Indians earn smooth 3-2 win thanks to Brantley’s early swing; three takeaways

3. Miller Time

The eighth inning was truly make or break, as Andrew Miller was on the mound and got into some trouble early on. He walked Jay in the leadoff spot before giving up a single to Merrifield, giving the Royals two runners on and no outs.

From there though, Miller struck out the side to end the inning. Friday was Miller’s 36th relief outing since 2016 with at least three strikeouts, and as Francona said postgame, Miller’s ability to work through tough situations like Friday’s are what make him so uniquely good.

“Like he’s his own reliever,” Francona said. “Once he has to start attacking, it’s like he gets better. That’s a good feeling. Not too often you look up and it’s first and second, and you’re just not too sure they’re going to score. A lot of times, that’s not a good recipe, but with him you’re like, ‘I think we’re going to be OK.’”

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