One Down!

Now the Indians just need to work on the "three to go" portion.

That's really going to be the tricky part. The Indians rotation can't match the Cubs. Which is why it surprised me a bit to see Andrew Miller in the game last night so soon. I know it was relatively close at the time, but I would have been tempted to save him. If your ace can get one more inning before hitting the showers, maybe Miller is available tonight for a bit longer. 

Of course, who am I to argue about the way Terry Francona uses his bullpen? I'm willing to assume that he knows more about his team than I do. I'm also fully aware of the masterful job he did with Keith Foulke in 2004 for the Red Sox. Looks like he has the same thing in mind for Miller this year. Use him to get as many of the most important outs as possible. If he can't lift his arm by election day, so be it.

Or, maybe he saw the weather forecast? Maybe he figured he wasn't going to use Miller tonight anyway? Either the game was going to be rained out, or rain shortened, or he wasn't going to risk the most valuable player he has pitching in the slop. Maybe he took a calculated gamble that throwing Miller to his max wouldn't come back to bite him. After all, what the old saying? Never save your pitcher for tomorrow...tomorrow it may rain.

But, it does make me wonder what Francona has in mind if the game is actually played tonight. Hope for a blowout? Hope he can get more out his starter than he needs? Hope Miller isn't needed to put out a fire in the eighth? I guess just hope it all works out?

I hope it does all work out. Not just because I'm hoping that the indians win the series. But, because I love the way Francona is using Miller. I love that he's using him to get the most important outs, whenever they may be. However many there may be. 

I know that FOX said last night that you can't use a reliever like this in the regular season. But, I'm not sure why not. Oh, sure. You can't use him every night. But, imaging if you had a long guy that could dominate for na inning or two or three? And you could bring him in in the sixth, or eighth, or second. He'd get the job done. What a weapon that would be.

So, I'm anxious to see what the indians do tonight without their ace on the mound. I;m curious to see how Francona handles pitching changes. I'm interested to see how they pull it out.

I certainly know better than to think it won't all work out.