Game 2 doesn’t go according to plan for Tribe

CLEVELAND — It was creeping across the radar, a big green blob threatening the big green field of play. The forecast was foreboding enough that the start time for Game 2 of the World Series was moved up an hour, and the looming rain turned out to be an ideal metaphor for the storm that was approaching an Indians team whose run to this Fall Classic was nearly — and, evidently, unsustainably — free of flops.

The flop arrived on a bone-chilling, staff-rattling night in a 5-1 loss at Progressive Field, and now this best-of-seven Series between two teams trying to make history is tied at one win apiece.

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“That game wasn’t televised, was it?” joked second baseman Jason Kipnis, whose two errors were only part of the ugliness displayed by the home club. “Because it would be pretty embarrassing.”

Game Date Time (air time/game time) Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 25   CLE 6, CHC 0 Gm 2 Oct. 26   CHC 5, CLE 1 Gm 3 Oct. 28 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX Gm 4 Oct. 29 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX *Gm 5 Oct. 30 8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX *Gm 6 Nov. 1 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX *Gm 7 Nov. 2 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX * If necessary | All times listed ET • World Series coverageShop for postseason gear: Cubs | Indians

Well, the Indians did avoid getting no-hit by Jake Arrieta, despite early signs to the contrary, so that was a positive. But that was quite literally the only high point of a loss that was the antithesis of everything that got them here.

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How they got here was a tried-and-true formula of staking their starters to early leads, getting those starters at least through the fifth, and then handing it over to Andrew Miller and Cody Allen in the bullpen. The Tribe had scored first in seven of its first nine games this postseason and won all seven of those games. The Indians’ pitching staff had allowed just 15 runs in nine games.

It’s hard to keep up that kind of pace, and it’s doubly hard when the dude on the mound has only thrown 21 pitches in the past 19 days.

Trevor Bauer looked rusty, and it was not hard to put a finger (pun intended!) on the problem here. When it’s three weeks into …

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