ALCS: Corey Kluber to start Game 4 for the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians’ ace, Corey Kluber, will pitch on short rest and start Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. Their series with the Toronto Blue Jays is currently 3-0 in Cleveland’s favor.

“Kluber just slotted up into tomorrow, which is kind of reassuring,” Francona said during a Game 3 in-game interview with TBS. Kluber has been absolutely dominant this postseason and the Indians will rely on him to continue that trend.

Against the Boston Red Sox, Kluber made the start for Game 2 of the American League Division Series. He pitched seven shutout innings and recorded seven strikeouts while allowing only three hits and three walks.

Kluber followed that up with a ALCS Game 1 start against the Blue Jays last Friday. Through 6 1/3 innings, he struck out six, walked two, and allowed six hits. Again, he did not allow a run.

Trevor Bauer started Game 3 but lasted only 2/3 innings due to a finger injury. The right-handed starter previously suffered a nasty cut on his right pinkie finger after working on a remote-control drone. After throwing 21 pitches on Monday, Bauer was removed due to a large amount of blood dripping from his hand.

Shortly after Bauer’s removal, the Game 3 announcers wondered who would pitch for the remainder of the game. Terry Francona opted to use Dan Otero and announce that Corey Kluber would start Game 4. If a Game 5 is necessary, rookie Ryan Merritt will likely be called upon.

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With Kluber starting Game 4, that also gives the Indians the option for him to start Game 7 if the Blue Jays somehow rally back from a 3-0 deficit. With Kluber’s recent dominance and Bauer’s injury, the Indians will need to rely heavily on Kluber if they want to win it all.