Slowly and sensibly, Francisco Lindor is working his way bac

GOODYEAR lex Reyes Jersey , Ariz. (AP) — k onto the field.Surrounded by approximately 50 fans, more than a dozen minor leaguers, a few scouts, and various game operations and medical staffers, the Indians’ three-time All-Star shortstop played in a controlled Triple-A game on Wednesday, a major step in his recovery from a right calf strain.“The pitcher was nasty, great pitcher,” Lindor said about Dodgers right-hander Brock Stewart, who struck him out twice. “I’m blessed to be out there, happy to be out there.”Lindor went 0 for 3 with the two strikeouts against Stewart on a practice field near Goodyear Ballpark, where his major league teammates played Milwaukee in a split-squad game.Stewart got Lindor to swing and miss on a 3-2 pitch in his last at-bat with a cutting fastball. In his first at-bat, Lindor swung on a 3-0 count to get in his cuts, flying out in gusting winds to left.“That felt good,” Lindor said. “I thought my swings were good. I controlled my approach and will build off that.”Lindor worked the count full in his second at-bat, swinging and missing the last two pitches.“I took it as Day 1 spring training,” he said. “Nobody goes 100 percent in spring training, unless you are trying to make the team. So Evan Longoria Jersey , that’s how I went up there today. Took some good pitches, some I missed — a lot of them.”Per the requirements of the medical staff, Lindor jogged to first base after making contact and while playing three innings in the field.When asked if he could let it go and sprint, he said, “No, still not there yet.”Lindor said his lack of full mobility was not a source of frustration.“I knew I wasn’t going to be 100 percent, but you just go out there and play the game,” he said. “I am happy. I am blessed. Today’s a special day, so check the box.”As for his next steps, Lindor will know more tomorrow.Lindor, who reported no soreness or pain, did not have a ball hit to him at shortstop, but he did cover second on a steal attempt, putting the tag on a safe runner.He moved in or out or laterally with each pitch, hid his mouth with his glove to communicate coverages to second baseman Elvis Perez and showed spring in his step on a high pop that was caught by his teammate.The Indians remain hopeful that Lindor will be ready for the club’s March 28 opener at Minnesota.“With any sort of injury like that, there is no set date or set time table,” Indians general manager Mike Chernoff said. “We magnify the importance of opening day, and obviously Dustin McGowan Jersey , that’s on everyone’s mind, but that’s not what we’re concerned about. We’re concerned about making sure Frankie is completely healthy and in a really good spot to have a full season of performance, so we are taking it day to day.”Lindor understands there’s more to play for than facing the Twins in two weeks.“It is a special day, obviously being opening day,” he said. “But at the same time, I am more worried about the rest of the season and making it into the playoffs. That’s what we want; to make it into the postseason and win.”One of baseball’s best all-around players, Lindor got hurt while working out in Florida early last month. He has been limited at spring training to batting practice and stationary fielding.“He has been doing really well; he continues to progress in all of his activities,” Chernoff said. “He’s been out there a lot and we’ll continue to get him out there more. But we have to build him up volume-wise to where he can be at his position for the full nine innings. So, I don’t know how long that’s going to take, but I want to make sure he’s cleared all of those benchmarks before he’s in games.'”Lindor hit .277 last season and set career-highs with 38 homers and 92 RBIs. He tied for the AL lead with 129 runs. Baseball fans have been lucky over the past seven Octobers, as four of the seven World Series range from "good and competitive" to "all-time classic" on the championship spectrum.This year's Fall Classic may fall somewhere in there if recent playoff results are any indication, as the American League and National League Championship Series haven't seen a shortage of on- (and sometimes off-) field drama.Here's a look ahead at the World Series schedule of dates, alongside some ticket information and pennant-winner predictions.Schedule of DatesTuesday, October 23 (Game 1): National League winner at American League winnerWednesday, October 24 (Game 2): National League winner at American League winnerFriday, October 26 (Game 3): American League winner at National League