The first step for the Boston Red Sox in David Ortizs final postseason begins with a familiar foe in Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, who managed Big Papi to his first two World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. Demarcus Walker Broncos Jersey . Who has the edge when the Red Sox-Indians ALDS matchup starts in Cleveland on Thursday night??Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Game 1, and then go to the bottom of the page and vote for which team will win.Inside the pitching matchupWhen Porcello is on the mound: ?The Red Sox acquired Porcello from the Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes after the 2014 season, signed him to an $82.5 million extension ... and he promptly tanked in 2015, going 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA. Its been a different story in 2016; hes perhaps the Cy Young favorite after going 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA in a career-high 223 innings.What led to the improvement? Porcellos strikeout rate is only 1 percent higher than last year, and while he did cut his walk rate to a career low, an ESPN stat we monitor called hard-hit average says Porcello basically gave up the same percentage of hard-hit balls: 15.5 percent in 2016 versus 14.4 percent in 2015. His batting average on balls in play, however, was dramatically lower, dropping from .333 to .269. He stranded more runners.Porcello is known for his two-seam sinker, and Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis has said Porcello got too reliant on his four-seam fastball but went back more to his two-seamer. ESPN data says he cut his fastball percentage from 47.6 percent last year to 21.1 percent and increased his sinker rate from 18.5 to 40.6 percent. Porcello also said he was getting off-balance over the rubber last year, which led to rushing his lower half and creating command issues.Anyway, his sinker isnt conventional, because he throws it in the middle of the strike zone, not down at the knees or below, relying more on movement than location. Thats one reason hes not an extreme ground-ball pitcher -- hes about league average in that regard. In fact, he had the lowest ground-ball rate of his career at 44 percent. Beyond that, what makes him tough is that he also has a changeup, curveball and slider and throws them all from 12-14 percent of the time. His highest strikeout rate with any pitch actually came on his four-seamer, so hell often pitch backward, starting off with the sinker or breaking balls and then climbing the ladder with the fastball. --?David SchoenfieldWhen Bauer is on the mound: Corey Kluber strained a groin in his final start, so the Indians will give Bauer the ball in the opener, with Kluber getting an extra day of rest and starting Game 2. Bauer actually began the season in the Indians bullpen and didnt start until April 30, after Carlos Carrasco got injured for the first time. Bauer had a nice 10-start stretch through early July when he posted a 2.42 ERA, but he wasnt able to maintain that level and finished with a 4.26 ERA, including 6.39 in September.Bauers issue has always been command. He led the AL in walks in 2015 and ranked seventh this year. Whats at odds here is that Bauer does throw a high percentage of pitches in the strike zone: Porcello was first in this area among qualified starters, but Bauer ranked 19th. Even when he gets to three balls, he ranks 13th in zone rate. The problem is that he gets to too many three-ball counts. He also has the second-highest walk rate when he has two strikes.Bauer pitches off a fastball that averages 93.2 mph, preferring to work middle-away to both lefties and righties. He works up in the zone with the fastball, which has led to a .447 slugging percentage allowed on the pitch. He adds a curveball, cutter and changeup, with the curveball his go-to wipeout pitch -- batters hit .134/.145/.221 with a 45 percent strikeout rate against it. If Bauer can get to curveball counts, he can be tough. If not, it usually means hes walking batters and theyre sitting on his fastball. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightDavid Ortiz. Can he top his regular season? Ortiz wasnt quite as dominant away from Fenway, but he still hit .295/.372/.556 on the road. He also slugged .665 against right-handed pitchers, and in six games against the Indians he hit .458 with four home runs. Small sample size: Hes 4-for-5 off Bauer with two doubles and a home run. ?-- David SchoenfieldWhat will decide Thursday nights gameCan the Indians jump on the first pitch? Porcello threw pitches in the strike zone on 57.9 percent of his first pitches, the 9th-highest rate in the majors. Opponents had a .384 BA in at-bats ending with the first pitch, which was 44 points above league average among qualified pitchers. The Indians hit 40 HR on the first pitch, tied for 5th most in MLB. ? --?