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HOUSTON (AP) — This postseason may be best remembered for its bullpen openers. Just not in the AL Division Series between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians.Relief pitchers are covering entire games for other championship contenders this October http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-jackie-bra...-jr-jer sey , but the Astros and Indians are ready to roll old school, starting with Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber facing off in Game 1 on Friday.“I love starters,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said Thursday. “Why? Because I’ve got good ones. I think that’s the easiest way to fall in love with a rotation and have that mindset, do I want my starters to go deep in the game? Yeah, they’re good.”Cleveland knows the feeling. This series will feature some of the best pitchers in the American League, with Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco opposing two-time All-Star right-hander Gerrit Cole in the second game Saturday, and Mike Clevinger of the Indians and 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel pitching in Monday’s Game 3.Verlander, a 14-year veteran, believes the AL West champion Astros and AL Central champion Indians have the top two rotations in the AL. He thinks the performance of each team’s starters will be paramount to success in this series.“Us and the Indians probably being 1 and 2, however you like to slice it, us and them, them and us,” he said. “Pick your poison. We both have very defined starters who have a great track record and have good stuff. This should be a really fun series.”Kluber pitched well in the postseason in 2016 when the Indians fell to the Cubs in the World Series. But he struggled in the ALDS last year against the New York Yankees while dealing with an aching back. He’s feeling healthier this time around and expecting a stronger performance.“Whether a game I pitch or a month I have or a year I have is good or bad, the way I look at it is I’m looking forward to the next one … not dwelling on previous outings or games, whether they’re good or bad Roger Clemens Jersey ,” he said.Some things to look for as the Indians and Astros open this best-of-five series.CORREA’S BACKHouston shortstop Carlos Correa hit .268 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in the first half this season but struggled with a back injury for most of the second half. He missed about six weeks and hit just .180 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 37 games after the All-Star break.Though it wasn’t bothering him Thursday, the top overall pick in the 2012 draft said he isn’t sure that the problem is completely behind him.“One day I wake up and I’m fine and one day I wake up and my back is tight again,” he said. “Right now, I feel great. I feel ready to go and hopefully it doesn’t come back.”MORTON AND BAUERHouston’s Charlie Morton and Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer could end up starting Game 4, if necessary. However, they might also come out of the bullpen before that if any of their starters struggle. Manager Terry Francona has indicated Bauer could be used to eat up multiple innings like Andrew Miller did for the Indians in the last couple of postseasons.“Our job now is to take who we have now and get the best out of them. … If we get where we want, my guess is that Trevor’s going to be used a ton,” Francona said.DONALDSON’S SEASONThird baseman Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, spent most of the season on the disabled list with various injuries before being traded from Toronto to Cleveland on Aug. 31. He looked good in limited action at the end of the season, hitting .280 with three homers and seven RBIs in 16 games. The Indians hope he regains the form he’s shown in five career postseasons where he’s hit .292 with four homers and 13 RBIs.He’s looking forward to contributing after the tough path it took to get back on the field this year.“I definitely didn’t know if I was going to make it back this season,” he said. “But I was trying to do everything possible that I could, and I feel very fortunate and blessed to be in the position that I am right now and to hopefully help these guys achieve their ultimate goal.”VALUE OF SPEEDBoth the Astros and the Indians used one of their final roster spots on players who are valuable for their speed. Houston picked rookie Myles Straw over carrying a third catcher and the Indians went with Rajai Davis over backup shortstop Erik Gonzalez.Straw has been used almost exclusively as a pinch-runner since being called up on Sept. 15, and Hinch raved about what a player like him can do for a team in the postseason.“Straw can be a huge impact on the bases. … He is so fast he forced the third catcher off the roster,” Hinch said. “And that gives us a lot of weapons.”Davis was big for the Indians during their 2016 playoff run http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-andrew-ben...ndi-jer sey , hitting a tying home run in Game 7 of the World Series that Cleveland lost to the Cubs in 10 innings. The speedy Davis has proven to still be a threat on the bases this season and has 21 steals despite approaching his 38th birthday.Donaldson said the speed of Davis could really help Cleveland this postseason.“In the playoffs, I think what you look for is being able to score in a multitude of different ways: One, the home run ball; B is small ball; and then, three, just pure speed,” he said. “And that’s what he brings.” With the Baltimore Orioles needing to make changes for the future as they endure a disastrous 2018 season, reliever Zach Britton was traded to the New York Yankees, the Orioles announced.Jon Heyman of Fancred.com first reported the two teams agreed to a deal. He added that Double-A right-hander Dillon Tate is one of the pieces likely headed to Baltimore in return.Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Orioles' return will also likely include Triple-A left-hander Josh Rogers and Triple-A reliever Cody Carroll. Sherman added that while all deals aren't done until the physicals are reviewed, the trade has been agreed upon.The Orioles already signaled they were looking ahead to 2019 and beyond when they traded Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 18 for a package of five prospects.Britton didn't make his 2018 debut until June 12 after rupturing his Achilles in December. The southpaw is still rounding back into shape with a 3.45 ERA, 13 strikeouts and 10 walks in 15.2 innings.Last season was a struggle for Britton because of injuries. He had two separate stints on the disabled list because of a strained left forearm, including a two-month spell from an appearance on May 4 to his return on July 5.Britton was one of the best relievers in Major League Baseball in 2016. He finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting after leading the league with 47 saves and posting a 0.54 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 38 hits allowed in 67 innings.The big key for Britton's success two years ago was his emphasized use of the cutter, as noted by ESPN's Jayson Stark in March."Britton went from featuring the sinker about 67 percent of the time in 2013 to more than 90 percent in each of the past three seasons," Stark wrote. "The results were mind-blowing. He allowed just 32 balls in the air all of the past season. Even the hitters don't understand how that can happen."Britton relied on the pitch even more in 2017, throwing it a career-high 94.7 percent of the time Luis Tiant Jersey , per FanGraphs. He was still effective but not as dominant, with a 2.89 ERA in 37.1 innings. His strikeouts per nine innings of 7.0 was his lowest total since 2013 (4.1).The Orioles likely knew there was a chance they would part ways with Britton, who is going to be a free agent after this season. They sit in last place in the American League East, so having a reliever who has battled injuries for two years in a lame duck year doesn't do anything to help them now or in the future.Tate is the key piece in the deal from Baltimore's side. He was a first-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2015 and has posted a 3.38 ERA in 15 starts this season. MLB.com ranked him as New York's ninth-best prospect in 2018, noting he could end up in the bullpen because his excellent stuff doesn't miss as many bats as it should.Despite the injury risk, the Yankees are betting on him being able to turn things around after struggling to stay on the field last season.The Yankees didn't necessarily need to upgrade their bullpen. Their current group of relievers ranks first in MLB with a 2.75 ERA, 448 strikeouts and .199 batting average against.Starting pitching seemed like a better focus for New York, but with a soft market lacking impact in that role, being able to shorten games with another power arm out of the bullpen gives manager Aaron Boone a lot of options to pick from.Britton adds a left-handed presence in the back of New York's bullpen, along with closer Aroldis Chapman. The rest of the primary relievers are all right-handers like David Robertson, Chad Green, Dellin Betances and Adam Warren.The Yankees' addition of Britton allows Boone to play matchups however he wants as his team continues its march toward the postseason.
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