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The MLB offseason is here for the majority of teams around the league, and all of those squads are looking to see how to improve toward next season.

Although there aren’t many impact free agents available in the 2017 class, a team can add a game-changing talent if it is willing to pay the price.

Here are some of the latest rumors surrounding the top players on the market.

Yoenis Cespedes, OF

In a weak year for free agents, all eyes are going to be on Yoenis Cespedes.

The outfielder signed a three-year contract before the start of the 2016 season with the ability to opt out after the first year. It gave him protection against an injury or poor performance, but the smart financial decision is to become a free agent and see what he can get on the open market.

According to ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin, the Mets “fully expect” Cespedes to become a free agent.

This goes against what he said about honoring his three-year contract back in August, per Bob Klapisch of NorthJersey.com, although he wouldn’t be the first player to say one thing and change his mind later in the year.

Cespedes was also thinking about returning after the wild-card loss to the San Francisco Giants, per Mike Puma of the New York Post:

However, the Mets front office might not be willing to give the talented player what he can get in other places. Rubin explained the team’s thought process:

The belief is that the Mets will offer a similar arrangement to Cespedes‘ current contract — a front-loaded, short-term deal with an opt-out after 2017, which would give Cespedes extra incentive to perform. General manager Sandy Alderson generally is averse to longer-term deals, and there is particular concern that Cespedes might not provide maximum effort for the duration of a lengthy contract without the carrot of an opt-out clause.

After Cespedes hit 48 home runs with 130 RBI in 189 games over the last year and a half with the Mets, he deserves a long-term deal. Plenty of other teams will likely offer him that type of contract.

While the 30-year-old might want to return to New York, another team that is willing to pay will be able to get him signed.

Predicted destination: Houston Astros

Edwin Encarnacion, DH

Few sluggers have been as underappreciated over the past few years as Edwin Encarnacion.

The Toronto Blue Jays star has 193 home runs over the last five seasons with at least 34 each year. This season, he led the American League with 127 RBI.

Although he might not be the most well-rounded player, Encarnacion is clearly a big-time middle-of-the-order hitter.

This is going to lead to a hefty contract for the 33-year-old veteran. Jon Morosi of MLB.com believed he could end up with $25 million per year for four or five seasons. Jeff Blair of Sportsnet also explained Encarnacion will have a bigger list of suitors because teams believe he can play first base every day.

It doesn’t seem likely the Blue Jays will be able to afford him, but there will be no shortage of teams interested in a player of his ability.

One is the Kansas City Royals, who had a disappointing follow-up season to their World Series title in 2015. As Jim Bowden of ESPN.com wrote, “The Royals’ top priority this offseason is to add a bat, preferably a right-handed slugger.”

Encarnacion appears to be the perfect fit for a team that should be back in contention next season.

Predicted destination: Kansas City Royals

Lourdes Gurriel, INF

Every team is looking for the next great young international player, and Lourdes Gurriel could be that target.

The brother of Houston Astros infielder Yulieski Gurriel, Lourdes is just 22 years old and possesses plenty of talent, leading to a lot of interest around the league.

According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Cuban is “in the process of setting up private workouts for a half-dozen or so teams.”

He lists the Boston Red Sox, Astros, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals as interested teams. 

Nick Krueger of SEC Country noted the player had a slash line of .344/.407/.560 against the best competition Cuba had to offer last year. While it is obviously a step up to the major leagues, there is a lot of potential in this young hitter.

Considering he can also play a premium position at either shortstop or second base, Gurriel could end up landing a big deal right out of the gate.

Predicted destination: Miami Marlins

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The National League Division Series field is set after the San Francisco Giants knocked off the New York Mets in the Wild Card Game, setting up the Giants for an NLDS meeting with the Chicago Cubs.

Madison Bumgarner put the Giants on his shoulders once again in the elimination game, twilring a four-hit shutout to improve his already legendary postseason resume.

