KANSAS CITY -- As Indians starter Carlos Carrasco worked through his final few Royals batters on Sunday, Tribe pitcher Trevor Bauer fired weighted baseballs into a wall in the visitors' bullpen. It was an unusual, but necessary arrangement, for Cleveland's final regular-season game.
In a 2-1 win at Kauffman Stadium, Carrasco handled the first five innings before Bauer finished things out. It was a reversal in roles from Tuesday, when Bauer started against the White Sox and Carrasco came out of the bullpen. With innings running out in the regular season, the approach served as preparation for the upcoming American League Division Series against the Astros.