ALCS Game 3 recap: Indians beat Blue Jays 4-2
The Cleveland Indians jumped out to a 3-0 series lead with a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the 2016 ALCS on Monday.
The 2016 ALCS continued with Game 3 on Monday night and the Cleveland Indians remain undefeated in the 2016 postseason. The Indians held on to a 4-2 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, putting them up 3-0 in the best of seven series.
Trevor Bauer had to leave the game earlier than expected after his finger started bleeding in the first inning. The “drone accident” he suffered on Friday clearly impacted his game more than he hoped. With 10 stitches in his pinky finger, the stress of the throwing action aggravated the injury so that blood dripped freely from his hand. Bauer tried to wipe his hand on his jersey but was done after 21 pitches.
Despite the early shakeup in the bullpen, the Indians got to work early with a Mike Napoli double, scoring Carlos Santana. The Blue Jays answered in the second inning when Michael Saunders launched a home run into left field, bringing the game to a 1-1 tie. Napoli put the Indians back in the lead with a home run of his own in the fourth inning.
Toronto tied it up again in the bottom of the fifth when a Ryan Goins’ ground out led to an RBI. The Indians went to work in the sixth inning when Jason Kipnis hit a home run, followed by a Jose Ramirez single that scored Mike Napoli. The Tribe went up 4-2 and never looked back.
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Mike Napoli had a great game, with an RBI double in the first inning, home run in the fourth inning, and a walk and a run in the sixth inning. The run in the sixth inning came courtesy of a stolen base, which was later scored as a wild pitch. Either way, Napoli advanced to scoring position in time for Ramirez to nail a line drive single, giving Napoli time to score.
The Indians called in six relievers to get through the game after Bauer left in the first inning. The win went to Bryan Shaw with the save going once again to Andrew Miller. Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman had three hits and four earned runs with five punchouts on 5.1 innings of work in tonight’s game.
Related Story: ALCS Game 2 recap: Indians beat Blue Jays 2-1
Corey Kluber will likely be on the mound in Game 4 for the Indians and Aaron Sanchez is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays. Moving Kluber up to start Game 4 makes him available to pitch on short rest for Game 7 if the need arises.
Game 4 of the American League Championship Series is set for Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. ET on TBS.