A.M. Wahoo’s: The Bullpen Pitches a Gem, Indians up 3-0

The Cleveland Indians have taken a commanding 3-0 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS thanks to the great work of the bullpen on Monday night.

Terry Francona is the best manager in baseball and it is not even close.

The Cleveland Indians seemed to be in trouble when Trevor Bauer‘s finger began bleeding profusely in the bottom of the first inning, causing him to be pulled after recording only two outs. But Francona never panicked, and neither did his team.

Dan Otero came in to get the final out of the first and became the first of six bullpen pitchers to enter Monday’s game. None of the six went less than one inning, and only Otero and Zach McAllister allowed a run, both giving up one each.

Getting to Bryan Shaw in the fifth with the game tied 2-2 put the Indians in a familiar situation, with Shaw giving way to Cody Allen and Andrew Miller. Allen actually came before Miller this time, showing how Francona trusts his pitchers in unfamiliar situations.

While this was great managing by Francona, the credit also has to go to the performance of the six relievers. Their manager put them in a position to succeed, but that wouldn’t have mattered if the pressure couldn’t be handled and too many runs were given up. Otero, McAllister and Jeff Manship all stepped up after so much time on the bench, and that should be commended in the postgame coverage.

They were helped by the offense, with this game seeing the revivals of Jason Kipnis, Mike Napoli and Jose Ramirez, who combined to drive in the four runs. It is the year of different players stepping up every night, and we as fans are lucky enough to be witness this magical ride. Just one more win to go.

While we wait for today’s first pitch and continue to look back at last night’s game, let’s take a look at the news surrounding the Indians and the rest of the MLB in today’s edition of A.M. Wahoo’s.

Cleveland Indians News:

Indians Silence Blue Jays, Bautista, Critics (Let’s Go Tribe)

"Trevor Bauer attempted to pitch with ten stitches crisscrossing the pinky finger on his pitching hand."

Kluber Set for Game 4 in Wake of Bauer Outage (Indians.com)

"With Trevor Bauer pulled after two-thirds of an inning in Cleveland’s 4-2 win in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday due to bleeding from his injured pinkie finger, manager Terry Francona announced during an on-air interview with TBS that Corey Kluber will get the start against the Blue Jays in Game 4 with a 3-0 series lead."

ALCS Game 3 Recap: Indians Beat Blue Jays 4-2 (FanSided)

"The 2016 ALCS continued with Game 3 on Monday night and the Cleveland Indians remain undefeated in the 2016 postseason."

MLB News:

Detroit Tigers: Will Francisco Rodriguez Return in 2017? (Call to the Pen)

"For many years, the Detroit Tigers were plagued by the inability to find a lockdown closer. This year, it was Francisco Rodriguez‘s turn to show what he could do."

Dodgers’ Julio Urias to Start Game 4 (ESPN.com)

"In a kid they will trust, as the Dodgers announced that 20-year-old rookie Julio Urias will start Wednesday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Cubs."

The Cubs’ Biggest Problem Has Been Exposed (FoxSports.com)

"In the hours following their Game 2 loss to Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs will board a plane to the West Coast."