Nationals, Dodgers Finale Tonight

By ESPN

Remember Bryce Harper? You know, the guy who set the world on fire last year when he became the youngest unanimous MVP in MLB history? A year later, as impossible as it seems, that guy has almost become an afterthought.

Even within his own clubhouse, Harper seems to have gotten a little lost in the mix. Daniel Murphy is an MVP candidate. Trea Turner is the next big thing. Stephen Strasburg, with an assist from his strained flexor mass, has dominated the news. Then there’s Harper, who is currently cemented in a five-month-long slump which has folks wondering: A) if last year was a fluke, B) if he’s totally healthy and C) when he’ll snap out of it.

At this point, A and B are anybody’s guess. As for C, that’s uncertain, too. But you can bet there will be plenty of people tuning in to find out on Thursday night, when the Nationals and Dodgers take center stage.

In case you didn’t know, the Nationals and Dodgers are baseball teams. And they’re facing each other in something called the National League Division Series. In fact, they’ve already played four really good games which you probably weren’t paying much attention to because said games were played at a time of day when most Americans are busy filling out TPS reports. And because Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, Cubs.

Well, we hereby interrupt your regularly scheduled prime-time broadcast (of the Cubs) to inform you that Game 5 of Nats-Dodgers is all queued up and ready to go. Better yet, thanks to the Blue Jays and Indians pummeling the ever-loving snot out of the Rangers and Red Sox, respectively, and thanks to the Cubs (they’re from Chicago, maybe you’ve heard of them) doing uniquely Cubs things against the Giants, suddenly Washington-L.A. is the only game in town. And by town, I mean country. In other words, at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 13, all eyes will be on Bryce Harper.

For what it’s worth, Harper is a guy who likes having all eyes on him. It’s part of what fuels him. It’s why he says things like, “Where’s my ring?” which he quipped on the first day of spring training last year. It’s why, on Opening Day this year, when he knew everybody would be watching, he rocked a customized trucker cap in front of a bunch of cameras to kick off his “Let’s Make Baseball Fun Again” campaign. It’s why nobody has any trouble whatsoever envisioning him in a Yankees uniform at some point in the not-too-distant future. But at least for the time being, he’s in a Nats uniform, which raises the question: Which Bryce Harper will we see when the curtain goes up on Thursday night?

Luber Back at Top of Indians' Rotation

Corey Kluber is back at the top of the Indians' make-it-up-as-they-go rotation.

Cleveland will start its ace in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, one of the few certainties Indians manager Terry Francona has as his team plays for a spot in the World Series.

Trevor Bauer, who started the opener of the division series against Boston, will pitch Game 2 and Josh Tomlin will take the mound for Game 3 in Toronto on Sunday. After that, Francona has "penciled in" Mike Clevinger for Game 4, but that plan could change depending on what happens in the first three games.

The uncertainty is nothing new to Francona, who has been forced to juggle his rotation for weeks after losing starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to injuries.

Francona's decision to send out Kluber first was expected after the right-hander showed no signs of a late-season quadriceps injury and pitched seven shutout innings in Game 2 against the Red Sox. Kluber limited baseball's highest-scoring team to three hits and ended any concerns about him not being himself in his first postseason.

The Indians will need Kluber and the rest of their staff to be on when they face the wild-card Blue Jays, who battered Texas in their division series by hitting eight homers and scoring 22 runs.

"They're good," Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway said. "They're excellent. Their whole roster is pretty good, as far as swinging the bat. We've got to make pitches from Pitch 1. They're a little bit different makeup than Boston. They're not going to sit around and take a first-pitch strike. You can't just groove a first pitch to them. You've got to throw quality strikes right out the get-go, and then make sure you stay ahead. That's going to be the challenge, making sure you throw quality strikes early and see what happens after that."

Wednesday, October 12 Schedule

No games scheduled

Thursday, October 13 Schedule (Time Central)

Los Angeles at Washington, 7 p.m.