Blue Jays return home looking to solve Andrew Miller

The Toronto Blue Jays probably will need to put a ball in play against Andrew Miller at some point to have a chance in the American League Championship Series. The Blue Jays will attempt to grab the momentum and avoid falling into a deep hole when they host the Cleveland Indians in Game 3 on Monday.

Miller was the star of the Indians' AL Division Series sweep of Boston as he recorded seven strikeouts in four scoreless innings and was even better in the first two games of the ALCS, fanning 10 batters and yielding one hit in 3 2/3 scoreless frames of relief as Cleveland seized control and took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"Same cliché, pitch by pitch," Miller told reporters when asked about his playoff success. "Just focus on the task at hand. Try to get ahead, try to execute a good pitch to the game plan. In a sense, hope you get these guys out. They're so good. You can execute the perfect pitch in your mind and they can hit it a long ways."

Toronto pounded out 22 runs in their three-game sweep of Texas in the ALDS but has managed one run in two contests against an Indians staff that is missing two of its best starters in Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar.

"I know one thing, they pitched great," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters. "I wouldn't dare take anything from them, that's for sure."

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Trevor Bauer (0-0, 5.79 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (0-0, 3.00)

Bauer was the first to benefit from the dominance of Miller, who came on in the fifth inning of the ALDS in relief and earned the win. Bauer was scheduled to start Game 2 against Toronto before cutting his finger while repairing his drone and was pushed back to allow the pinky on his pitching hand to heal. The UCLA product enjoyed one of his best starts against Toronto on Aug. 19, when he allowed two runs in eight innings and struck out a career-high 13.

Stroman, who held Baltimore to two runs and four hits over six innings in his ALDS start, has not earned a victory since Aug. 14. The Duke product allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his last nine starts but could not get enough help from his teammates to land in the win column. The first of those nine turns came at Cleveland on Aug. 21, when Stroman struck out nine and yielded one run in 7 1/3 innings but was held out of the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Blue Jays removed 2B Devon Travis (knee) from the roster before Game 2 and replaced him with 1B Justin Smoak.

2. Indians SS Francisco Lindor has driven in three of his team's four runs in the series.

3. Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson set a franchise record with his sixth postseason double on Saturday and is 12-for-26 in the playoffs.