CLEVELAND \u2014 The Astros are orbiting in October again. The defending World Series champions advanced to the AL Championship Series for the second straight year,\u2026<\/b>
\nCLEVELAND \u2014 The Astros are orbiting in October again.
The defending World Series champions advanced to the AL Championship Series for the second straight year, completing a division-round sweep of Cleveland on Monday with an 11-3 lashing in Game 3 helped by two key throwing errors from Indians reliever Trevor Bauer.
Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run double off Bauer on a shoulder-high pitch as the Astros scored three runs in the seventh inning and closed a series that figured to be much more competitive.
George Springer homered twice, Carlos Correa hit three-run homer for his first hit of the postseason and Houston\u2019s bullpen combined for four scoreless innings as the AL West champions served notice that a second Series title is on their itinerary.
After the Astros finished a three-game demolition, they briefly celebrated on the infield at Progressive Field before taking the party inside to their clubhouse.
\u201cIt\u2019s a great day for us as a team, a great day as a city,\u201d said Springer, who connected in the fifth and eighth innings. \u201cI understand that personal results don\u2019t mean anything now. It\u2019s all about, \u2018How can I help us win?’\u201d
The Astros will now wait for the Red Sox-Yankees winner for a shot to play for another championship.
For the Indians, another postseason ended earlier than planned. Cleveland was beaten in the first round for the second year in a row \u2014 New York came back from a 2-0 deficit in 2017 \u2014 and baseball\u2019s longest World Series championship drought will reach a 71st anniversary.
The Indians hit just .144 in the series, have lost six straight playoff games and were swept for the first time since the 1954 World Series.
\u201cWe got to go home now, before we\u2019re ready to,\u201d manager Terry Francona said. \u201cThat hurts. It always stings. I just told the guys, we\u2019ve got a number of guys that are free agents. You know there\u2019s going to be some turnover, and it\u2019s a real special group to all of us.
\u201cSo that\u2019s a hard one, when you\u2019re saying goodbye before you\u2019re ready to.\u201d
Francisco Lindor homered off a circular digital clock in the fifth off Dallas Keuchel to give Cleveland a 2-1 lead that vanished in the seventh.
With a major assist, actually two of them by Bauer, the Astros rallied off the starter-turned-postseason reliever, who stooped behind the mound and dropped his head after his two errant throws.
Tony Kemp singled and was awarded second when Bauer\u2019s pickoff throw hopped into the photographer\u2019s pit. Springer reached on a dribbler that catcher Yan Gomes couldn\u2019t make a play on as Kemp took third. Jose Altuve grounded into a forceout, with Kemp scoring to tie it 2-2.
Bauer got the dangerous Alex Bregman to hit a comebacker, but the right-hander\u2019s throw to second was off line and both runners were safe \u2014 a mistake that surely will haunt the enigmatic pitcher all winter.
Bauer then walked Yuli Gurriel and Gonzalez, whose two-run double to right broke a tie in Game 2, followed with his double to left to make it 4-2 and force Francona to change pitchers again. The pitch was 4.22 feet off the ground, the second-highest ever struck by Gonzalez for a hit, according to Major League Baseball.
As he walked to the dugout, Bauer, who did not commit an error in 28 appearances this season, received a polite ovation from Cleveland fans. They appreciated that the Indians had to ride him in October because of all the other problems in the team\u2019s bullpen.
Mike Clevinger gave Francona a terrific outing \u2014 five strong innings before Bauer entered.
Springer, who struck out on three pitches in his first two at-bats against Clevinger, got him the third time and drove the first pitch into the left-field bleachers to tie it 1-all.
It was Springer\u2019s franchise-record ninth homer in the postseason \u2014 he hit No. 10 in the eighth \u2014 and gave the Astros a homer in 12 straight playoff games, matching the AL record set by Baltimore (1983,1997). After hitting just three home runs in the final 1\u00bd months of the regular season, Springer went deep three times against Cleveland.
The Indians came in batting just .100 after being dominated by Astros All-Stars Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole in Houston, where they were managed just six hits. They finally strung a couple together to push across a run in the third.
Francona has been on both sides of postseason deficits.
He famously guided Boston from down 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS against New York and watched helplessly as his Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 World Series and another big advantage in last year\u2019s Division Series. Francona said his pregame message to his players was to focus on \u201csmall samples\u201d and he drove it home by channeling Yogi Berra.
\u201cAs long as you\u2019re still breathing, you\u2019re still breathing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just don\u2019t have a lot of margin for error.\u201d
Never mind two of them.<\/p>\n

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