Cleveland Sports Forum

I don't see how he will be able to pitch effectively now. Where's kenm with his white flag?

Stupid is as stupid does. What a moron! This is karma for his ridiculous attack on the beat writer for the team who was covering this cheap team long before he was born. It would be great if the tribe won the Series and he didnt pitch again for the rest of the year and then they traded him in offseason to a cruddy team. Not holding my breath though.

Andrew Miller - are you kidding me?

When this guy come's in, it's like Little League all over again. Everyone stands around and watches the opposition strike out.

How incredibly valuable. Once the team gets ahead, this guy essentially immobilizes the other team for the next couple innings.

Greatest deadline trade ever. Huge part in 3 of the 4 wins.

Not to mention his amazing unselfishness. He's raised the bar for all relief pitchers who are obsessed with their "role"

MLB Network did a great video on Miller's mechanics before he had success as opposed to now. He used to have a high leg kick and was on top of the pitches. Now he barely raises his front foot off the ground and just kind of sweeps the pitch in. Was really interesting.

Saw that, agree it was cool!

Bauer and Tito meet the press:

https://www.facebook.com/Indians/videos ... 063184521/

TORONTO — Injured Cleveland right-hander Danny Salazar threw what appeared to be a simulated game Sunday night at Rogers Centre.

Salazar has been out since Sept. 9 with forearm issues. The All-Star is not on the roster for the Indians in the AL Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, but he took the mound at the end of Cleveland’s workout and threw to hitters.

The Indians lead the series 2-0 despite injuries to Salazar and fellow starter Carlos Carrasco. Game 3 is Monday night.

Manager Terry Francona had not mentioned that Salazar was scheduled to throw when he held his news conference earlier Sunday.

Salazar went 11-6 with a 3.87 ERA during the regular season.

Miller is amazing but don't overlook reliable Cody Allen; there have been several closer breakdowns in the playoffs but Cody is a solid 4 for 4 with some tough 1 run leads to hold on to

Pedro Martinez ✔ @45PedroMartinez
I have been in many postseasons and hadn't seen anybody dominate like Andrew Miller.

Pedro Martinez ✔ @45PedroMartinez
Not even the great Mariano Rivera I saw having as much success as Andrew Miller, overpowering hitters. #postseason #Miller

But this one is my favorite ...

Brandon McCarthy ✔ @BMcCarthy32
baseball is so rooted in traditions thats hitters still take their bats to the plate against Andrew Miller even though they're not needed

Unfortunately I have seen our heroes look pretty pathetic against Pedro.

Relax and enjoy THIS season!

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Ryan Merritt will start either Game 4 or Game 5 of the ALCS for the Indians.
Corey Kluber will start the other game. The feeling had been that Mike Clevinger would get a start, but evidently manager Terry Francona must have had a change of heart. The order in which Merritt and Kluber start will be determined based on how long Trevor Bauer lasts in Game 3. If it's a short outing, Kluber will come back on short rest in Game 4. Merritt made one start for the Indians this season in late September, tossing five innings of one-run ball. He's yet to make an appearance this postseason. His start against the Blue Jays doesn't figure to last terribly long even if he's pitching relatively well, as the Tribe will use a host of relievers.

Source: Buster Olney on TwitterOct 17 - 5:18 PM

Knuckleball News

Indians announce Ryan Merritt as ALCS Game 4 starter

By Jesse Borek
Posted on October 17, 2016


The Cleveland Indians have announced that left-handed pitcher Ryan Merritt will start Game 4 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, with the decision pending the outcome of Monday evening’s Game 3. The Indians had to use only three starters during the team’s sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS before an extended break while the club then used the same trio for the opening three games against Toronto.

With right-handers Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco out for the season, the Indians have had to find a fourth option for their current series against the Blue Jays. The team had originally listed right-hander Mike Clevinger as a potential starter, but now it appears that Merritt will get the ball on Tuesday instead.

Of course, the last time Merritt pitched was back on Sep. 30 against the Kansas City Royals. That appearance was the 24-year-old’s only big league start to date. Since making his major league debut back on May 30, Merritt has thrown all of 11 innings at the highest level, allowing just two earned runs in 11 innings while walking no opposing batters en route to a 1.64 ERA.

The majority of his 2016 season was spent at Triple-A Columbus where he went 11-8 with a 3.70 ERA in 24 starts. Strikeouts have never quite been his forte as he owns a 5.8 average per nine innings for his career, but not walking the opposition has been. He has managed just 23 walks in 143.1 innings this season, which is right on track with his career average.

A 16th-round pick by the Indians out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas during the 2011 MLB Draft, Merritt has consistently moved up the Cleveland minor league ranks by earning double-digit victories for three consecutive seasons.