RHP Shawn Camp, on the DL since May 22 with sprained right big toe, is expected to work two innings in a rehab assig | Forum

CHICAGO -- Josh Tomlin got the nickname The Little Cowboy several years ago from former Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta. Vapormax Homme 2020 . Tomlin is not a fan of the moniker. But as a 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-hander with a Texas drawl, an upper-80s fastball, abundant toughness and a Tommy John surgery in his background, he fills all the boxes.Tomlin, 32, will make the biggest start of his career Friday night when he opposes Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs in the first World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945. While the noise and raucous energy will make for a daunting atmosphere, Indians manager Terry Francona thinks Tomlin is just the man for the job.I just think hes built to pitch good all the time, Francona said. When you get challenged -- and its going to be an incredible atmosphere here -- it feels good to send him to the mound. Hes going to compete. He doesnt walk people. You cant run on him. Sometimes the opposing team beats him. But he doesnt beat himself.As a pitcher whose competitive DNA far surpasses his national profile, Tomlin embodies the tenacity and can-do spirit that unifies the 2016 Cleveland staff.The Indians have won eight of 10 meetings with Boston, Toronto and Chicago this postseason thanks primarily to some industrial-strength pitching. In 89 postseason innings, Indians pitchers have struck out 104 batters, walked 29 and logged a 1.82 aggregate ERA and .210 batting average against -- even though Trevor Bauer and the bullpen just turned in the teams worst October performance yet in a 5-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.Cleveland isnt the first place that springs to mind when baseball analysts talk about pitching factories. The San Francisco Giants rode the exploits of Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum to three titles in five years, and the Mets have made lots of waves of late with Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and friends. For several years, Pittsburgh earned a reputation as turnaround central when pitching guru Jim Benedict, the Pirates former special assistant to the general manager, and pitching coach Ray Searage were helping Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon and several others reinvent their careers at PNC Park.But the Indians arguably derive as much value from their pitching investments as any franchise in baseball. Theyre building an impressive track record for taking pitchers with control problems, injury histories and other performance issues and making them better.Corey Kluber, Clevelands ace, was not a highly regarded prospect coming through the San Diego Padres minor league system. Some personnel people thought he was best-suited for the bullpen when Cleveland acquired him by trade in 2010. But the Indians sent Kluber to Triple-A to work with pitching coach Ruben Niebla on his mechanics and add a two-seam fastball to his repertoire, and Kluber broke through with an 18-9 record, a 2.44 ERA and an American League Cy Young Award in 2014 at age 28.Carlos Carrasco, once a hot prospect in Philadelphia, was saddled with a reputation as a pitcher who lacked mental toughness before finally realizing his potential in Cleveland. Bauer, selected by Arizona with the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA, clashed with Diamondbacks management and was perceived as headstrong and too nerdy and mechanically obsessed for his own good when the Indians picked him up by trade in 2012. Bauer still isnt over the hump, but he has shown enough flashes to make the Indians think he can get there.Tomlin is a former 19th-round pick out of Texas Tech, and closer Cody Allen, another Tommy John surgery survivor, was a 23rd-round choice in 2011. Even Andrew Miller, one of the most dominant relievers in the game, failed as a starter and is pitching for his sixth big league organization at age 31.All of our guys have been through something tough in their career, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway?said. This is why theyre doing what theyre doing. Theres no fear. Theres no timidness. They go out there and just throw the ball over the plate, and they know if they do that and get ahead, good things are going to happen.As Francona readily admits, the Indians have to take a patient, big-picture approach in acquiring and developing arms. Theyll tolerate a pitchers quirks, or nurse him through injuries, because they cant abide the thought of giving up on him and watching him blossom somewhere else.The Indians give their pitchers plenty of sounding boards. Callaway has developed a reputation as something of a pitcher whisperer, and former big leaguer Jason Bere plays a valuable role as bullpen coach. Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti describes Callaway as relentless in his preparation and willingness to explore every possible avenue of success.Its never about Mickey being the coach or being right or being the one with all the knowledge, Antonetti said. Hes always trying to figure out, How do we partner with the player and develop a plan for him to be successful? Hell tap into our other pitching coaches, our coordinators, our scouts, our front office, our analytics group and our sports psychologists. Hell utilize whomever can potentially help him be a more effective coach.Clevelands younger pitchers have an excellent role model in Kluber, whose even temperament and diligent preparation are the backbone of his success. And throughout the postseason, the Indians have raved about the contribution of catcher Roberto Perez, an astute pitch framer and game caller who finds a way to mind-meld with everyone on the staff.He brings a sense of calm, Tomlin said of Perez. He slows the game down for you and expects you to execute. If you elevate a pitch and leave it over the plate and they miss it or foul it off, hell look at you [later] in the dugout like, Lets go. Be smart. He holds you accountable back there. When you toe the rubber and he has the sign down before you think about it, it gives you extra conviction and confidence in that pitch. That goes a long way.Tomlin needed to look inward and figure some things out after going an abysmal 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA in August. The Indians skipped him for a start in early September, and he sat down with Callaway, looked at video and made some mechanical adjustments to get back on track. Tomlin has developed a better feel for his curveball in recent weeks and has emerged as Klubers wingman when the Indians needed him most.If Tomlin and the Indians feel stressed heading into three straight games before a hostile crowd in Chicago, they certainly dont show it. Tomlin took the podium for his media session Thursday just as Francona was exiting the stage.Make sure to use your Texas-to-English dictionary, Francona cracked.A few minutes later, as Tomlin finished up, a voice at the back of the room piped up with one final question.Whos better at cribbage -- you or Mike Napoli? asked Napoli, who was about to take the stage.With the obvious exception of Kluber, the Indians give the impression that theres no one they would rather have on the mound than Tomlin in this momentous game at Wrigley. As the pressure mounts, they expect The Little Cowboy to be up to the challenge. Vapormax Plus Pas Cher . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Vapormax Solde . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. http://www.vapormaxsolde.fr/ . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. CHICAGO -- It took the Chicago Cubs 14 innings before they finally found a way to beat Cincinnati at home. Pinch-hitter Julio Borbon singled home the winning run with two outs in the 14th and Chicago beat the Reds 6-5 on Thursday to end Cincinnatis record 12-game winning streak at Wrigley Field. "I was ready from probably the ninth inning on, probably even a little earlier, just trying to get that opportunity to go up there and help in any way possible," Borbon said. "It feels pretty good." The Cubs hadnt beaten Cincinnati at home since last Aug. 9. With the win, Chicago avoided a four-game sweep and improved to 3-10 against the Reds this season. Hector Rondon (1-0) pitched two innings for the victory and Chicagos bullpen finished with 13 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings in a game that lasted 5 hours, 7 minutes. David DeJesus homered and Nate Schierholtz became the first player this season to hit two triples in a game for the Cubs, who had lost eight of 10 to fall a season-high 13 games below .500. They scored at least five runs for the first time since June 5. "I think we needed that win today," Rondon said. Jonathan Broxton (2-2) took the loss in the longest game for both teams this season. The previous record for consecutive victories by a visitor at Wrigley Field was 10, by the St. Louis Cardinals (1943-44) and matched by the New York Giants (1950-51) and Montreal Expos (1982-83), according to STATS. Chicago had lost 25 of 31 to the Reds dating to Sept. 13, 2011. Starlin Castro led off the 14th with a single against Broxton and stole second when Anthony Rizzo struck out. Castro went to third on Alfonso Sorianos groundout to first base, and Schierholtz was intentionally walked before Borbon came through. Castro went 3 for 7 after entering in a 4-for-48 slump. He was back in the second spot in the lineup after dropping to seventh last week and hitting sixth on Wednesday, and came within a few feet of ending the game in the ninth when his double off the wall in left was knocked down by a stiff wind blowing in. "That was by far, obviously, the best day hes had all year," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "He should have had a walk-off home run. He crushed that ball. That was a shame. We would have been in New York by now." The Cubs open a three-game series Friday night against the Mets. Instead of using closer Aroldis Chapman in the 14th, Reds manager Dusty Baker went to Broxton. Baker said he didnt want to use Broxton because of a sore right elbow and had him "pennciled in as a no" but tried to "sneak" him through one inning. Vapormax Homme Moins Cher. "(Chapman) was my last pitcher to close out the game," Baker said. Mat Latos was trying to win his seventh straight decision to start the season for Cincinnati. He allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings. Latos has won his last 10 regular-season decisions since losing to the Cardinals on Aug. 24, and the Cincinnati bullpen has blown saves in five of his games this season. This time, however, Reds relievers did a nice job after Latos left. They allowed two runs over 7 2-3 innings. "I felt good, because I was throwing my pitches for strikes for the most part," said Curtis Partch, who tossed four scoreless innings. "It definitely helped me out to get some quick outs. Definitely helped me to go those four innings and not throw too many pitches." Jeff Samardzija pitched six innings for Chicago, allowing five runs and a season-high 10 hits in six innings. He walked four and struck out six. Since beating the White Sox with a two-hitter on May 27, Samardzija is winless in three starts. Chicago tied the score at 5 in the eighth Darwin Barneys two-out single off Sam LeCure. Cincinnati scored twice in the second on RBI singles by Devin Mesoraco and Shin-Soo Choo and added two in the fifth on run-scoring singles by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. Jay Bruce had four hits for the Reds. Choo reached base three times and scored twice. Zack Cozart reached on Castros second error at shortstop leading off the 14th and advanced to third on Bruces two-out single. Rondon struck out Derrick Robinson to end the threat, Cincinnatis first in extra innings. NOTES: Baker and Sveum were both impressed by the pace of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday night, won 4-3 in triple overtime by the Chicago Blackhawks. Baker went to United Center but left after regulation and said watching the game was an inspiration to return to the World Series. Sveum watched the entire game on TV. ... The Reds said its possible RHP Johnny Cueto could start Sunday against the Brewers. Cueto has been on the disabled list since June 1 with a strained right shoulder. ... Cubs RHP Shawn Camp, on the DL since May 22 with sprained right big toe, is expected to work two innings in a rehab assignment Friday for Class-A Kane County. ... Bronson Arroyo (6-5, 3.35 ERA) starts Friday for the Reds against Milwaukee RHP Kyle Lohse (2-6, 4.03). ... Cubs RHP Edwin Jackson (2-8, 5.76) opposes Mets RHP Shaun Marcum (0-7, 4.96) on Friday night. ' ' '