Now the Giants will have to take on baseball’s best team, as the Cubs wrapped up the regular season at 103-58 with a staggerling plus-252 run differential.

The Cubs took the season series 4-3, taking three of four at home in September after dropping two of three at AT&T Park in May.

This NLDS matchup will begin Friday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, with first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.

Before the series gets underway, let’s take a position-by-position look at how the two teams match up and make a quick prediction for who will come out on top.

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Friday night at Nationals Park, we’ll see something we haven’t seen in more than 30 years: playoff baseball between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. 

Of course, the last time these two teams met in the postseason, in the 1981 National League Championship Series, the Nationals were known as the Montreal Expos.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker was a 32-year-old star for the Dodgers that season, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was nine years old. Most of the players about to partake in the National League Division Series between the two clubs had yet to be born.

It’s been a long time.

How do these two clubs stack up? Which team will be the last one standing when the NLDS comes to an end? Let’s take a look.

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Thursday’s Game 1s in the American League, which featured some of the most potent offenses in all of MLB, didn’t lack the firepower we’ve come to expect from the the teams that have been doing it all year. The Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians grabbed 1-0 series leads over the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox, respectively, with frightening combinations of quality pitching and overwhelming power at the plate. 

The series between Toronto and Texas is a rematch of the 2015 American League Division Series. A year ago, the Blue Jays dropped the first two games in the best-of-five series at home before heading to Texas. Toronto won both games on the road to force a decisive Game 5, which it would win at home.

The 2016 division series began differently for Toronto, which secured its date with the Rangers by sinking the Baltimore Orioles at home on Tuesday following a walk-off, three-run home run in the 11th inning from Edwin Encarnacion. 

Despite embarrassing the Rangers at their home park on Thursday by a score of 10-1, the Blue Jays know all too well that there is an arduous road ahead that leads to the American League Championship Series and continues at 1 p.m. ET on Friday. 

Neither the Red Sox nor the Indians were participants in the 2015 postseason—Cleveland won 81 games a year ago, while Boston claimed just 78 victories. Each team’s story was substantially different in 2016, with both teams winning more than 90 games. 

Cleveland edged out Boston by one game over the course of 162, and the Tribe took Thursday’s Game 1 at home 5-4. The two teams combined to jolt six solo home runs, but it was Jason Kipnis’ RBI single in the fifth inning that made the difference.

After one game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this series go the full five games. However, Cleveland and Boston cannot look past Game 2 on Friday at 4:30 p.m ET. 

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Given the quality of starting pitching in the National League this season, both National League Division Series openers, which will see three of the four teams’ aces on the mound, should be high on excitement.

Don’t expect high-scoring affairs. But do expect every ground ball, relay throw and double play to matter.

Such is the case in playoff baseball, where everything is scrutinized. But while every stat will be dissected heading into these games, can you guess what’s most important to each team’s success?

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CHICAGO — To understand the psyche of Chicago Cubs fans is not to be a team historian.

Steve Bartman and the Curse of the Billy Goat are integral events in the long-suffering organization’s history. As are countless postseason disappointments.

But almost universally, fans of the team are not a group that dwells on its heartbreak. Cubs nation is not depressed, like a person in mourning. The World Series-starved fanbase is more giddy, like expecting parents.

The tenor around Wrigleyville, the appropriately named area that is home to Wrigley Field, is somewhat a result of the group of young players president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has brought to the club.

Even in previous years, however, there was an eternal optimism that permeated the neighborhood.

“The Cubs’ greatest thing is Theo and [manager] Joe Maddon,” said Freddy Fagenholz, who has been the general manager of the world famous sports bar Murphy’s Bleachers for the past seven years. “I think they’re going to have these guys ready for the game.

“They’ve been there before, and they haven’t done it. I think this is the best team that they’ve had that I can remember.”

Fagenholz spoke to Bleacher Report as members of the Cubs grounds crew were relaxing inside the bar, which is located at Clark Street and Sheffield Avenue, directly across from the entrance to Wrigley Field’s bleachers.

