Blue Jays at Indians
Mediocre at home and outstanding on the road for the first half of the season, the Cleveland Indians appear to be reversing that trend since the All-Star break. Following a 1-5 road trip against a pair of last-place clubs, Cleveland has a chance for its first home sweep of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday in the finale of a three-game set.
Ace Corey Kluber, originally scheduled to pitch the series opener before pushed back to Sunday due to a stiff neck, is 4-1 with 94 strikeouts over 63 1/3 innings since June 1. After the Indians beat up on Toronto 13-3 on Friday, Francisco Lindor provided a dramatic ending 24 hours later with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 10th, giving Cleveland its first walk-off win since the season home opener. The Blue Jays managed only three hits in Saturday's setback, their sixth loss in the last eight games, three coming in extra innings. All-Star Justin Smoak made his 100th hit -- eight shy of his career high -- of the season memorable with a tying homer in the eighth inning, his 27th blast of the year.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVAS (Toronto), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (3-6, 3.55 ERA) vs. Indians RH Corey Kluber (7-3, 2.86)
Happ has not allowed more than three earned runs in his last seven starts, including five innings of two-run ball in a no-decision at Boston on Tuesday. He was knocked around for six runs (two earned) over four innings in his previous outing, which ended a stretch of five consecutive starts with at least six innings pitched. Happ owns a 3-1 record and 2.86 ERA in six appearances (five starts) versus Cleveland.
Kluber surrendered a pair of home runs in an otherwise superb performance against Oakland last time out, when he struck out 12 and did not walk a batter over 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball. It marked the seventh time in nine starts since spending a month on the disabled list that Kluber reached double digits in strikeouts. Kluber has had his struggles against the Blue Jays with a 1-3 record and 5.34 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Smoak is 12-for-26 with four homers and eight RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
2. Indians 3B Jose Ramirez is 6-for-11 over the past three games.
3. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki sat out Saturday's game due to soreness in his groin. He is day-to-day.