Toronto @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 21, 2016 ) Toronto 2, Cleveland 3

Neither the Toronto Blue Jays nor the Cleveland Indians have been to the World Series this century, but the teams begin pursuit of ending their droughts when the American League Championship Series opens in Cleveland on Friday. The Blue Jays haven't been to the World Series since winning the second of back-to-back championships in 1993 while the Indians' last visit was a losing effort in 1997.

Toronto rolled to a sweep of Texas in the AL Division Series while Cleveland was equally strong, taking out Boston in three straight. While it was clear most of the second half of the season that the Indians were going to be involved in the postseason, the Blue Jays had to overcome a late-season funk and then defeat Baltimore in the wild-card game before shredding the Rangers. "We just kept plugging along. No big win streaks, but no major dips either in the other direction," Toronto manager John Gibbons said at Thursday's press conference. "In September, our bats went silent is basically what happened. We have that kind of team, we have a free-swinging team that hits for a lot of power, so that's not abnormal. But they hung in there, we won some close games, and the pitching was really good." The Indians' starting rotation has been dented by injuries to Carlos Carrasco (fractured pitching hand) and Danny Salazar (elbow), so a strong bullpen led by closer Cody Allen and set-up men Andrew Miller and Bryan Shaw will be relied upon heavily in this series.

TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, TBS, Sportsnet (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (1-0, 1.08 ERA) vs. Indians RH Corey Kluber (1-0, 0.00)

Estrada was superb in Game 1 of the ALDS, giving up one run and four hits in 8 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old, who has posted a 3.75 ERA in two career no-decisions against Cleveland, was a playoff standout last year as he went 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in three outings. "Obviously, it's the playoffs and I understand it's a big deal, but I treat every game just like the one before," Estrada said at Thursday's press conference. "I don't put extra pressure on myself. And it's something I've been saying since last year - why think about it any other way than just another normal start?"

The 30-year-old Kluber proved his late-September quadriceps injury was a non-issue by scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings against Boston in Game 2 of the ALDS. "I didn't feel like it was a problem, I felt like I was in the good spot," Kluber said at Thursday's press conference. "Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, having a chance for the rest of my body to recover and stuff." Kluber, who is 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA in five career starts against Blue Jays, went 18-9 during the regular season to match his career-best win total from 2014, when he won the AL Cy Young Award.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays 2B Devon Travis (knee) is expected to be ready for the opener after missing the final two games of the ALDS.

2. Miller has struck out 53 batters and allowed just five earned runs in 33 innings since being acquired from the New York Yankees.

3. Toronto LHP Francisco Liriano is eligible to return Saturday after finishing the seven-day concussion protocol.

PREDICTION: Indians 4, Blue Jays 2