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?What, you think now is a good time to pick against Rick Porcello? Bostons unexpected Cy Young candidate might lose in the postseason, but it wont be Thursday night. The vaunted Red Sox offense will make certain of it against Trevor Bauer, who began the season in the bullpen. The Sox got to Bauer for four runs on eight hits in five innings earlier this season. That would be more than enough support for Porcello. -- Scott LauberThe Red Sox are going to swipe home field in Game 1. Going against history, Sox starter Rick Porcello will have his way with Indians slugger Carlos Santana. Santana has blistered Porcello in the past with 12 hits in 41 at-bats (.293), including three homers. However, Porcello will continue his bounce-back, maybe Cy Young-worthy year by pitching Boston to an opening-game victory, and it will start by controlling the Tribes power-hitting leadoff man, Santana. ?-- Andrew MarchandWhere the series standsId argue that Game 1 is more important for the Red Sox, since you might give the pitching edge to the Indians in Game 2, assuming Kluber is healthy and given David Prices struggles in the postseason in his career. The Red Sox averaged 4.95 runs on the road versus 5.89 at home, and keep in mind that Sox closer Craig Kimbrel struggled with walks his final few regular-season appearances. ?--?Schoenfield Jake Butt Youth Jersey .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Garett Bolles Jersey . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.authoritybroncosshop.com/jake-butt-broncos-jersey-c-63/ .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Its here: The countdown of All-Time #MLBRank moves into the top 100 baseball players across all positions.To create our list, an ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups of 162 players, based on both peak performance and career value.The Top 100 will roll out this week. Here are Nos. 90-81.Earlier Monday, we released Nos. 100-91.Weve also rolled out the top 10 players at each position: LHP | RHP | Catchers | Shortstops | Third basemen | Second basemen | First basemen | Left fielders | Center fielders | Right fieldersAll-Time #MLBRank: 90-81Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook.Paul MolitorPosition(s) Designated hitter, third base, second baseTeams Milwaukee Brewers (1978-92), Toronto Blue Jays (93-95), Minnesota Twins (96-98)Honors Seven-time All-Star (1980, 85, 88, 91-94), four Silver Sluggers (87-88, 93, 96),?World Series MVP (1993), Hall of Fame (2004)Championships 1 -- Toronto (1993)Career stats .306/.369/.448, OPS -- .817, Hits -- 3,319, HRs -- 234, RBIs -- 1,307Did you know? Molitor had 3,319 career hits in the regular season and 43 more in the postseason, including 23 in 13 World Series games. Molitors .418 World Series batting average is tied with Pepper Martin for the highest among players with at least 60 plate appearances. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & InfoRobin YountPosition(s) Shortstop, center fieldTeams Milwaukee Brewers (1974-93)Honors Three-time All-Star (80, 82-83), three Silver Sluggers (80, 82, 89), Gold Glove (82), two-time MVP (1982, 89), ?Hall of Fame (99)Championships NoneCareer stats .285/.342/.430, OPS -- .772, Hits -- 3,142, HRs -- 251, RBIs-- 1,406Did you know?Yount won the AL MVP as a shortstop in 1982 and as a center fielder in 1989. Hes one of four players to win the award at multiple positions, along with Hank Greenberg, Stan Musial and Alex Rodriguez. -- SimonOzzie SmithPosition(s) ShortstopTeams San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (82-96)Honors 13 Gold Gloves (1980-92),?15-time All-Star (81-92, 94-96), Silver Slugger (87), Hall of Fame (2002)Championships 1 -- St. Louis (1982)Career stats .262/.337/.328, OPS -- .666, Hits -- 2,460, HRs -- 28, RBIs -- 793, SB -- 580Did you know?580 The Wizard is considered the best defensive shortstop of all time -- from a time long before defensive runs saved existed to quantify it (he won 13 Gold Gloves). Smith had 76.5 wins above replacement in his career, third among shortstops in the live ball era. The two ahead of him on the list (Cal Ripken Jr. and Robin Yount) each had at least 250 home runs. -- Sarah Langs, Stats & InfoDuke SniderPosition(s) Center fieldTeams Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-57), Los Angeles Dodgers (58-62), New York Mets (63), San Francisco Giants (64)Honors Eight-time All-Star (1950-56, 63), Hall of Fame (80)Championships 2 -- Brooklyn (1955), Los Angeles (59)Career stats .295/.380/.540, OPS -- .919, Hits -- 2,116, HRs -- 407, RBIs --1,333Did you know? Snider might not have been as strong of an all-around player as the players with whom hes most often brought up: Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. But he did something that neither Mays nor Mantle did: hit at least 40 home runs in five straight seasons. At the time he did it, Snider was the third with at least five