Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole have been even more

HOUSTON (AP) — brilliant in the playoffs http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-randal-grichuk-jersey , keeping Cleveland’s powerful offense in check to give the Houston Astros a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series.Cole struck out 12 and walked none, combining with two relievers on Houston’s second straight three-hitter in a 3-1 victory Saturday.“There’s no doubt we expect to be good, but this is a team effort,” Cole said. “So, we expect to keep our team in the ballgame. I don’t know about all the personal accolades or all the dominance or that kind of stuff, but we just want to put up a fight.”Marwin Gonzalez hit a go-ahead, two-run double and Alex Bregman homered for the second straight day.Next up: 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel will oppose Mike Clevinger in Game 3 of this best-of-five series on Monday in Cleveland. Francisco Lindor hit a third-inning homer for the AL Central champion Indians, who have three runs in the two games. Cleveland is batting .100 (6 for 60) following a regular season in which the Indians ranked second in the majors with a .259 average. Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson have combined to go 1 for 22.“This is one of the best offenses in the league,” manager AJ Hinch said. “They can do damage. They can put long at-bats together. (Cole) used all his pitches. He was creative. What else can I say? He was awesome.”Gonzalez put the Astros ahead in the sixth with the third of his four hits, an opposite-field double to right off usually reliable reliever Andrew Miller.“With a one-run lead, and with Gonzalez coming up the way he had swung the bat against him prior and Andrew’s history Jose Bautista Jersey , I felt really good about it,” manager Terry Francona said. “Didn’t work out the way we obviously planned.”Bregman homered against Trevor Bauer in the seventh, and the World Series champions moved within a win of a second straight trip to the AL Championship Series.Cole allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, joining Tom Seaver (1973) as the only pitchers to strike out at least 12 batters without a walk in a postseason game.Ryan Pressly got two outs, and Roberto Osuna walked one in a four-out save.Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.Jose Altuve singled leading off the sixth but slipped as he left the batter’s box and was limping after reaching first base. Hinch and a trainer came out to check on Altuve, who remained in the game.Bregman walked and one out later, Cleveland brought in Miller, the dominating left-hander who was MVP of the 2016 AL Championship Series but has been slowed by injuries this year.The switch-hitting Gonzalez turned around and hit right-handed. He fouled off a slider, then doubled on a fastball. Gonzalez, who hit a career-best .303 last season, has struggled this year hitting just .247.“It was a tough season for me on the offensive side … but I’ve been putting in a lot of work and it felt good today,” Gonzalez said.Miller had allowed just one previous inherited runner to score in the postseason Troy Tulowitzki Jersey , on a sacrifice fly by Boston’s David Ortiz in Game 3 of the 2016 AL Division Series.Miller walked Carlos Correa on four pitches and loaded the bases with an intentional walk.“I wasn’t good,” Miller said. “I wasn’t effective.”Bauer, a starter pitching in relief for the second straight day, retired Evan Gattis on a popout and struck out Martin Maldonado.Cole retired 13 of 14 after Lindor’s homer, striking out the side in the fourth. After fanning Ramirez on three pitches to end the sixth, Cole screamed and pumped both arms as he walked off the mound.Houston leadoff hitter George Springer went 1 for 4 with a single, ending a streak of five straight postseason games with a home run — one shy of Daniel Murphy’s record.Now he and the Astros head to Cleveland hoping to set a different kind of mark by becoming the second team in franchise history to reach the championship series in consecutive seasons.“We’re going to try to finish it on Monday,” Gonzalez said. “That’s the mentality that everybody has in the clubhouse.”OSUNA’S STREAKOsuna, acquired from Toronto in July, has pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason. The streak spans nine games, including six in a row against Cleveland. He’s converted all three save chances in the playoffs and each of his three saves have been more than three outs.THEY SAID ITFrancona on his team’s mindset heading into Monday’s elimination game: “Show up on Monday and play for our baseball life. Nobody wants to go home. So, try to keep this thing going.”UP NEXTKeuchel (12-11 Marcus Stroman Jersey , 3.74 ERA) is 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in eight postseason games, including seven starts. Clevinger (13-8, 3.02) will be making his first career postseason start after making six relief appearances with a 6.43 ERA. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Once Aaron Nola got an early lead, he was home free.Nola struck out 11 in seven impressive innings to stay unbeaten at Citizens Bank Park, pitching the Philadelphia Phillies past the New York Mets 4-2 on Friday night.Asdrubal Cabrera hit an RBI double off former teammate Noah Syndergaard during a three-run first inning, and Nola made the early lead stand up.Nola (14-3) allowed one run on three hits with one walk while lowering his ERA in 2.24. The All-Star is even better at home, improving to 9-0 with a 2.00 mark in 12 starts in Philadelphia this season.“There’s been a lot of Cy Young Award chatter leading up to today. Obviously, you can see why,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.“He rises to the occasion. he’s ready for the biggest moment. And it’s just like no spot is too big. No spotlight is too bright. He just elevates his game, and we saw that tonight,” he said.Pat Neshek pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save in as many chances.Syndergaard (8-3) allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. The tall right-hander has battled injuries again in 2018, missing two months with a finger injury and then 10 days last month due to hand http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-devon-travis-jersey , foot and mouth disease.“Today was more of a step in the wrong direction,” he said.Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro also drove in runs for the playoff-contending Phillies.Austin Jackson had three hits and an RBI for the Mets.Cabrera’s double put the Phillies ahead and Williams followed with an RBI single. Cabrera, traded from the Mets to Philadelphia last month, scored on Carlos Santana’s double-play groundout.That was more than enough for Nola, who struck out the side in the first and retired nine of the first 10 Mets. The only batter that reached during that stretch, Jose Bautista, got on because of an error by second baseman Cesar Hernandez.“Just trying to make quality pitches,” Nola said.New York got its lone run off Nola in the fourth. Jeff McNeil led off with a single, the first hit off Nola, went to third on Jackson’s single and scored on Todd Frazier’s sacrifice fly.RUNNING WILDThe Phillies stole a season-high five bases, including the first two of the season by the catcher Alfaro, against Syndergaard.“Definitely an Achilles’ heel http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-roy-halladay-jersey ,” Syndergaard said of holding runners. “Embarrassing tonight.”Mets manager Mickey Callaway said it’s an area Syndergaard will continue to work to improve.“Bottom line is he needs to get better and I think he will,” Callaway said.ERROR PRONEHernandez’s misplay made it 94 errors for Philadelphia, which began play second in the majors to St. Louis (95).TRAINER’S ROOMMets: An MRI on the left index finger of RF Brandon Nimmo revealed no structural damage. Nimmo, who was injured on Thursday, was not in the lineup Friday but could play on Saturday. … Reliever Bobby Wahl was placed on the DL with a right hamstring strain and LHP Daniel Zamora was recalled from Double-A Binghamton. Zamora made his major league debut, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.UP NEXTMets ace Jacob deGrom (7-7, major league-best 1.81 ERA) opposes RHP Jake Arrieta (9-7, 3.33) in the fourth game of the five-game set on Saturday afternoon. DeGrom is 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 13 career starts against the Phillies and struck out seven in eight shutout innings of a 3-0 win on July 11. Arrieta is 2-2 with a 1.99 ERA in eight career starts vs. the Mets.