Only for Guild Members » Cincinnati.DROUGHT ENDSSanchez got his first hit

HOUSTON (AP) — This postseason may be best remembered for its bullpen openers. Just not in the AL Division Series between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians.Relief pitchers are covering entire games for other championship contenders this October Archie Bradley Jersey , but the Astros and Indians are ready to roll old school, starting with Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber facing off in Game 1 on Friday.“I love starters,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said Thursday. “Why? Because I’ve got good ones. I think that’s the easiest way to fall in love with a rotation and have that mindset, do I want my starters to go deep in the game? Yeah, they’re good.”Cleveland knows the feeling. This series will feature some of the best pitchers in the American League, with Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco opposing two-time All-Star right-hander Gerrit Cole in the second game Saturday, and Mike Clevinger of the Indians and 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel pitching in Monday’s Game 3.Verlander, a 14-year veteran, believes the AL West champion Astros and AL Central champion Indians have the top two rotations in the AL. He thinks the performance of each team’s starters will be paramount to success in this series.“Us and the Indians probably being 1 and 2, however you like to slice it, us and them, them and us,” he said. “Pick your poison. We both have very defined starters who have a great track record and have good stuff. This should be a really fun series.”Kluber pitched well in the postseason in 2016 when the Indians fell to the Cubs in the World Series. But he struggled in the ALDS last year against the New York Yankees while dealing with an aching back. He’s feeling healthier this time around and expecting a stronger performance.“Whether a game I pitch or a month I have or a year I have is good or bad, the way I look at it is I’m looking forward to the next one … not dwelling on previous outings or games, whether they’re good or bad,” he said.Some things to look for as the Indians and Astros open this best-of-five series.CORREA’S BACKHouston shortstop Carlos Correa hit .268 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in the first half this season but struggled with a back injury for most of the second half. He missed about six weeks and hit just .180 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 37 games after the All-Star break.Though it wasn’t bothering him Thursday Curt Schilling Jersey , the top overall pick in the 2012 draft said he isn’t sure that the problem is completely behind him.“One day I wake up and I’m fine and one day I wake up and my back is tight again,” he said. “Right now, I feel great. I feel ready to go and hopefully it doesn’t come back.”MORTON AND BAUERHouston’s Charlie Morton and Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer could end up starting Game 4, if necessary. However, they might also come out of the bullpen before that if any of their starters struggle. Manager Terry Francona has indicated Bauer could be used to eat up multiple innings like Andrew Miller did for the Indians in the last couple of postseasons.“Our job now is to take who we have now and get the best out of them. … If we get where we want, my guess is that Trevor’s going to be used a ton,” Francona said.DONALDSON’S SEASONThird baseman Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, spent most of the season on the disabled list with various injuries before being traded from Toronto to Cleveland on Aug. 31. He looked good in limited action at the end of the season, hitting .280 with three homers and seven RBIs in 16 games. The Indians hope he regains the form he’s shown in five career postseasons where he’s hit .292 with four homers and 13 RBIs.He’s looking forward to contributing after the tough path it took to get back on the field this year.“I definitely didn’t know if I was going to make it back this season,” he said. “But I was trying to do everything possible that I could, and I feel very fortunate and blessed to be in the position that I am right now and to hopefully help these guys achieve their ultimate goal.”VALUE OF SPEEDBoth the Astros and the Indians used one of their final roster spots on players who are valuable for their speed. Houston picked rookie Myles Straw over carrying a third catcher and the Indians went with Rajai Davis over backup shortstop Erik Gonzalez.Straw has been used almost exclusively as a pinch-runner since being called up on Sept. 15, and Hinch raved about what a player like him can do for a team in the postseason.“Straw can be a huge impact on the bases. … He is so fast he forced the third catcher off the roster,” Hinch said. “And that gives us a lot of weapons.”Davis was big for the Indians during their 2016 playoff run, hitting a tying home run in Game 7 of the World Series that Cleveland lost to the Cubs in 10 innings. The speedy Davis has proven to still be a threat on the bases this season and has 21 steals despite approaching his 38th birthday.Donaldson said the speed of Davis could really help Cleveland this postseason.