Allgemeines » development to play another year at Everto

Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Saturdays Game 2, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.What we learned in Game 1Terry Francona couldnt have ordered up a more perfect script as Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combined to strike out 12 Blue Jays. Miller did throw 31 pitches in 1.2 innings, so he may have more limited availability in Game 2, but Allen threw only 11 in an efficient ninth inning.?-- David SchoenfieldInside the pitching matchupWhen J.A. Happ is on the mound: Happ signed a three-year, $36 million contract that turned into the bargain of the offseason as he went 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA, showing the mechanical changes he made late last season with the Pirates (he raised his arm slot a bit and started taking a more direct stride to home plate) did, indeed, make him a better pitcher.Happ was more of a soft-tosser when he first came up but now throws 92-93. He has developed better command of his fastball, working the outer half of the plate but moving the ball up and down, while mixing in four-seamers and two-seamers. His swing-and-miss rate with the pitch has improved from 15.9 percent in 2014 to 20.5 this year. He throws the fastball a lot: Among qualified starters, only Bartolo Colon and Aaron Sanchez threw a higher percentage of fastballs.His secondary pitches are a slider, curveball and changeup. Happ had one of his best starts of the season back in July against the Indians, allowing one run in seven innings while matching his season high with 11 strikeouts. Happ was especially tough from the stretch, allowing a .201 average with runners in scoring position. Like a lot of pitchers, the OPS against him increases the third time through the order:First: .618Second: .615Third: .750When Josh Tomlin is on the mound: Tomlins season is divided into three parts. He had a 3.43 ERA through July, then fell apart in August when he allowed 46 hits and 35 runs in 26.2 innings. He found himself again September, posting a 1.69 ERA and allowing just one home run. He then had a good start against the Red Sox in the division series, allowing two runs in five-plus innings and no home runs. As a finesse right-hander, keeping the ball in the park often determines his bottom line. He allowed 36 home runs, so this recent stretch is either a good sign or a lot of good luck.Hes not going to beat himself -- with 20 walks in 174 innings, he had the lowest walk rate among qualified starters -- but he needs all his pitches to work. The key pitch may be his cutter: It was a bad pitch for him most of the season and then really bad in August, when batters hit .407 and slugged .847 off it. In September, batters hit .188 without an extra-base hit in 34 plate appearances.Tomlin had a notable reverse platoon as lefties hit .229/.247/.438 off him while righties hit .299/.323/.522. Torontos lineup, of course, skews right-handed. The weird thing about that split is righties hit just .191 off his fastball. Every other pitch (slider, curveball, changeup) seems to work better against lefties. In other words, it will be interesting to see how Tomlin attacks the meat of the Toronto lineup.Player in the spotlightFrancisco Lindor. This series could be end up being his showcase event for a national audience that hasnt seen him play much and he got off to a good start with a two-run homer in Game 1. Hell likely win the Gold Glove Award but hes also the teams No. 3 hitter, a switch-hitter who hit .301/.358/.435. Lindor is one of many Indians with a large home/road split, hitting .344 at home and .258 on the road, with 23 of his 30 doubles at home.?-- SchoenfieldWhat will decide Saturdays gameThe Indians have a .946 OPS in the first three innings of games this postseason, jumping out to early leads, as they have not trailed at any point after the third inning so far in the playoffs. The best OPS in the first three innings of any playoff team since 2010 (minimum 2 games) was .940 by the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks. --Daniel McCarthy, ESPN Stats & InfoDid You Know?The Blue Jays have had six pitchers reach the 20-win plateau, but only J.A. Happ and Jack Morris reached the postseason. When Jack Morris won 20 games in 1992, the Blue Jays won the World Series. --Daniel McCarthy, ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?? The Indians have every reason to feel they have something special going on, but Fridays series opener might have ended differently if Toronto had been able to summon even one clutch early hit against Corey Kluber. The Jays went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against Kluber and wasted several opportunities in the early innings. Josh Tomlin isnt Kluber, and the Blue Jays have what it takes to send the series back to Toronto tied 1-1 if they can focus on hitting and spend less time carping about the umpiring. The guess here is that Toronto wins a more offensive contest and ties it up heading back to Rogers Centre.-- Jerry Crasnick?The Blue Jays are going to take Game 2. Indians starter Josh Tomlin is far more attractive opponent than Corey Kluber. The Jays hitters actually got to Kluber in Game 1, but they just couldnt deliver the crucial big hit to put a run on the board. That will change against Tomlin.-- Andrew MarchandWhere the series standsTomlin replaces Trevor Bauer, who cut his finger fixing a drone and was pushed back to Game 3. (This never happened to Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson.) Its not necessarily a bad thing for Cleveland, as Tomlin has been pitching better. The Jays will have to adjust to Tomlins finesse after seeing all that power pitching in Game 1.?--?Schoenfield Cheap Barcelona Jerseys China .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Online . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. http://www.cheapsoccerchina.com/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cheap Tottenham Hotspur Jerseys China . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom.Ronald Koeman believes Romelu Lukaku may have to leave Everton to realise his full potential. The Toffees manager has admitted he does not know if Lukaku will stay at the club beyond next summer, after the prolific Belgium striker agreed in August to remain for another season. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. And Koeman thinks Lukaku, who has scored seven goals in 11 appearances for Everton this term, has the ability to play for Barcelona. I gave him confidence and he has himself recognised that it was good for his development to play another year at Everton, Koeman told Belgian newspaper HLN.There is a very good contact and appreciation between us. What after this season comes, no one knows.If Romelu was to play at Everton until the end of his career, I know he has left something (behind). His potential is greater and higher than Everton, as a final destination. Chelsea 5-0 Everton Patrick Kluivert was also a striker who was quite young in the picture and had a fantastic career.dddddddddddd Eventually Kluivert played for Barcelona, which could happen with Lukaku.He is potentially a great striker, one who is only 23 years old. I think Lukaku is quite complete. He can hold a ball and be a target man and, because he is tall and physically strong. You can play directly with the long ball. Also See: Henry quizzes Lukaku Lukaku promises goals for Everton Koeman expects from Romelu Lukaku pulls transfer request ' ' '