Cleveland and Toronto will face off in the American League Championship Series and we are about to turn the baseball volume up to 11. Toronto is the loudest place in the MLB to watch a game; it’s a hockey game with grass and dirt. Cleveland has not won a World Series since 1948 and the fans sure do sound like it every night at the Jake. The only setback is that I wish technology had advanced far enough that we could just turn off the announcers and listen to the crowd. (Thanks a lot TBS for some of the poorest quality commentary I have ever heard, and that is coming from a Browns fan who has to listen to the bottom rung of CBS announcers every Sunday).

Couple quick notes about the ALDS preview I posted last week. I want to give myself a little credit for saying whoever won Game 2 would win the series and David Ortiz would have a chance to add one more chapter to his storybook career, luckily the pen rank out of ink. And best wishes Papi, you were always a joy to watch. You played the game with the same smile we all played with in our backyards when we were young and pretended to be playing on the same fields as you. Oh, and Ortiz also gave us one of my favorite “This is SportsCenter” commercials of all time when he was caught trying on a Yankees hat. To this day it makes me laugh every time.

Now, back to the business at hand. I sent this tweet out last month and it’s becoming truer by the day.

If you would have told me the biggest hits of the ALDS would come from Perez, Chisenhall, and Crisp I would have laughed in your face (and not because Chisenhall irrationally angers me at the plate). I was at Game 2 and turned to my friends and said “Here comes old ground into a double play with runners in scoring position Chisenhall.” Boy was I glad I looked like an idiot on that one. I smiled as people laughed in my face. Sports are funny that way.

So if the Indians can keep this up, anything is possible. If your below .200 9-hole hitting catcher can win you a game, anything is possible. If Josh Tomlin can get you a victory on the road, anything is possible. Every player on this team believes that not only can he beat you, but the guy in front of him and behind him can do it too. Confidence and a belief that anything is possible is the most deadly thing in baseball. Let’s hope we keep it rolling Tribe.

I do want to say I feel better about this series than the last. We played Toronto well all year. We had a 4-3 record, with 4 of those games (which the teams split) being on the road. Not to mention, 5 of those 7 game were decided by 1 run. You cannot have two more evenly matched teams.

So, in a duel that is likely to feature many 1 run games, a key matchup to watch is Toronto’s catcher Russell Martin vs. our runners. Martin was only able to catch 11 of 72 runners (15%) attempting to swipe a bag this year. Percentage wise, that is just barely above half of the league average (29%). And those Indians who will be attempting to steal against him led the American League in stolen bases, snagging 134 in total. Will a stolen base or two that leads to a run be the difference in the series? It very well could be.

Now, playing Toronto in October is a whole different animal than playing them in July. The crowd factor cannot be overstated. It’s going to be loud at both stadiums, but the edge goes to the Jays on that one. The good news is we get 4 games at home if it goes the full 7. Simply put, we cannot lose one at the Jake. It is nearly impossible to win a game in the Rogers Centre in the playoffs.

Pitching rotation for the first four games is Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin, Clevinger/extended pen work with the Jays throwing Estrada, Happ, Stroman, and Sanchez. I do not feel great about these matchups. If Salazar could pitch it would be a different story. We are going to need Kluber to go 8 or 9 in Game 1 in order to save our relievers. Francona managed Bauer and Tomlin perfectly last series. All we need is about 5 solid innings from everyone but Kluber and then we can go to our bullpen. The biggest advantage of the sweep is our far superior bullpen has plenty of rest. They’re going to need it. We have to pull our starters when there are any signs of struggle. As evidenced earlier, a good portion of these games are likely going to come down to one run. In Tito we trust.

Speaking of bullpens, the Blue Jays losing Joaquin Benoit in the bench-clearing scuffle at the end of September is a huge blow. He was a key piece of their bullpen and in a seven game series you need as many solid arms as possible behind the wall. The Indians have arguably the greatest reliever in the game in Andrew Miller and very solid guys around him in Shaw and Allen, although Cody makes me nervous every time he lets go of the baseball. But overall, advantage Indians. And we saw how important that is this week when the Giants let Game 4, and likely the series, go when they blew a 3 run lead in the 9th. If we can consistently get to our pen with a lead, we are headed back to Jacobs Field in November.

My prediction is this thing goes the full 7. It is going to be an absolute nail biter and exactly what makes playoff baseball so special. Clevelanders, grab your lucky cap, button up your favorite jersey, and let’s make sure they hear us in Toronto.

And finally, for those of you who reside in the US of A and do not have a rooting interest in this series, keep in mind, this one is for the stars and stripes. We can’t risk letting the trophy honoring the pinnacle of America’s greatest pastime make its way across our northern border. Fresh off one of the most exciting Ryder Cups in the history of the sport, let’s keep that patriotic ball rolling. So put on some Toby Keith and bust out your best American flag bandana. For Cleveland. For County. Let’s do this.