to work, and we have to have that,” said Paul Dolan, the Indians’ owner. “We’re not going to outspend the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees or more than half of M.L.B. So we’ve got to do it with the right people in place in our front office making the best decisions possible.”
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The secret has long been out: If you need to make a hire in baseball operations, look for Cleveland on a résumé. All of these current and former general managers — or similarly titled top decision makers — worked for the Indians under Shapiro: Chris Antonetti, Ross Atkins, Josh Byrnes, Ben Cherington, Chernoff, Paul DePodesta, Derek Falvey, Mike Hazen, Neal Huntington and David Stearns.

Huntington has been the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager since 2007, and the Milwaukee Brewers hired Stearns in that position last year. Stearns worked closely in Cleveland with Falvey, who was hired this month, at age 33, as the chief baseball officer for the Minnesota Twins.

Cherington, who guided the Red Sox to the 2013 World Series title, now works for Shapiro in Toronto, where Atkins — also a former Cleveland minor league pitcher — is the general manager. Byrnes works for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Hazen is general manager of the Red Sox, and DePodesta, after helping the Mets reach the World Series last year, oversees the Cleveland Browns in the N.F.L.

Dan O’Dowd, a former Indians assistant who now works for MLB Network, grew another branch of executives in Colorado, where six other top executives — Jeff Bridich (Colorado), Jon Daniels (Texas), Jerry Dipoto (Seattle), Billy Eppler (Los Angeles Angels), Michael Hill (Miami) and Matt Klentak (Philadelphia) — all worked.

“I get the sense that there’s an insatiable desire to get better in the Indians’ organization,” said a top official of another team who was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly about a rival franchise.

“Professional development, trying to evolve as executives and leaders — that’s all very prevalent. There never seems to be any complacency, and that mind-set is essential in a place like Cleveland, where they don’t have the highest revenue.”

The Indians’ opening-day payroll was about $96 million, ranking in the bottom third of major league teams. Four teams — the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers — spent twice as much. Yet the Indians ran away with the A.L. Central, at 94-67, finishing just half a game behind the Rangers for the league’s best record. It was their third playoff appearance in the past 15 years, which does not sound like much. But consider the context.

When Shapiro became general manager, the Indians were coming off their sixth division title in seven seasons. In their last pennant-winning season, in 1997, they ranked third in the majors in payroll. The Browns were gone, the Cavaliers were struggling, downtown businesses were thriving, and fans were flocking to a new ballpark to see a team that had not contended in decades.

But the boom times were bound to end, and Shapiro saw it coming. In his first full season as general manager, in 2002, he resolved never to let the Indians get into the kind of deep, sustained rut that was plaguing teams in similar markets, like Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

That June — with almost no advance warning — Shapiro traded Bartolo Colon, then a young ace who would not be a free agent for a year and a half, to the Montreal Expos for a nondescript first baseman and prospects. The fans erupted.

“It came across as Bartolo Colon for Lee Stevens and three minor league players,” said Huntington, who worked under Shapiro for almost nine years. “Those three minor league players were Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore, and it was an organization-altering trade. But there was so much hatred and anger and venom, and Mark remained steadfast. He was willing to wear it for the organization because he believed we were doing the right thing.”

Since 2003, the Indians have essentially gone .500 (1,130-1,136) while never staying down for very long. They won 93 games in 2005 and made the most of the bad season that followed by acquiring the future stars Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo in separate deals with Seattle for Eduardo Perez and Ben Broussard.

The next season, the Indians came within one A.L.C.S. victory of the World Series. As they slid to .500 in 2008, they acquired two cornerstones — Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley — in deals for Casey Blake and C. C. Sabathia.

Again and again, the Indians expertly understood other teams’ motivations and pried away high-impact talent in trades. They got Carlos Carrasco for Lee, Corey Kluber for Jake Westbrook, Yan Gomes for Esmil Rogers and Trevor Bauer for Choo. The longest streak of losing seasons under Shapiro and Antonetti — his successor as general manager and then president — is four.