In his time, Fagenholz has seen more losing than winning. But pressed, he would not waver from his optimism, even though he is well acquainted with the team’s history of futility.

He is aware that on Tuesday, October 14, 2003, Bartman deflected a foul ball in the eighth inning of a potential NLCS-clinching Game 6, preventing right fielder Moises Alou from recording the inning’s second out.

At the time, Chicago led 3-0. What ensued was an eight-run eighth inning that forced a Game 7, which the Cubs lost.

Fagenholz was at Murphy’s Bleachers, as a patron, drinking and watching the game.

See, Wrigley Field is the epicenter of the neighborhood. It tells the story. But the surrounding bars serve to write the team’s prologue and epilogue.

Long before games start, fans pack bars that line Wrigley Field’s bordering streets—Addison, Clark, Sheffield and Waveland. Win or lose, they pile back in and party into the next day’s early hours.

Zach Strauss, whose family owns Sluggers, a bar on Clark Street, a little more than a Hail Mary throw from the Wrigley Field marquee, remembers his venue being packed to the brim for that 2003 NLCS game.

Kegs were tapped, liquor was being poured and eyes were glued to Sluggers’ numerous television screens. By the time the game ended, the place had flatlined.

“People left this place, [and] it was supposed to be a huge celebration, and it was like a 180,” Strauss said. “It was like a funeral.

“Everyone started crying. It was terrible.” 

Because Cubs games have been televised on WGN nationally for decades, the organization is one of the few entities in sports, such as the New York Yankees and Notre Dame football, that transcends geography.

Fans of the team dot the map.

All MLB teams are now on national television, and the MLB.tv package provides access to every game. But people from a previous generation still pass the fandom down to their offspring, almost like religion.

Justin Wollmershauser’s grandfather is from Chicago and was a Cubs fan. Wollmershauser is a Tulsa, Oklahoma, native but caught the bug. So much so that the 23-year-old moved to Chicago and lives above Merkle’s Bar and Grill, another Wrigleyville staple on Clark Street.

He said he made the move for the Cubs, to be there when the team finally wins a World Series.

Wollmershauser moved the same night in 2015 when the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game.

“They had to lift my mattress over fans that were jumping on cars and running up and down the streets just to get me moved in,” he said. “I was pretty excited for what was to come and going into the playoffs, the way the Cubs’ postseason has been, is twice as exciting.”

Robert Schweikher, 23, watched the Bartman game over his railing as a 10-year old in his West Lafayette, Indiana, home because, then 10, he was supposed to be asleep. When his parents found him crying after the game, they explained to him he’d have more heartbreak as a Cubs fan.

Later in his life, they suggested he move to Chicago. They lived there at one time. So Schweikher moved to Wrigleyville.

Today, not many people, the aforementioned proprietors included, blame Bartman. Thirteen years after the incident, it is widely understood he was one of many reaching for that baseball.

Bartman was just the unfortunate one to have touched it. That Alou immediately reacted negatively was no fault of Bartman’s. Nor was the error shortstop Alex Gonzalez made two batters later.

A strange phenomenon among Cubs fans is the group’s ability to get over heartbreak.

Rahsell Gordin is a bartender at Dark Horse on Sheffield Ave. She’s a Boston native and Red Sox fan but has worked at the Wrigleyville bar for the past 12 years. Her first was 2004, when the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918.

She said she wasn’t made to feel bad about gloating that year, even though it was only a year removed from the ill-fated Bartman game.

Last year, she said grown men left the bar crying after the Cubs were swept out of the NLCS by the New York Mets.

“It’s just been like a roller coaster,” Gordin said. “Everybody has been waiting. Everyone’s hopes are up and up, and everyone is in a great emotional state.”

Good vibes are running rampant around Chicago’s north side. Cubs fans can’t get enough of it. It’s like dessert to someone with a sweet tooth.

