What It Means:

"Cody is our closer," said Francona on Saturday, ending the debate once and for all. The same as last season, Allen will work the ninth inning with stud left-hander Andrew Miller serving as a jack-of-all trades. Allen and Miller were lights out in the playoffs last fall, combining for a 0.82 ERA over 33 innings of work. There's no reason to believe Cleveland's late-inning duo will be any less dominant in 2017.

Allen had a 2.51 ERA (3.08 xFIP) over 68 regular-season innings last year, as well as a 33.0 percent strikeout rate and 10.2 percent strikeout rate. Miller churned out a dominant 1.45 ERA over 74 1/3 innings pitched, paired with a 44.7 percent strikeout rate and minuscule 3.3 percent walk rate. Miller's 1.18 xFIP was the best among qualifying relievers in 2016.