“He’s a transformational leader,” Antonetti said of Shapiro. “He’s a guy that can set a vision and get an entire organization and group of people to believe in it, pull in the same direction and be committed to accomplishing it.”

Chernoff said the Indians fostered an atmosphere in which few barriers exist between different departments. Executives are expected to dabble in multiple areas — amateur and professional scouting, player development, game-day planning with coaches — and know that their bosses listen to them.

“It’s an incredibly inclusive environment,” said Stearns, who spent most of 2012 with the Indians. “And what that inclusion does is, it really forces people at all levels to work incredibly hard because you never know exactly when your opinion will be needed or counted on in a certain realm. To me, that was really the main takeaway from the front office: There’s an inclusive energy where everyone honestly believes — and truly has — an impact on what’s happening on the field.”

The biggest impact on the Indians, though, came from Shapiro, whose team now stands in their path to the World Series. Reached by phone Wednesday night, after he landed in Cleveland for the series, Shapiro said it felt both strange and exhilarating.

“I’m excited for the entire Indians organization, from top to bottom, because the relationships there are much deeper and much stronger than they would be with any other team,” he said. “But I know this, from facing them in the regular season: When the first pitch comes, all that goes away, and the overwhelming competitive desire to win is all you feel.”

This team certainly reminds me of the Tampa low budget teams of Joe Maddon. A bunch of no names on the field who the manager platoons, and good pitching.

Great trades for Kluber and Bauer, and homegrown guys Salazar and Carrasco as well as Cody.

Tito plays the role of Maddon, and quite well at that.

Kipnis, Jose Ramirez and Lindor key guys from the system, unheard of back in the day.

So good young core through the system and adds from trades and low key FA pickups.

All of which adds up to: GO TRIBE!

You guys can have Shapiro.

I saw this headline and thought to myself, what does Shapiro have against Slider?

"Mark Shapiro Speaks Out Against Indians Mascot on Eve of ALCS"

Turns out Marky Mark is a social justice warrior who was offended at the sight of Chief Wahoo.

http://www.12up.com/posts/3945319-mark- ... _aid=40734

Tomlin ready to step up for Game 2 start

Even-keeled righty fresh off ALDS win in postseason debut

CLEVELAND --

Josh Tomlin keeps it simple. He doesn't know much about drones, let alone the intricacies of building them -- or the hazards involved with such a hobby, as Indians teammate Trevor Bauer brought to light in an unfortunate accident Thursday night that required multiple stitches on his right pinkie finger.

Bauer was subsequently forced out of his scheduled Game 2 start against the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field before Friday's 2-0 win in Game 1, his turn pushed to Monday in Game 3 in Toronto. Tomlin now gets the ball Saturday with a 1-0 series lead in opposition of Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ (4 p.m. ET on TBS, as well as Sportsnet and RDS in Canada).

After thinking about it, this little accident could actually work in our favor. I like the idea of Bauer starting game 3 in Toronto. We struggle against left handed pitchers and Happ is a good one. We take our chances that Tomlin can keep us in the game against Happ. I like Bauer's chances in Toronto.

Tomlin's curveball-heavy strategy successful

CLEVELAND --

Tasked with shoring up an ailing rotation, Indians starter Josh Tomlin found success at a crucial time with an altered pitch mix.

By incorporating his curveball more than any other pitch, Tomlin fired 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to earn the win on Saturday in Cleveland's 2-1 victory over Toronto in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. The Tribe now leads the best-of-seven set, 2-0.

Throughout the regular season, Tomlin depended heavily on his cutter (40.9 percent of pitches) and four-seam fastball (30.2 percent), while his curveball was a distant third pitch (14.9 percent).

But on Saturday, Tomlin uncorked curveballs on 36 of his 85 pitches, when his previous season high was 29 curveballs. This worked well, as the Blue Jays were last in the Majors during the regular season in batting average (.161) and slugging percentage on balls in play (.237) against curveballs.