straight such seasons, joining Babe Ruth and Ralph Kiner. -- SimonJohn SmoltzPosition(s) Right-handed starter, relieverTeams Atlanta Braves (1988-99, 2001-08), Boston Red Sox (09), St. Louis Cardinals (09)Honors Eight-time NL All-Star (89, 92-93, 96, 02-03, 05, 07), NL Cy Young (1996), NL Silver Slugger (97), Hall of Fame (15)Championships 1 -- Atlanta (1995)Career stats W-L: 213-155, 16 shutouts, 3,473.0 innings pitched, 3.33 ERA, 3,084 strikeouts, 1.176 WHIP, 154 savesDid you know? Smoltz began his career as a starter, winning 157 games for the Braves from 1988-1999 including 24 games and the Cy Young award in 1996. He became a reliever following Tommy John surgery in 2000 and saved 154 games over the next four seasons. He is the only pitcher in MLB history with 200 wins and 150 saves. -- Jacob Nitzberg, Stats & InfoBryce HarperPosition RRight field?Teams Washington Nationals (2012-present)Honors Rookie of the Year (2012), MVP (15), Silver Slugger (15), four-time All-Star (12-13, 15-16)Championships NoneCareer stats . Chad Kelly Youth Jersey. 283/.386/.512, OPS -- .898, Hits -- 604, HRs -- 116, RBIs -- 300Did you know? In 2015, Harper became the first player in Expos/Nationals history to win an MVP award and was the fourth-youngest player to win it, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Harper became just the 6th player in the expansion era to lead the National League in runs, home runs, and OPS in a single season. -- Marty Callinan, Stats & InfoTim RainesPosition(s) Left fieldTeams Montreal Expos (1979-90, 2001), Chicago White Sox (91-95), New York Yankees (96-98), Oakland As (99), Baltimore Orioles (01), Florida Marlins (02)Honors Seven-time NL All-Star (1981-87),?NL Silver Slugger (86),?All-Star Game MVP (87)?Championships 1 -- New York (1996)Career stats .294/.385/.425, OPS -- .810, Hits -- 2,605, HRs -- 170, RBIs -- 980, SB -- 808Did you know? Argued by many as the most underrated player of the 80s and 90s, Raines possessed a remarkable blend of on-base skill and speed. He stole more bases (808) than all but four players in MLB history and reached base more times (3,977) than Tony Gwynn, Lou Brock and Mike Schmidt, among others. He was named an All-Star in seven consecutive seasons (1981-87) and owns the fifth-highest career WAR (69.1) among those whose primary position was left field. -- Paul Hembekides, Stats & InfoVladimir GuerreroPosition(s) Right fieldTeams Montreal Expos (1996-2003), Anaheim Angels (04), Los Angeles Angels (05-09), Texas Rangers (10), Baltimore Orioles (11)Honors Four-time NL All-Star (1999-02), five-time AL All-Star (2004-07, 10), three NL Silver Sluggers (1999-00, 02), five AL Silver Sluggers (2004-07, 10),?AL MVP (2004)Championships NoneCareer stats .318/.379/.553, OPS -- .931, Hits -- 2,590, HRs -- 449, RBIs -- 1,496Did you know? Vlad the Impaler is best remembered for his ability to hit practically any pitch and his extraordinary throwing arm from right field. Guerrero owns the second-highest career batting average (.318) among members of the 400-home run club to debut since World War II (Miguel Cabrera, .320). The 2004 AL MVP and nine-time All-Star led NL right fielders in assists on three occasions and is the only player in the live ball era (since 1920) to lead the NL and AL in total bases in a season. -- HembekidesEddie CollinsPosition(s) Second baseTeams Philadelphia As (1906-14, 27-30), Chicago White Sox (15-26)Honors MVP (1914), Hall of Fame (39)Championships 4 -- Philadelphia (1910-11, 13), Chicago (17)Career stats .333/.424/.429, OPS -- .853, Hits -- 3,315, HRs -- 47, RBIs -- 1,300, Sacrifice hits -- 512 (all-time leader)Did you know? Even despite a record 515 sacrifice hits, Collins still ranks 10th all time with 3,313 hits. Collins also ranks in the top 10 in stolen bases and was the only player in the first 90 seasons of the modern era to steal six bases in one game. -- Dan Braunstein, Stats & Info*Note that although Baseball-Reference lists Collins with 512 sacrifice hits and 3,315 hits, the Elias Book of Baseball Records lists him with 515 and 3,313, respectively. (Reference also lists Collins as 11th all-time in hits instead of 10th).Don DrysdalePosition(s) Right-handed starterTeams Brooklyn Dodgers (1956-57), Los Angeles Dodgers (58-69)Honors Nine-time All-Star (1959*, 61-65, 67, 68),?Cy Young (62), Hall of Fame (1984)*Played in two All-Star Games in 59Championships 3 -- Los Angeles (1959, 63, 65)Career stats W-L: 209-166, 49 shutouts, 3,432 innings pitched, 2.95 ERA, 2,486 strikeouts, 1.148 WHIPDid you know? Drysdale is best remembered for a 58-inning scoreless streak in 1968. How good was he that season? Consider this: After the streak was over, Drysdale had five starts in which he allowed at least five earned runs (including one in which he allowed eight). But he still finished the season with a 2.15 ERA, the best of his career. -- Simon Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '