CLEVELAND: Indians ace Corey Kluber said he feels the mild quadriceps strain he sustained the last week of the regular season is no longer a problem.
Kluber, Friday night’s Game 1 starter in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, said he was assured it wouldn’t be an issue after the second bullpen session leading up to the playoffs.
Indians manager Terry Francona had said Kluber might have some trouble pushing off the rubber in his American League Division Series Game 2 start. Part of that might have been because of a sleeve Kluber wore, which he later took off. Kluber expects to be good to go for Game 1 of the ALCS.
“I was fine after that,” Kluber said. “Whether that had an effect on my velocity, I’m not sure. But if I can go out there and give the team seven innings, I’m not really concerned with how hard I’m throwing. … It was more precautionary than anything. We weren’t trying to protect against anything major.”
The Indians would gladly take a repeat performance of his Game 2 start, when he tossed seven scoreless innings. But while the results were strong, they didn’t quite feature Kluber at his best. Jason Kipnis said he could see things weren’t quite all there. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway agreed.
“Sometimes not everybody gets the full story what’s going on with a guy when he’s trying to battle through,” Callaway said. “Probably one of the gutsiest performances I’ve ever seen out of a starting pitcher in any situation.”
Kluber could have his hands full, facing the hottest lineup left in the postseason. The Blue Jays have averaged 6.75 runs per game and have hit 10 home runs in four games.
“They have a lot of power, but they’re also patient,” Kluber said. “You have to go out there and execute pitches. There’s not really a magic formula. Just like what we asked about with Boston, it’s not a magic formula, they’re just a really good offense. We all have our work cut out for us.”
25 questions
The Indians have yet to set their ALCS roster.
The main question is whether the Indians carry three catchers or add a pitcher, with Game 4 and a short start from Mike Clevinger looming.
Francona said on Thursday that the club has flown pitchers Ryan Merritt and Joe Colon back to Cleveland from Arizona. Erik Gonzalez is back in Cleveland as well.
Teams have until Friday morning to set their rosters for the series.
ALCS watch parties
The Indians announced they’ll hold watch parties when the ALCS turns to Toronto for Games 3, 4 and potentially 5 from Monday to Wednesday next week.
Watch parties will be held at four area Buffalo Wild Wings, including the downtown Cleveland, Willoughby Elyria and Medina locations.
Times
First pitch times for Games 1-6 of the ALCS are known. Games 1, 3 and 6 will be at 8:08 p.m. Games 2, 4 and 5 will be at 4:08 p.m. Game 7, if necessary, is still to be determined. All games will be televised on TBS. Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Jr. will be on the call, with Sam Ryan reporting on the field.
#RockRed
The Indians were encouraging fans to wear all red throughout the ALCS as part of a #RockRed campaign. Gates open two hours before the first pitch. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats for Game 1 at least 30 minutes earlier for pregame festivities.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