"To me it was just find the grip, stay with it, and just trying to execute it," Tomlin said. "And some days it's good, some days it's not, and you've got to adjust accordingly. That's not to say it's going to be good the next time out; if it's not, then I've got to go with something else. Try to get creative with it."

Toronto's best hitters, especially, struggled to pick up hits when putting curveballs in play. During the regular season, their BABIPs against the pitch were among the lowest in the league -- Josh Donaldson (.195), Edwin Encarnacion (.195), Jose Bautista (.184), Michael Saunders (.121) and Russell Martin (.100). And on Saturday, that group went 2-for-11 against Tomlin, with a pair of walks.

The Blue Jays could not muster a hit off Tomlin's curveball, and they tallied six swings and misses, including two strikeouts. They didn't put a curveball into play until Donaldson led off the sixth inning with a groundout to shortstop on the first pitch he saw.

omlin used a curveball-heavy strategy in his first postseason start, which came in the decisive Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox. He threw 23 curveballs -- more than any other pitch -- among his 68 pitches and held Boston to two runs on four hits over five innings.

It will be interesting to see how Bauer attacks that Toronto lineup.

FANGRAPH

"There’s that two-seamer to lead. The elevated four-seamer’s still there to play off the curve. And, about that curve. It’s getting more spin and more drop than ever before"

"Only Mike Fiers and Chris Tillman are getting more drop on their curve than Bauer. Always his best secondary offering, it’s now improved"

I'm really looking forward to Bauer's start.

With the crazy bad luck followed by great success this team has had this season, I would not be surprised if Bauer cannot pitch; Ryan Merritt gets his second major league start and pitches 5 innings, allows 1 run and gets the win.

Interesting timing!
And how can a Canadian court rule on an American team?


Court hearing on potential Ontario ban of Indians name, logo
By Rob Gillies | AP October 17 at 11:19 AM

TORONTO — A Toronto court will hear arguments Monday on an attempt to bar the Cleveland Indians from using their team name and “Chief Wahoo” logo in Ontario.

The legal challenge by indigenous activist Douglas Cardinal comes on the same day the team plays the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in Toronto.

The long-standing logo, which appears on some team caps and jerseys, depicts a grinning, red-faced cartoon with a feather headband.

Cardinal’s lawyers will ask the court Monday to bar the usage of the name and logo by the team, Major League Baseball and Toronto team owner Rogers Communications, which broadcasts the game in Canada. Justice Tom McEwen will hear the challenge early Monday afternoon. Michael Swinwood, one of Cardinal’s lawyers, said the judge will rule before Monday night’s game.

Cardinal believes the team shouldn’t be allowed to wear their regular jerseys, the logo shouldn’t be broadcast and the team should be referred to as “the Cleveland team.”

“It’s quite obviously a derogatory, cartoonish representation of an indigenous person,” Swinwood said. “The whole concept of how it demeans native people is essentially his concern.”

Swinwood said the legal challenge is a high-profile opportunity to bring awareness to the racism aboriginal people face in North America.

Indians spokesman said Curtis Dansburg said the team is focused on the playoffs and “will not comment any further on matters that distract from our pursuit on the field.”

Rogers Communications spokesman Aaron Lazarus said his organization understands that the Cleveland name and logo is a concern for a number of Canadians but said the playoff game is important to baseball fans.

“Punishing fans by blocking the broadcast of the games doesn’t seem like the right solution and it would be virtually impossible to broadcast the games without seeing the Cleveland team name and logo on the field, in the stands and in the stadium,” Lazarus said.

The Indians dropped Wahoo as their primary logo two years ago, switching to a block “C’’, and reduced the logo’s visibility. However, one of the caps the Indians wear at home has the “Wahoo” logo on its front and Cleveland’s jerseys remain adorned with the Wahoo logo on one sleeve.

