In a must-win game for the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, former Blue Devil Marcus Stroman could not stop the bleeding against the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians topped the Blue Jays 4-2 Monday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, a deficit only one team has overcome in 35 tries in playoff history. Stroman threw 94 pitches in 5 1/3 innings and gave up four earned runs on three walks and three hits—two of which were home runs—to the potent Cleveland offense.
With the score tied at two in the top of the sixth, Stroman surrendered a leadoff home run to Jason Kipnis to put the Indians in front for good. Toronto manager John Gibbons replaced Stroman with Joe Biagini after his young right-hander issued a one-out walk to Mike Napoli, and Stroman was charged with his fourth earned run when Napoli came around to score.
The Blue Jays' postseason run started with Stroman on the mound in the American League wild-card game, when the Medford, N.Y., native delivered a quality start before his team won in dramatic fashion in the 11th inning. Toronto then swept the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series to get to four postseason wins in a row, but the Blue Jays will now need to beat Cleveland four straight times to keep their season alive and advance to the World Series.
The damage against Stroman Monday started in the first inning when he walked Carlos Santana to start the game. After two quick outs, Napoli came through for the Indians with a clutch double to score Santana and give them the early 1-0 lead.
After a home run by Blue Jay Michael Saunders tied the game in the second, Napoli delivered once again for the visiting Indians with a solo home run in the top of the fourth. Toronto got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the score at two, but Stroman could not keep the game level in the sixth and the Blue Jays' offense went silent the rest of the way.
The Indians started Trevor Bauer but had to take him out after just two outs when a wound opened up and started bleeding profusely on his throwing hand. Cleveland used six other pitchers to finish the contest, as its vaunted bullpen limited the Blue Jays all night.
The Indians' first reliever to enter the game was Duke product Dan Otero, who pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up the home run to Saunders. It was his second playoff appearance after pitching a perfect inning in the Indians' ALDS victory against the Boston Red Sox last week.
Otero—who played for the Blue Devils from 2004-2006 before transferring to South Florida for his senior year—has been a valuable asset in the Indians' bullpen this year, finishing the regular season with a 1.53 ERA in 62 appearances. After making his major-league debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2012, Otero pitched three up-and-down years for the Oakland Athletics before landing in Cleveland prior to this season.
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