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          SweetSpot

          What we learned: Indians' Bauer exits early, Blue Jays' Stroman stays in too long

          • David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior WriterOct 18, 2016, 04:46 AM
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            • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
            • Former deputy editor of Page 2
            • Been with ESPN.com since 1995
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          Maybe Game 3 didn't go exactly to the script the Cleveland Indians would have preferred. But they beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 and are a win away from their first World Series since 1997.

          1. A bloody good game for the Cleveland bullpen. Trevor Bauer tried to pitch through the stitches on his right pinkie, but after a couple batters, blood was dripping off his hand like a leaky faucet and he was wiping the blood on his uniform between pitches. That wasn't going to work, so once Blue Jays manager John Gibbons protested, Bauer was out of the game. Indians manager Terry Francona hasn't had to use his bullpen much beyond Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, so that made it easier to churn through six relievers, none of them pitching more than 1 2/3 innings. A couple thoughts here:

          (1) I like that Dan Otero was the first guy he brought in. Bauer had walked two guys, so it was imperative to get out of that first inning. Otero, who had a 1.54 ERA, wouldn't be considered the long man, but Francona knew he would have to patch the game together at this point. Otero got Russell Martin to ground out -- he's left like a zillion runners on base this postseason -- to escape the jam, although he did give up a home run in the second inning.

          (2) He brought in Allen before Miller. Again, more thinking outside the box. By the time Bryan Shaw needed to be relieved, the bottom of the order was up. So if you maybe wanted to use Allen for more outs than Miller (since Miller had been worked harder the first two games), why waste Miller's outs on the bottom guys? So Allen got five outs and Miller got the final four.

          (3) Francona couldn't have managed a game like this in the National League. Five of his six pitching changes came midinning. In the NL, at some point you'd have to worry about the pitcher's spot in the lineup. At the same time, give Francona credit for not worrying about "Let this guy finish the inning." Of course, you look pretty smart when the players perform.

          By the way, including their sweep of the Royals to end the season, that's nine wins in a row for the Indians. By the way, part 2: Andrew Miller has 20 strikeouts in nine innings this postseason. Somehow, he has allowed four hits.

          2. Mike Napoli delivers big time. Have a game: RBI double off Jose Bautista's glove in the first inning (Bautista is a horrible right fielder at this point with poor range, and the shoulder injury has robbed him of his arm strength); home run to center in the fourth; walk, stolen base on a delayed steal and run scored in the sixth. You know, he's one of those guys who keeps ending up on good teams. Napoli was in the playoffs with the Angels in 2007, 2008 and 2009; with the Rangers in 2011 and 2012; with the World Series champion Red Sox in 2013; with the Rangers again last year; and now the Indians. He also broke out of a little slump: Before that first-inning double, he had been zero for his last 25 against right-handed pitchers. Is this a bad time to mention the Blue Jays -- after acquiring Napoli from the Angels -- once traded him for Frank Francisco?

          3. Gibbons leaves Marcus Stroman in too long. Here's the deal: The numbers say Stroman is a much worse pitcher the third time through the order. Like, much worse. Given the state of the series and the tie score at the time, John Gibbons' lack of urgency in the top of the sixth with the 2-3-4 hitters coming up for the Indians was a huge mistake. Those numbers for Stroman in the regular season:

          First time through order: .275/.321/.346, 1 HR

          Second time: .225/.289/.341, 5 HR

          Third time: .284/.321/.525, 14 HR

          I know the Blue Jays don't have Miller sitting down there in middle relief, but Stroman's numbers are so striking that Gibbons had to be aware of them. Instead, he apparently went with his gut. The results: Jason Kipnis homered off a 2-2 fastball, middle-away. After striking out Francisco Lindor, Stroman walked Napoli, who would come around to score for the 4-2 lead. Ballgame.

          4. Coco Crisp saves the day. The Blue Jays had one last chance in the bottom of the seventh, still down 4-2. After Kevin Pillar singled off Shaw, Bautista drew a two-out walk off of Allen. Josh Donaldson smokes the first pitch on a line to left field, but Crisp made a nice diving catch to end the rally.

          5. Corey Kluber to start Game 4. Knowing the Indians need some depth from their starter after working through his bullpen, Francona will turn to his ace on three days' rest, hoping he can get to the seventh inning again. It will be the first time Kluber is starting on three days' rest.

          Teams to take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series are 34-1. If the Indians do reach the World Series, they'll be hosting Game 1 on the same day the Cavs are raising their championship banner. Not a bad night to be a Cleveland sports fan.