Mark Shapiro, a former Cleveland Indians president and current Blue Jays president, worked on building up the other logo, the simple C. He said last week the Wahoo logo “personally bothered” him but said the people of Cleveland thought differently. Shapiro was asked about it after Blue Jays broadcaster Jerry Howarth said he refuses to use the team name after getting a letter from an aboriginal person saying such terms were deeply offensive.

The NFL’s Washington Redskins have received harsh criticism for their nickname, and many universities and high schools have made changes to logos, mascots and nicknames that depict Native Americans, a once common tradition throughout the U.S.

Wouldn't it be cool to come out with Jerseys that say "The Cleveland Team"!

What does Jerry Howarth call them? the Indigenous North Americans? the Naps? How about the Drones, at least for tonight?

Judge Asks How ALCS Will Be Played If Indians Logo Banned

By rob gillies, associated press

TORONTO — Oct 17, 2016, 3:20 PM ET


An Ontario judge hearing arguments on an attempt to bar the Cleveland Indians from using their team name and "Chief Wahoo" logo during Monday's night playoff game in Toronto asked the plaintiff's lawyer how the game would be played if the name and logo didn't appear.

The legal challenge by indigenous activist Douglas Cardinal comes on the same day the team plays the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

The long-standing logo, which appears on some team caps and jerseys, depicts a grinning, red-faced cartoon with a feather headband.

Lawyer Monique Jilesen told Ontario Superior Court Justice Tom McEwen the game could be played with spring training uniforms that don't carry the name or "Chief Wahoo" logo. Jilesen said the club was informed of this Sunday, and there is no attempt to stop the game.

"Using a racially discriminatory caricature is a violation of the Ontario human rights code," Jilesen told the judge.

At least 27 lawyers representing the Cleveland Indians, Major League Baseball and others, including the plaintiffs, attended the hearing, which was moved to a larger court room to accommodate the crowd. Michael Swinwood, one of Cardinal's lawyers, said the judge will rule before Monday night's game.

Major League Baseball said it "appreciates the concerns" of those who find the name and logo "offensive."

"We would welcome a thoughtful and inclusive dialogue to address these concerns outside the context of litigation," the league said in a statement. "Given the demands for completing the League Championship Series in a timely manner, MLB will defend Cleveland's right to use their name that has been in existence for more than 100 years."

Cardinal's lawyers asked the court to bar the usage of the name and logo by the team, MLB and Toronto team owner Rogers Communications, which rebroadcasts the TBS game in Canada.

Cardinal believes the team shouldn't be allowed to wear their regular jerseys, the logo shouldn't be broadcast and the team should be referred to as "the Cleveland team."

"It's quite obviously a derogatory, cartoonish representation of an indigenous person," Swinwood said. "The whole concept of how it demeans native people is essentially his concern."

Swinwood said the legal challenge is a high-profile opportunity to bring awareness to the racism aboriginal people face in North America.

Kent Thomson, a lawyer for Rogers, told the judge that Rogers would have to black out the game in Canada because they can't control what TBS shows during the game.

"It would punish millions and millions of Canadians, Blue Jays fans, and owners of bars and restaurants across the country," Thomson said.

He said the case was sprung on them late Friday night and noted that Cardinal won't even be watching the game because he's in China.

Indians spokesman Curtis Dansburg said the team is focused on the playoffs and "will not comment any further on matters that distract from our pursuit on the field."

The Indians dropped Wahoo as their primary logo two years ago, switching to a block "C'', and reduced the logo's visibility. However, one of the caps the Indians wear at home has the "Wahoo" logo on its front and Cleveland's jerseys remain adorned with the Wahoo logo on one sleeve.

Mark Shapiro, a former Cleveland Indians president and current Blue Jays president, has promoted use of the other logo, the simple C. He said last week the Wahoo logo "personally bothered" him but said the people of Cleveland thought differently. Shapiro was asked about it after Blue Jays broadcaster Jerry Howarth said he refuses to use the team name after getting a letter from an aboriginal person saying such terms were deeply offensive.