Cubs superstar Addison Russell agreed, as he told Bleacher Report’s Zach Rymer he “can definitely see that Chicago is ready for something big to happen here.”

And no one can run away from it. Not even the Chicago Police Department.

The city is so optimistic about the team that the police department already has plans for street closures for potential series-clinching games, according to Al Rothlisberger, who is the general manager of HVAC Pub on Clark—a newer Wrigleyville watering hole.

Rothlisberger said police have already had meetings with the area’s proprietors, asking for their cooperation as it pertains to crowd management inside each establishment. Rothlisberger said he was holding a staff meeting after his interview with Bleacher Report in order to prepare for the playoffs.

But Cubs fans don’t even feel as though they are setting themselves up for disappointment. The group’s optimism lasts in perpetuity. Wollmershauser summed it up best: “If they don’t [win the World Series], I just know that the Cubs are going to be such a good contender for the World Series for years to come. There’s no point in even giving up on the Cubs.

“If not this year, then we learn something new and it’s next year.”

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Jon Lester are scheduled to headline a star-studded day of pitching Friday as the two American League Division Series roll on and both National League Division Series get underway after an entertaining first few days of playoff action.

Runs will likely be hard to come by throughout Friday’s action, with Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber and Yu Darvish among the other starting pitchers slated to take the mound. Expect to see plenty of tactics from managers with an eye toward scratching out two or three runs, knowing that could be enough.

Let’s check out the important information for all of the day’s contests. That’s followed by a quick preview and prediction for each game on tap.

Friday’s MLB Playoff Schedule

Game Predictions

Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers

If the Texas Rangers are going to make a World Series run, Darvish must be the X-factor. While he made only 17 starts during the regular season, he finished with a flurry when healthy, giving up just one run with 21 strikeouts over 13 innings in his final two starts.

The 30-year-old is also one of the few pitchers to tame the high-powered Blue Jays offense over the past three years. He’s racked up a microscopic 1.88 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 28.2 innings against Toronto during that span.

That’s not a promising sign for a Blue Jays offense that sputtered down the stretch. The typically reliable lineup generated just 100 runs in September, which ranked 29th in MLB. A major resurgence is necessary to turn Toronto back into contenders.

Prediction: Rangers win, 6-2.

Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians

Earlier this year, Peyton Manning capped a Hall of Fame career by winning the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. Now, Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz is trying to complete a similar storybook ending after a remarkable final regular season in which he posted 38 homers and 127 RBI.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe noted the Red Sox are doing everything possible, including embracing superstitions, to send Big Papi out as a champion:

Although the designated hitter is crucial to the team’s success, the Red Sox also need Price to pitch like an ace during their playoff run. They signed him to a massive contract in the offseason, but he hasn’t lived up to the hype, finishing with a 3.99 ERA in the regular season, the second-highest mark of his career.

Friday’s start is not only important for the series, but it could also say a lot about how dangerous he will be in the playoffs. Shutting down a Cleveland Indians offense that ranked fifth in runs during the regular season would be a major statement.

Prediction: Red Sox win, 3-2.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are best equipped to challenge the Chicago Cubs in the NL. They ranked second in starters’ ERA during the regular season and scored the fourth-most runs in the NL. Surviving a five-game series in which they likely have to face Kershaw twice won’t be easy, though.

The 28-year-old left-hander made only 21 starts, but he was as dominant as ever when healthy. It’s almost hard to comprehend his 1.69 ERA and 0.72 WHIP, especially in a year with a historically high home run rate.

Washington can still win its series against the Los Angeles Dodgers without beating Kershaw, but the margin for error in that scenario is razor-thin. The Nats will have to hope Scherzer can match him frame for frame long enough to steal at least one of his starts.

Prediction: Dodgers win, 4-1.

San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs

This is one of those “if not now, when?” situations for the Cubs. The team, which is attempting to break a World Series drought dating back to 1908, won 103 games during the regular season, eight more than any other club, and accumulated a tremendous plus-252 run differential.

