CLEVELAND: Since the postseason began, the Indians have painstakingly followed their formula for victory.
Grab the early lead, get four to five innings out of their starting pitcher, then turn it over to the bullpen, led by relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen.
In Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs, the blueprint went awry for only the second time in the playoffs.
And just like the last time the Indians failed to execute the formula, it resulted in a loss.
Right-hander Jake Arrieta, the 2015 National League Cy Young winner, limited the Indians to one run on two hits in 5⅔ innings as the Cubs evened the series with a 5-1 victory at Progressive Field.
It was Tribe manager Terry Francona’s first loss in the World Series after a 9-0 start, unprecedented in major-league history. On the bitterly cold night, Francona could be faulted for little, except for sticking with struggling right-hander Trevor Bauer.
After an eight-day layoff following his two-thirds of an inning “bloody finger” stint Oct. 17 in the American League Championship Series, Bauer struggled with his curveball and didn’t seem on the same page with catcher Roberto Perez. Bauer threw 29 pitches in the first inning, 22 in the second.
The Indians needed blood. They needed the 10 stitches in Bauer’s pinkie — cut in a drone accident — to bust open just as they had against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bauer’s laboring was a buzz-kill for the sellout crowd, which included the Cavaliers’ LeBron James, J.R. Smith, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert. Bauer’s pace seemed to lull the Tribe’s bats to sleep as well.
With Bauer’s excruciating effort, it didn’t take long for the Cubs to blow up the Indians’ blueprint. With one out in the first, Kris Bryant singled to center and Anthony Rizzo doubled him home.
The Indians had a chance to revive their plan in the bottom of the first after Arrieta issued two-out walks to Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli. But Jose Ramirez flied out to the warning track in center field. For Indians fans, that will be the what-if moment of Game 2.
In the third, Bauer had two outs and an 0-2 count on Rizzo before giving up a walk and two singles and the Cubs boosted their lead to 2-0. That was all Arrieta needed. Bauer departed after 3⅔ innings and the Cubs tacked on three more in the fifth.
Even a relief appearance by right-hander Danny Salazar, sidelined since Sept. 9 with a strained forearm, failed to excite.
Wednesday showed why Cubs manager Joe Maddon was so upbeat after the Game 1 loss. He felt confident that his team could hit against any Tribe starter not named Corey Kluber. He knows that with Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco sidelined with a broken hand, he has the stronger starting staff.
“I’m a believer. I know we’re going to be fine,” Maddon said Tuesday night. “I’m not disappointed by any means except for the fact that we did not win. The guy tonight [Kluber], he’s in a different league. So if we can continue to work these same kind of at-bats, I feel good moving forward. And that’s not to denigrate anybody we’re going to face.”
After right-hander Josh Tomlin takes the mound Friday in Game 3, it will get tougher for the Indians to follow the formula, which had previously failed them only in a 5-1 loss at Toronto in the ALCS on Oct. 18.
Francona will go with Kluber in Game 4 on short rest, even though statistics don’t favor a quality start. (Most recently, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw wasn’t nearly as sharp his second time out on short rest in the NLCS.) Francona must also debate whether he wants to bench Bauer for Salazar in Game 5. The circumstances of the series will help Francona decide, but my gut instinct says loyalty be damned.
The Indians need to get back to the blueprint that got them to the World Series. They must get timely hits. They must steal more bases, an area where the Cubs’ starters are vulnerable. They must be more aggressive at the plate in the early going. They must play better defense. They must put themselves in position for Miller and Allen to carry them.
The odds were against them against the Red Sox and Blue Jays and they made the formula work. There’s still time.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.