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CLEVELAND — Entering the game Friday night http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-aaron-hicks-jersey , both the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays had just 29 games left in the regular season, but had yet to play each other.The teams finally got together on Friday and the Indians won 3-0. After the game, the Indians acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson from the Toronto Blue Jays.On Saturday night, the Indians and Rays will meet for the second time this season, at Progressive Field. Although they hadn’t played each other until Friday, that doesn’t mean they aren’t aware of one another.Article continues below ...“They are in the (American League) East. That’s a good division, and they’ve held their own,”Indians manager Terry Francona said of the Rays. “They are doing it in an unconventional way. It’s unconventional now, but they’re not doing it with smoke and mirrors.”The Rays have blazed a new trail in starting pitcher usage by using a relief pitcher to start many of their games, and having a true starting pitcher take over in the second or third inning.“They’ve got a lot of good arms Aaron Judge Jersey , and (manager Kevin) Cash and his staff have done a really good job of getting their guys to buy in,” Francona said.Cash, who played for Francona when he managed Boston, and coached on his staff in Cleveland before being hired to manage the Rays, remains very close to Francona, and the two buddies will send two impressive young pitchers to the mound on Saturday.For the Rays, it’s left-hander Blake Snell, who has become a strong Cy Young Award candidate, which means he, not a reliever Gleyber Torres Jersey , will pitch the first inning — and as many innings thereafter as he can handle.Snell (16-5, 2.05), is second in the AL wins and ERA, and his opponents’ batting average of .179 also ranks second. In his last start, Snell shut down Boston’s powerful lineup, beating the Red Sox 9-1 on Aug. 26. He pitched six innings and allowed two runs and just two hits, with eight strikeouts and two walks.Snell’s Cy Young candidacy has been steadily building since midseason, and it’s reflected by his numbers. In his last 16 starts, he is 12-2 with a 1.45 ERA. In his last 10 starts, he is 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA Tyler Austin Jersey , and in his last five starts, he is 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA.His last start against the Indians came Aug. 10, 2017, a 4-1 Tampa Bay win in which Snell did not figure in the decision, despite holding Cleveland to one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. In two career starts against the Indians, Snell is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA.Snell’s mound opponent is rookie right-hander Shane Bieber (8-2, 4.52), a control artist who in 79 2/3 innings has struck out 83 and walked just 15. Bieber’s last start came Aug. 26, a 12-5 victory over Kansas City in which he pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits Clint Frazier Jersey , with seven strikeouts and no walks.Bieber, who has never faced the Rays, has had less success in the second half of his rookie season than the first half. In his first seven starts, he was 5-1 with a 3.53 ERA. In his last seven starts, he’s 3-1 with a 5.70 ERA.The Indians added a significant player on Friday, when they acquired Donaldson from the Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named at a later date. Donaldson has been on the disabled list since May 29 due to a left calf strain. He began a rehab assignment in Class-A Dunedin on Tuesday, appearing in two games.Donaldson is a three-time All-Star who was the American League MVP in 2015. TOKYO (AP) — Yuki Yanagita had a home run and four RBIs as Japan scored the first nine runs and beat the MLB All-Stars 12-6 Saturday to open a 2-0 lead in the six-game exhibition series.Yanagita, who hit a game-ending two-run homer in the opening 7-6 win, had an RBI single in the first off Erasmo Ramirez at the Tokyo Dome and hit a two-run homer in the third for a 5-0 lead.“The entire lineup was able to string together hits,” Japan manager Atsunori Inaba said. “I think we are on the right track now http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-mark-mcgwire-jersey , and I would like to see us continue to do the same in the game tomorrow.”Yanagita singled in another run against Brian Johnson in a four-run fifth as Japan went ahead 9-0.Shogo Akiyama had three hits and three RBIs.Ramirez, the loser, allowed five runs and six hits in three innings. Johnson gave up seven runs — four earned — and six hits in 3 2/3 innings.“I thought tonight’s game actually turned early,” MLB manager Don Mattingly said. “They were able to score early. We came out and got first and third and couldn’t score early and we lost momentum right there.”National League Rookie of the Year finalist Juan Soto homered for the second straight game, a fifth-inning home down the left-field line that drove in the first run for the MLB All-Stars, who were the home team.Enrique Hernandez hit an RBI groundout in the seventh and Kevin Pillar followed with a run-scoring single. J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer in the eighth against Yu Sato.“We are not going to allow these two games to dictate the series,” Pillar said.Winner Naoyuki Uwasawa struck out seven in five innings, allowing one run and four hits.The series continues Sunday with another game in Tokyo, followed by one game in Hiroshima on Tuesday and two games in Nagoya on Wednesday and Thursday.