Chicago’s rotation is stacked, its bullpen is reliable and its offense ranked third in runs during the regular season. Despite the seemingly large advantages all over the field, manager Joe Maddon stressed the importance of overcoming adversity, per Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago.

“You have to be able to maintain your focus,” Maddon said. “When things are going well, it’s easy. We all can do that. I just want to remind them to be able to maintain our focus, maintain our methods, even if something goes awry.”

On the flip side, there’s something about the San Francisco Giants and even-numbered years. They won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014 while missing the playoffs in 2011, 2013 and 2015. There’s no direct correlation, but any mental edge can help at this time of the year.

It’s going to take a special effort to upset the Cubs, though. Chicago has taken a steady approach to rebuilding the organization under president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, and it’s starting to pay off in a massive way.

Prediction: Cubs win, 3-0.

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If the Chicago Cubs have their way, 2016 will be the year they finally end a 108-year World Series championship drought and send the Curse of the Billy Goat the way of the Curse of the Bambino.

Addison Russell aims to do his part. He may not have the biggest name on a star-studded Cubs team fresh off a 103-win regular season, but there’s no question he’s a rising star. The second-year shortstop was an All-Star for the first time in 2016, and his stellar defense and strong offense make him one of the best two-way players still standing.

Russell is partnering with MET-Rx for a campaign based on the pressure to deliver in October. As part of that, he took time Tuesday to talk with Bleacher Report about the trajectory of his career and the mood around Chicago and the Cubs themselves on the eve of the team’s National League Division Series matchup against the San Francisco Giants.

Bleacher Report: I want to start by going back into your personal history. You got your first taste of Wrigley Field in 2010, when you were there for the Under Armour All-America Game. Do you recall what your impressions of the stadium were at the time?

Addison Russell: I remember driving up on the bus and seeing where Clark and Addison met. I was like, “Oh, man, I didn’t know that Wrigley Field was on Addison St.” From there, that was my first impression.

And then you go into the ballfield and you see the ivy, you see the brick wall and these things from when you were a kid, and finally it’s just right there in front of you. And you get to play on the field with athletes from all over. So it was a pretty cool experience.

B/R: So you get traded over from Oakland in 2014. You come up last year. And this year, you had your coming-out party. You were an All-Star. Your offensive numbers improved. You played great defense. Is there any one thing from this season that you’re most proud of, and what was the biggest key for you to accomplish it?

AR: I would say my defense is something that I think improved tremendously. Obviously, I think the offensive side has too, with the slugging numbers. But I would say where I improved most would probably be mentally more than physically.

Just going through the grind of 162 games and waking up and going to sleep at different work hours. It’s just a lot. It’s a lot to cope with. That’s something that I’ll take out of this year and use for next year.

B/R: To play off that, how’s your confidence level going into the postseason this year compared to where you were last October?

AR: My confidence level is pretty high right now. I’ve been getting my reps. I’ve been getting my rest. We have another workout today. The body’s feeling great, so everything’s a go right now. Like I said, mentally, I feel like I’m prepared. I had a little bit of experience of it last year, and I’m just trying to use some of that experience going into our first series coming up. It should help a lot.

B/R: I want to ask you about the mood in Chicago these days. Cubs fans are notoriously fatalistic for reasons that are obvious. But what about now? Are they drinking the Kool-Aid? Is Chicago ready for this drought to end?

AR: I would say just from looking at the fans and conversing with the fans, I know that they’re ready for something big to happen here in Chicago. The fans have been awesome.

I know the team has been working really, really hard to make all this come true and that we’re trying our best and getting better every single day. We’re picking each other up. We’re doing the small things that a team needs to do to end up on top.

So yeah, I can definitely see that Chicago is ready for something big to happen here.