“In the playoffs, I think what you look for is being able to score in a multitude of different ways: One Luis Gonzalez Jersey , the home run ball; B is small ball; and then, three, just pure speed,” he said. “And that’s what he brings.” ATLANTA (AP) — Braves manager Brian Snitker gave most of his everyday players some time off a day after Atlanta clinched the NL East.Lane Adams took advantage of a rare opportunity.“You see the fun the starters have day in and day out,” Adams said. “When I saw my name in the lineup I just wanted to go out, have fun, enjoy it and take it in because this is a special group, a special crowd and a special time for this organization.”Adams homered and drove in two runs, Anibal Sanchez won for the first time in nine starts and the Atlanta Braves used a lineup of reserves to win their fifth straight game, 2-1 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.The loss dropped Philadelphia from postseason contention. Atlanta, the first NL team to qualify for the playoffs, eliminated the Phillies from the division race on Saturday. The Braves have the second-best record among NL division leaders at 88-68 and could earn home-field advantage in the NL Division Series with a strong performance during the final week of the regular season.The Braves mostly rested their regulars against ace Aaron Nola (16-6). Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis each had one at-bat in Atlanta’s final home game before walking off the field to standing ovations before the start of the second.“Everybody deserved it, but they’re the two guys that have posted up every day,” Snitker said. “They’re on a 162-game pace and kind of our guts. So I thought that was pretty cool they got to get recognized. It was very well deserved.”Among the other regulars to make an appearance, Ozzie Albies grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the fifth and Ronald Acuna Jr. flew out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.Adams, filling in for center fielder Ender Inciarte Gregor Blanco Jersey , had an RBI double in the second and hit his second homer in the fifth.Sanchez (7-6) further secured his role as Atlanta’s No. 3 starter for the division series behind Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman, allowing four hits, one run and one walk in five innings. Sanchez won for the first time since Aug. 3 and has a 3.09 ERA over that span.“He’s been huge,” Snitker said. “What a great story that is. As far as being a complete pitcher and executing pitches, it’s pretty good. There’s a lot of knowledge there. He’s been doing it a long time and he’s been successful.”Scott Kingery’s eighth homer for Philadelphia tied it at 1-all in the third. The Phillies were swept in a four-game series in Atlanta for the first time since 1997.Nola gave up four hits, two runs and one walk with six strikeouts in six innings. He has surrendered nine homers in five starts this month and is 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA over that span.Nola wants to make one final start, giving him 33 for the season, as Philadelphia tries to finish above .500.“I think just going forward, everybody has confidence in each other,” he said. “To finish the year out strong is important to us.”Reliever Max Fried allowed three baseunners in the sixth and seventh for Atlanta. Sam Freeman faced the minimum in the eighth.Shane Carle pitched a shaky ninth to earn his first career save in two chances. He walked two batters and hit Kingery with a pitch before Wilson Ramos grounded out to end it.LOOKING AHEADPhillies manager Gabe Kapler said the team is committed to playing young talent like Kingery, J.P. Crawford, Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr in the final week. Veterans like Asdrubal Cabrera and Ramos who were acquired for the playoff run will be used in reserve roles. Kapler added that catcher Jorge Alfaro will play every day if his mild right quadriceps strain isn’t a bother.SOLID YEARNola has fallen off in September, but he’s still having a career-best season. He avoided injuries to surpass 200 innings for the first time and ranks second in the NL with a 2.45 ERA.BENCH QUESTIONSAtlanta has been waiting for Adam Duvall, who went 1-for-3 Sunday, to seize the role as the team’s primary source of right-handed power off the bench. But he’s been a bust, hitting .104 with no RBIs in 31 games Blake Parker Jersey , a span 48 at-bats, since coming over in a trade with Cincinnati.DROUGHT ENDSSanchez got his first hit since April 9, 2014, a span of 54 at-bats, with a single in the third. He crossed first base with his arms in the air as the Braves’ dugout celebrated.ATTENDANCEThe Braves, playing their last regular-season home game, announced 2,555,782 tickets sold. Their home average of 31,519 fans ranks 12th in the majors in just the second season at SunTrust Park. The Braves have been better on the road (45-30) than at home (43-38).UP NEXTPhillies RHP Zach Eflin (11-7, 4.09 ERA) will try to win his third straight start as Philadelphia opens a four-game series Monday at Colorado. The Braves are off Monday and begin a three-game series Tuesday at the New York Mets with RHP Touki Toussaint (2-1, 4.30 ERA) on the mound.