The set-up: Cleveland's strong finish (highlighted by the team's 22-game winning streak) was enough to allow the Indians to edge past the Houston Astros (102-to-101 wins) for the American League's best overall record. That means Cleveland opens its quest to return to the World Series with a five-game ALDS matchup with the wild card-winning NY Yankees. The first two games will be in Cleveland, beginning with tonight's contest at 7:05 ET.Terry Francona made liberal use of his bullpen weapons while guiding the Cleveland Indians to the World Series last season (especially Andrew Miller) and Joe Girardi took a page out of Francona's playbook in Tuesday's wild card win over the Twins. Starter Luis Severino was replaced with one out and three runs in in the first inning but Girardi got 26 outs (13 Ks!) from his bullpen, as Chad Green, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman proved to be up to the task as the Yankees pulled out an 8-4 victory. Francona rode Andrew Miller hard in the 2016 postseason and won't be afraid to do so again, though the Indians might have an even better team in 2017 after finishing the regular season with 33 wins in their last 37 games!

The pitching matchup: Sonny Gray (10-12 & 3.55 ERA) gets the nod in Game 1 for New York, opposed by Cleveland's Trevor Bauer (17-9 & 4.19 ERA). Big things were expected of Gray when the Yankees acquired him in a trade deadline deal with Oakland but he went a modest 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 starts. He struggled with the 'long ball' in September, surrendering nine HRs in 35 1/3 innings. He lost 5-1 at Cleveland in his New York debut on Aug. 3 (allowed four runs but just two were earned) plus was ripped for six runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings in his final regular-season outing on Saturday. Gray is 0-1 in two career postseason starts despite a 2.08 ERA. Bauer more than did his part during the Indians' sprint to the finish. He was 10-1 with a 2.42 ERA over his last 14 games (13 starts / Indians were 10-3) and allowed two runs in 13 innings over his final two starts. Two of those outings came against New York on Aug. 4 and Aug. 30, and he breezed to wins in both by scattering two runs over 13 innings while striking out 11. Still, that only brings his LT mark against the Yankees to 3-4 with 4.60 ERA in eight starts (Indians are 4-4).

The pick: Bauer gets the start over Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber, so that Kluber can come back on regular rest in a potential Game 5 or Game 1 of the ALCS. Yes. Bauer went 0-2 with a 5.27 ERA in five games (four starts) during the 2016 postseason but he had a damaged pitching hand. It's been a breakout season for him here in 2017 and he was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Sonny Gray has not lived up to expectations for the Yanks since the trade and in three starts vs. the Indians in 2017, went 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA. I sure don't want to step in front of the Cleveland 'express' here in Game 1. Make the Indians an 8*!