B/R: How about the mood in the clubhouse? You guys are obviously all aware of the history surrounding this franchise and the drought that’s been going on for over a century. But is that discussed at all? Is it bulletin-board material for you guys?

AR: I think the way that we go about it is just trying to get better each day. And over the course of the year, that has been the goal. And I think we’ve just been having some fun, man. We’re having some fun winning.

And at the same time, we’re getting the job done. Mentally, I think we need to stay where we’re at right now. That’s been working out for us this far. I don’t think we should change anything up. It’s been working great this whole year, and we’ve been dominating.

If we just stay that course and just try to get better every single day, I think we’ll have something good to look forward to.

B/R: Playing off that, Joe Maddon is in charge, and he’s been known to set a tone. But with guys such as John Lackey, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist coming aboard over the winter and all the young guys having a year of experience after last year, how would you say the character of this year’s team is different from the team that went to the National League Championship last year?

AR: You really get a good swirl and a good mix of veterans, rookies, youth and liveliness. Everything’s live. Everything’s fun. It seems like the veterans mesh really well with some of the younger guys and vice versa.

The younger guys say “What’s up?” to the veterans. They’re not shy at all. Just looking at the team in the clubhouse, the way that we converse and the way we interact with each other is something that I haven’t been a part of ever before.

It’s a pretty cool thing to see young Latins talk to the David Rosses or the Ben Zobrists of baseball and myself talk to [Anthony] Rizzo and KB [Kris Bryant] to where we can relate on certain things. We’re just meshing, man. It’s a perfect swirl, and it’s a perfect mix.

We’re definitely embracing what we have here in Chicago.

B/R: Is there one veteran in particular who’s had an especially big impact on you either personally or with your career?

AR: I would say David Ross and Ben Zobrist have been two of the big league guys who I’ve looked at the most. Just to see how they go about their business. They’ve had a lot of time in the big leagues, and they have a pretty good idea of what they need to do to accomplish whatever they need to accomplish for that year.

That’s really what I look at with those two guys.

B/R: You guys obviously had the best record, by far, in the league this year. But in the last 25 years, history hasn’t been so kind to the team with the best record in baseball. Only a couple of teams (h/t ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark) in the last 25 years with the best record have gone on to win the World Series. From your perspective, why can this Cubs team be an exception to the rule?

AR: I would say because not only are we looking at 100 or so wins, but we’ve got the rest that we need. We have a manager that has been in that playoff-type situation, a manager that has won World Series before*.

We have guys who have won World Series before. We have professionals that just know how to handle this situation and that we’re not afraid to pick the ear of and really tap in and get to know what we need to know and what to expect whenever we go through these situations. That’s something that is different, I feel.

*Joe Maddon only took the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series in 2008 but had won it six years earlier as the bench coach for the 2002 Anaheim Angels.

B/R: One last question for you: If this does become the team to snap the 108-year drought in Chicago, do you know what the first thing you’re going to do to celebrate is?

AR: I’m probably gonna hang out with my family, kiss my children and, yeah, just pop bottles with my family or something like that.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Before the postseason even began, injuries decimated the Cleveland Indians’ starting rotation.

In Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Thursday night at Progressive Field, the Tribe’s bats and bullpen made sure that didn’t matter.

Trevor Bauer, Cleveland’s starter by default as much as merit, lasted just 4.2 innings, yielding three runs on six hits to a potent Boston Red Sox lineup. 

Still, the Indians prevailed, 5-4, thanks to a balanced offensive attack and dominant performances out of the pen, with a special shoutout due to lefty Andrew Miller.

First, let’s talk hitting. And, more specifically, let’s talk homers.

The Indians raked in Cleveland all season, posting the third-best home OPS (.827) in the majors. On Thursday, they continued the trend.

Catcher Roberto Perez, second baseman Jason Kipnis and shortstop Francisco Lindor all went deep in the third inning off Red Sox starter and 22-game winner Rick Porcello. 

