ALCS Game 3: Indians' bullpen excels after Trevor Bauer exits early

Andrew Miller and the Indians’ bullpen carried Cleveland in Game 3 of the ALCS. (Getty Images/Alex Trautwig)

When your bullpen is this good, you don’t need starting pitching. The Cleveland Indians proved as much Monday, picking up a 4-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Let’s take a look at the circumstances surrounding the win.

Things seemed a bit shaky early. Though Cleveland jumped out to a quick lead, starter Trevor Bauer lasted just two-thirds of an inning after a cut on his pinky finger opened up on the mound.

With Bauer done for the night, Terry Francona had no choice but to turn to his bullpen. As has been the case all series, they did not disappoint.

Six different Cleveland relievers combined to allow just two runs over 8 1/3 innings. With the win, the Indians improve to 3-0 in the ALCS. They are just one win away from their first World Series appearance since 1997.

Cleveland’s chances of that are pretty good. Of the 10 teams to hold a 3-0 lead in the Championship Series, only the 2004 New York Yankees have failed to advance to the World Series.

Mike Napoli showed off all his skills in Game 3 of the ALCS. (Getty Images/Elsa)

• Turns out, Mike Napoli is actually a five-tool player. We knew he could hit, and he proved as much with an RBI double in the first. Then, in the fourth, he gave the Indians a lead again. This time with a solo home run. It was the sixth, however, where Napoli showed off the rest of his skills. Following a walk, Napoli advanced to second on a wild pitch. A few seconds later, he flashed his speed, scoring on a single by Jose Ramirez. Napoli finished the contest 2-for-3, with two runs scored and two RBI.

• Pretty much every member of the Indians’ bullpen. A ton of pressure was put on Dan Otero, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller to pick up the slack once Bauer left the game. While Otero and McAllister each gave up runs, the overall performance of the club’s relievers was pretty excellent. As a group, they allowed two runs on seven hits. They combined for eight strikeouts.

• Once again, the Blue Jays’ offense had a quiet night. The worst performance belonged to catcher Russell Martin. Martin went 0-for-4 during Game 3, striking out three times. The 33-year-old catcher is hitting just .100 during the series.

• It wasn’t a great start for Marcus Stroman. The 25-year-old didn’t get a ton of run support, but he did allow Cleveland to fight its way back into the game a few different times. Stroman allowed four runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five, but walked three during the outing.

• Though Cleveland won, Bauer deserves a spot here. His injury put the Indians in a tough spot. While they were able to overcome, it wasn’t exactly the ideal scenario. Prior to the contest, Bauer tried to downplay the issue by bringing his drone to a press conference, but the injury turned out to be more serious than many expected.

The Blue Jays put on some pressure in the seventh inning. Kevin Pillar kicked things off with a single, which chased Shaw from the contest. That brought in Allen. The closer was able to get two quick outs, but walked Jose Bautista to put two men on base. That brought Josh Donaldson to the plate as the potential go-ahead run.

For a second, it looked like Donaldson may have come up with a big hit. He slapped an 84 mph curve from Allen out to shallow left. Coco Crisp came charging in on the ball, and slid forward as he secured it in his glove for the final out of the inning. It was one of the few times in the game the Blue Jays threatened to score against Cleveland’s bullpen.

Terry Francona has been perfect in the ALCS. (Getty Images/Elsa)

Terry Francona and the Indians’ relievers can do no wrong in this series. Many expected Cleveland’s injury-riddled rotation to be a problem in October, but the team has been able to get by with strong performances from Corey Kluber and Josh Tomlin, combined with Francona’s willingness to utilize his best relievers in unconventional moments.

What the heck happened to the Blue Jays’ offense? Toronto’s bats have gone ice cold after destroying Texas Rangers’ pitching in the American League Division Series. Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Martin and Troy Tulowitzki are all hitting .200 or under during the Championship Series. Only Donaldson (.364 average) has performed well at the plate for Toronto.

The Indians had no business winning this one after Bauer left early.

No team in @MLB history has ever won a postseason game without any one pitcher recording more than five outs.

— Jason Lukehart (@JasonLukehart) October 18, 2016

You shouldn’t have been surprised when Napoli scored from second on Ramirez’s sixth-inning single.

Napoli scores from 2nd on single.

Indians scored from 2nd on single an MLB-best 129 times during regular season.

— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) October 18, 2016

Game 4 of the ALCS will take place Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 4:00 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. With a World Series appearance looming, Cleveland will turn to ace Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA). He’ll be opposed by Aaron Sanchez (15-2, 3.00 ERA), who will try to keep the Blue Jays’ hopes alive.