winnerSaturday, October 27 (Game 4): American League winner at National League winnerSunday, October 28 (Game 5 http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , if necessary): American League winner at National League winnerTuesday, October 30 (Game 6, if necessary):National League winner at American League winnerWednesday, October 31 (Game 7, if necessary):National League winner at American League winnerTicket InfoWorld Series tickets can be purchased through StubHub. Matchup PredictionsAmerican LeagueRight-handed ace Justin Verlander gets the starting call for the Astros on Thursday. He wasn't his usual dominant self in Boston for Game 1, although a six-inning, two-run, six-strikeout outing is still impressive on the road against a 108-win team.However, the Astros could still put Verlander on the mound even if they had their pick of any MLB starter for this do-or-die game.The 35-year-old right-hander struck out an American League-leading 290 batters while posting a 2.52 ERA in 214.0 innings this past season.He's also been dominant in the playoffs since 2013, punching out 86 batters in 76.0 innings alongside a 2.01 ERA. Verlander hasn't allowed fewer than three earned runs (or pitched fewer than five full frames) in 12 starts during that span.On the opposite mound, the Boston Red Sox will skip team ace Chris Sale, as the southpaw has battled a stomach illness that forced him to spend a night in the hospital. Red Sox manager Alex Cora provided an update before Game 4, noting that Sale is"feeling better compared to yesterday, but physically he's not there yet. So I think if necessary he'll pitch Game 6. He feels that he'll be ready for that one. And we'll go from there."Left-hander David Price is getting the call for the Red Sox, but he's starting on three days rest and has allowed seven earned runs in 6.1 playoff innings. Houston and Verlander have the edge here. Following a potential win, however, Houston would then be tasked with beating Sale at Fenway Park for Game 6, and that's a tall order even with tough right-hander Gerrit Cole presumably opposing him. Sale struck out 237 batters in 158.0 innings alongside a 2.11 ERA (and microscopic 1.98 FIP).Betting against Sale at home in a series-clinching game isn't a safe wager Adeiny Hechavarria Jersey , so the prediction here is for Boston to take Game 6 and move onto the World Series for the first time since its 2013 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.National LeagueDodgers southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu will begin Game 6. He was L.A.'sGame 2 starter versus Milwaukee and allowed two earned runs and six hits in 4.1 innings.The Brewers will go with left-hander Wade Miley, who started Game 5 and walked leadoff hitter Cody Bellinger before being pulled. Miley wasn't hurt, nor did he receive one of the quickest hooks of all time from a disgruntled manager.Rather,skipper Craig Counsell's planwas for L.A. to build its lineup in response to a southpaw before Milwaukee tossed it over to right-hander Brandon Woodruff.Miley will now be faced with helping keep Milwaukee's season alive, although one has to wonder if manager Craig Counsell goes for a similar tactic again. In any case, Miley may be gone at the slightest hint of trouble, especially considering the fact that the Brewers' top three relievers (Josh Hader, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress) will have the benefit of a few days' rest before Friday (Hader and Knebel last pitched Tuesday, while Jeffress' most recent appearance was Monday).L.A.'s bullpen has the benefit of rest as well: Right-hander Pedro Baez was the only reliever to toss more than nine pitches on Wednesday, and the entire team enjoys a day off Thursday. For the postseason, L.A. sports a 2.55 bullpen ERA.Game 6 is tough to call given how difficult it is to project when the managers will dip into the bullpens (who could have guessed Counsell would do so after five pitches Wednesday?). If we're strictly focusing on the starter matchup, Ryu(89 strikeouts in 82.1 innings and a 1.97 ERA) has an edge over Miley (50 strikeouts in 80.2 innings and a 2.57 ERA). On the flip side, the Brewers are an NL-best 51-30 at home and have a near-invincible weapon in Hader, who has pitched nine scoreless innings and allowed just five hits (and no runs) since the team's NL Central tie-breaking win over the Chicago Cubs.It's a coin-flip game, but the guess is Ryu fares well and the Dodgers get to Miley (and/or his successor) early. Look for the L.A. bullpen to then hold on late as the Dodgers take the pennant.