In all, five of Cleveland’s 10 hits went for extra bases, with third baseman Jose Ramirez and first baseman Mike Napoli adding doubles. 

It was a case of fighting fire with fire against a Boston club that led baseball in runs scored (878) and OPS (.810). One game into the ALDS, these Indians demonstrated they can hang with MLB‘s biggest bashers.

OK, now it’s time to praise the Indians’ pen.

In the fifth, with Bauer wobbling and the game in the balance, skipper Terry Francona summoned Miller, the Tribe’s trade-deadline cavalry and one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.

It was early, sure. But Miller delivered, notching two shutout frames and recording four of his six outs via strikeout. 

It was a crank-back-the-clock performance in this era of the in-and-out specialist, as USA Today‘s John Perrotto noted:

“He’s unbelievable,” Perez said regarding the lefty Miller, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and Ian Browne. “I think he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever caught, and I think everybody is confident about him coming into the game. Oh man, he was awesome tonight.” 

Right-hander Bryan Shaw interrupted the flow by allowing an eighth-inning solo homer to Boston third baseman Brock Holt that made it a one-run game. 

But closer Cody Allen came on to restore order, recording the final five outs with four whiffs of his own.

In the end, Miller and Allen each threw 40 pitches, a heavy burden for a late-inning tandem, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick noted. It’s worth wondering if that’s a sustainable model.

Then again, the Indians will trot out ace Corey Kluber for Game 2 on Friday. If he can overcome his recent quad injury and pitch deep into the game, the Miller/Allen duo will presumably be ready for Game 3 after a day off Saturday. 

That would provide insurance for Cleveland’s Game 3 starter, Josh Tomlin, who lost six of his final eight regular-season decisions.

“Imagine, for a second, that the Indians win tonight,” Zach Meisel of Cleveland.com mused before Thursday’s tussle. “They then need to win two of four, with Kluber available to start twice and two more games taking place at Progressive Field. That’s not a bad spot to be in.”

He’s right. Suddenly, a matchup that appeared to heavily favor Boston begins to tip toward the Indians.

Sure, Carlos Carrasco is lost for the season with a fractured finger, and Danny Salazar is a question mark as he works his way back from a forearm strain.

The Indians won’t be able to ride their stable of power arms to the franchise’s first World Series win since 1948.

The Red Sox won’t lay down without a fight, as they displayed in Game 1. And plenty more challenges await if Cleveland manages to advance.

On Thursday, though, the Indians flashed the formula that could keep them kicking far longer than many—including yours truly—expected. 

Hit the ball. Get it to the pen. Repeat.

Doubts and injuries are inevitable this time of year. But sometimes, they matter less than you think.

All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Cleveland Indians are attempting to match the Cavaliers by bringing a championship to their city in 2016.

They took the first step Thursday at Progressive Field with a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Home runs by Roberto Perez, Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor and a stellar performance from their bullpen powered the win. All three long balls came in the third inning, while an RBI single by Kipnis drove in what proved to be the winning run in the fifth.

Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer lasted just 4.2 innings for Cleveland, allowing three earned runs and six hits. But the combination of Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen allowed just one more run for the rest of the game. Miller was particularly impressive with four strikeouts in two clutch middle innings, and Allen earned a 1.2-inning save with four punchouts of his own.

ESPN Stats & Info noted it was Allen’s first five-out save of the season, while T.J. Zuppe of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland underscored how important the bullpen was Thursday:

Allen ended the night by striking out Dustin Pedroia, who failed to check his swing on a full count:

Boston starting pitcher Rick Porcello allowed five earned runs and six hits in 4.1 innings. Its bullpen was also effective, as Drew Pomeranz, Joe Kelly and Koji Uehara didn’t allow an earned run in 3.2 combined frames.

The Red Sox offense, which led MLB in runs scored, wasted little time jumping on Bauer. Pedroia doubled to lead things off and moved to third on Brock Holt’s single. They each appeared to score on Hanley Ramirez’s double, but Holt was eventually called out after a replay review.

