ALDS 2016: 5 reasons Indians will win

2. Andrew Miller

The Red Sox will be facing a familiar face in Indians’ relief pitcher Andrew Miller. Before going further, credit must be given to Cleveland’s bullpen. They might lack a true go to closer, but they have numerous pitchers capable of pitching in high leverage situations. The closer role often limits pitchers and Francona’s brilliance shows in how he handles his bullpen. He uses his best pitchers to get the big outs, no matter what inning those outs are in.

Cleveland’s most deadly weapon in the bullpen is Miller. He is capable of handling a variety of roles. Need to get David Ortiz out but don’t want to have to burn a lefty with Mookie Betts likely following him? Miller’s your man. He’s a southpaw who is equally adept at getting righties and lefties out.

Some closers falter in non-save situations. Miller isn’t one of them because he has experience in a variety of bullpen roles. He has been a lefty specialist, a middle reliever, a setup man, and a closer since his transformation from failed starting pitcher to relief ace. Miller’s 1.45 ERA this season is one of the lowest in baseball. His strikeout rate of 14.89 per nine innings and walk rate of just 1.09 per nine innings is unfairly good.