Cleveland GuardiansCleveland Guardians vs. Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners Pick Center

Bet Now
Indians face Mariners with postseason in mind 1h ago• 3 min read SEATTLE -- With only a handful of games in the regular season and the American League Central title already in hand, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona has the luxury of getting his team set up for the postseason.That covers a lot of ground, from setting up the rotation, giving his veterans a breather to making sure they have their legs in October."We're trying to put a lineup out there that can win every day," Francona said. "That's their goal. But we're also trying to accomplish some things and we need to keep our house in order." Then there is the part of Francona's job where he writes right-hander Corey Kluber's name into the lineup, as he'll do on Sunday -- that's not about to change.The Indians have already clinched the AL Central, but are still pushing for the league's best record -- they currently have a 1 1/2-game edge against the Houston Astros. And catching the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the majors is still a possibility.At 75-80, the Mariners' AL wild card hopes are alive, but fading, six games behind the Minnesota Twins with seven games left to play.Kluber comes into Sunday's game with a 17-4 record with a 2.35 ERA in 191 2/3 innings and is one of the frontrunners for the AL Cy Young Award.He's been almost flawless in September, going 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings with 37 strikeouts against one walk.The Indians also figure to get some players back in the lineup Sunday, such as designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and center fielder Jason Kipnis, each of whom got days off on Saturday. Kipnis had missed 3 1/2 weeks with a strained hamstring before coming off the disabled list on Sunday."We went over it with the trainers," Francona said. "There was thought to play him all three and maybe playing him at short (on Saturday). But I think they felt it would be really good for him not to play today, play (Sunday) and maybe play nine." Among the Mariners, Robinson Cano has hit Kluber the hardest in his career, hitting .364 (4-for-11 with three doubles) against the Indians' ace.For Seattle's regular-season home finale on Sunday, the Mariners will turn to Mike Leake (3-0 with Seattle, 10-12 overall), who has been their hottest pitcher in September.Since being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 30, Leake has shined in the Mariners' rotation, posting a 2.13 ERA in 25 1/3 innings over four starts. On a Seattle staff that had aces Felix Hernandez and James Paxton still mending down the stretch, that was just was needed."He's probably exceeded expectations on the numbers he's put out there in his first four starts," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "I probably wasn't expecting him to be that good. We'll take it." But that's only been part of what Leake has brought to the Mariners' clubhouse, smoothly fitting into the team's chemistry."I really like his fit in our group, in our clubhouse in what he brings from an experience standpoint," Servais said. "He likes to talk pitching. You see him talking to our younger guys all the time, with our catchers, stuff like that." After spending most of his time in the National League this season, of the Indians' regulars, Leake has only seen Jay Bruce in 2017 -- another player who spent most of the season in the NL. Bruce went 1-for-2 against Leake on July 14 when the Bruce's New York Mets defeated Leake's St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3.But over his career, Leake has limited current members of the Indians to a .188 batting average.

Looking for More Picks?

You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.

docsports.com

Latest MLB News

docsports.com
docsports.com