Daren Willman of MLB.com praised the efficiency of Cleveland’s relay:

The Indians responded in the second, when Jose Ramirez doubled and scored on Lonnie Chisenhall’s single. Another review called Chisenhall out after he attempted to reach second base, but he did enough to drive in Cleveland’s first postseason run since 2007.

The offense continued in the third, but from unexpected sources. Each team’s No. 9 hitter drilled a solo home run. Andrew Benintendi gave Boston a brief lead in his first postseason at-bat, and Perez answered with a dinger of his own.

Cleveland was far from done. Kipnis and Lindor drilled back-to-back homers, and Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal pointed out how rare the feat was against Porcello:

The Indians noted it wasn’t the first time they had connected with three home runs in a playoff inning:

Sandy Leon continued the power surge with a long ball in the fifth to trim Boston’s deficit to 4-3. Bauer couldn’t finish the inning, and manager Terry Francona didn’t hesitate to give the ball to Miller. The southpaw allowed a double to Holt and walked Mookie Betts, but he struck out David Ortiz in a pressure-packed moment.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe described why Ortiz was overmatched in the showdown:

Porcello didn’t last through the fifth, either, as Boston manager John Farrell inserted Pomeranz. He failed to strand Porcello’s runner, immediately allowing an RBI single to Kipnis. It would have been worse, but Mike Napoli’s drive down the line bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, forcing Kipnis to hold at third.

Chisenhall struck out with the bases loaded two batters later.

Miller and Pomeranz each settled in and kept the game at 5-3. Miller struck out two in the sixth and one in the seventh, while Pomeranz struck out the side in the sixth and recorded one strikeout in the seventh. Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com pointed out Miller’s outing wasn’t all good news for Cleveland:

The Indians missed Miller in the eighth, when Shaw gave up a solo home run to Holt, who was just a triple short of the cycle. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander noticed there was a pattern at Progressive Field:

Allen kept it in the ballpark in relief of Shaw, although he allowed a double to Ortiz. He escaped the jam by inducing a groundout from Ramirez and striking out Xander Bogaerts.

Allen didn’t appear fatigued when he took the mound in the ninth and struck out Jackie Bradley Jr. and Leon before Benintendi delivered a single to keep Boston alive. However, Allen struck out Pedroia to close out the victory. MacPherson noted the second baseman was “livid” with the call, as he was already on his way to first base because he thought he had checked his swing and earned a walk.

What’s Next?

Game 2 is Friday in Cleveland.

While the Indians earned the early lead in the series, the Red Sox are still one victory away from being in ideal position. Boston can steal home-field advantage with a Game 2 win before things shift to Fenway Park, but Cleveland could seize a commanding lead before it even leaves home with a win Friday.

Game 2 will be a showdown of aces, with David Price toeing the rubber for Boston and Corey Kluber doing the same for Cleveland.

Price faced Cleveland just once this season, allowing two earned runs and striking out 10 in six innings. Kluber faced Boston twice with mixed results. He gave up four earned runs and nine hits in 5.1 innings April 5, but he was better May 20, allowing only two earned runs and five hits in seven innings.

Postgame Reaction

Bauer said, “That was the coolest experience of my life,” when asked about the atmosphere, per Zuppe.

Zuppe shared more of the starting pitcher’s thoughts after the win:

Allen praised the Red Sox after the hard-fought save, per MacPherson: “They’re so relentless. … They put up professional at-bats after professional at-bats.”

On the other side, Pedroia talked about the umpire who called him out on the check swing, per Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald: “I’ll apologize to Phil [Cuzzi] tomorrow for yelling at him.”

Ortiz had a positive outlook even after the defeat, per McAdam: “Hey, listen this is not over yet…I’m gonna bring my best tomorrow, and I’m sure my teammates will too. See you all manana.”

If the Red Sox do that, this series will be tied as it moves to Boston.

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