Indians ride Kluber, 4-run frame for 2-0 ALDS lead

CLEVELAND — Any October nerves that may have existed for this upstart Indians squad appear to have calmed and disappeared. With ace Corey Kluber on the hill, and a series lead in hand, Cleveland settled in and pieced together a workmanlike win over the Red Sox on Friday night at a raucous Progressive Field.

With their 6-0 victory in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, the Indians put the pressure on the Red Sox, as this best-of-five heads to Fenway Park with the Tribe up two games to none. Kluber performed like a former Cy Young Award winner, while David Price’s old postseason woes persisted.

On a day when he would not normally be part of the starting lineup, Lonnie Chisenhall played the role of unexpected hero, launching a three-run homer off Price in the second that gave Kluber all the support he would require. That blast damaged the line of Price, who walked off the field to cheers from the Cleveland crowd after the shortest start ( 3 1/3 innings) of his playoff career.

Game Date Time Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 6   CLE 5, BOS 4 Gm 2 Oct. 7   CLE 6, BOS 0 Gm 3 Oct. 9 4 p.m. CLE @ BOS TBS *Gm 4 Oct. 10 6 p.m. CLE @ BOS TBS *Gm 5 Oct. 12 6 or 8 p.m. BOS @ CLE TBS *- If necessary | All times listed ETShop for postseason gear: Red Sox | Indians • Complete Postseason coverage

“He’s difficult, but he’s around the zone. So you try to be aggressive,” Chisenhall said of his approach with Price. “Saved that big hit off a lefty for the postseason. The guys in front of me did a great job and we got him out of the game early.”

For all his summer success, Price’s postseason record dropped to 0-8 in nine career starts.

Heading to Boston with a 2-0 lead in the ALDS may feel familiar to Indians fans of a certain age. It was the same scenario in 1999, when the Red Sox then broke Cleveland’s heart with three straight wins. In ALDS history, teams with a 2-0 leads have won 23 of 28 series. The overall showing for clubs with a 2-0 edge is 46-7, so that ’99 collapse for the Indians was an outlier.

Despite what has happened over the past two days — star pitchers Rick Porcello and Price allowing 10 runs combined in 7 2/3 innings, chief among the issues — the Red Sox still boast baseball’s highest-scoring offense. Boston also has an intimidating home environment at Fenway, which will surely be quaking when the team returns for Sunday’s Game 3 at 4 p.m. ET on TBS.

• Price labors, …

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