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BOSTON -- In whats become a regular scene, David Ortiz stepped into the dugout, preparing for batting practice, when a team staff member asked if he was ready.Not far away, a group of fans waited to be brought in, eager to chat briefly with the 40-year-old Ortiz, take a photo and wish him well.In Big Papis final season, everyone who comes to Fenway Park wants their chance to say goodbye -- and its taking a toll on Bostons larger-than-life designated hitter.Very busy. Kind of tired of it, a little worn out, the Red Sox star told The Associated Press before the Kansas City Royals beat the Red Sox 10-4 on Sunday night.Nearing the last month of his 20th regular season, Ortiz at times wishes he didnt pronounce this his final year. The baseball season is long and hard enough, and this goodbye grind is more than he anticipated.My job is kind of tiring, he said. Adding more things to it is a lot. ... Im really busy and not getting to enjoy things.Of course, no one would know that by the way hes hitting.Ortiz hit his 534th homer on Sunday, a solo shot that tied him with Jimmie Foxx for 18th on the career list.Hes batting .319 and leads the Red Sox with 31 homers and 101 RBI, reaching 30/100 for a club-record 10th time -- Hall of Famer Ted Williams is next on the list with seven.His season has been so good, many around the majors have said the slugger should come back for a 21st year.At last months All-Star Game in San Diego, Angels star Mike Trout said, I dont think Big Papi is going to retire. I keep telling him that. With those numbers, I wouldnt.This month, during an on-field ceremony honoring Ortiz in Detroit, Tigers star Miguel Cabrera, speaking in Spanish, pleaded with Ortiz to play another season.Ortiz laughs at those comments.Thats great, man, he said. I have a great relationship with them. Being older, Ive kind of been like a mentor to them. I know they really appreciate everything, all the talk and all the stuff that we ask a veteran to do with them.I guess when you have somebody that is good with you -- that does good things with you -- you definitely want to have them around.Ortiz doesnt save mentorship for teammates. He often chats with opponents on the field during batting practice and takes pride in others cherishing his advice.I always talk to them. We have that relationship through the years, he said. Its because those guys always come to us for advice. Whenever someone can give you advice, you turn to them as your mentor, somehow, some way.So maybe its no surprise how Big Papi wants to be remembered as a player.Just a friendly person, he said. Terribly friendly with everyone.Ortiz shows up for work hours before each game, getting the treatment he needs to prepare his aching feet and legs. The club has monitored his playing time, giving him planned rest and taking him out in lopsided games.I have to get lined up to different things and I try to be here very early so Im not in anybodys way, he said. Everybody has to do things and get ready. Its not just David Ortiz.But still much of it falls on Ortizs shoulders.On Sunday, before he stepped onto the field for batting practice, a woman stopped him to ask a question:What are you going to do after you retire?Take a long vacation, Big Papi replied.He then posed for a photo with the mom, dad and two children before going out to take his swings.When he returned, another group of fans waited eagerly for their personal farewell.Wholesale Nike Air Max . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. 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Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying.David Price is still looking to get his first postseason win as a starter, while Corey Kluber could give the Cleveland Indians a critical 2-0 advantage over the Boston Red Sox if he proves hes healthy and ready to roll. Who has the edge in their American League Division Series Game 2 showdown?Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide tonights game, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen?Price is on the mound: You cant ignore the big story here: Price is 0-7 with a 5.27 ERA in eight career postseason starts (he had two wins, both in relief). On one level, he has pitched better than that with 49 strikeouts and eight walks in 54? IP. He has, however, allowed 10 home runs. Seven of those were solo shots, so that doesnt explain the high ERA by itself. Indeed, he has allowed a .333 average with runners in scoring position.Prices game in recent years has been to pound the strike zone. That efficiency allows him to pitch deep into games -- he led the AL in innings for the second time in three years -- but also leads to hits and home runs. His season splits were odd: He had a 4.34 ERA in the first half, 3.58 in the second, even though he had a much lower strikeout rate after the All-Star break. He used to rely on a 95-plus fastball, throwing it 70 percent of the time, but added a cutter/slider hybrid this year that he threw about 20 percent of the time to go with a changeup and curveball. The cutter wasnt necessarily all that effective as batters hit .307/.349/.464, but offered a secondary pitch in the 88-mph range to counter his 92- to 94-mph fastball.Price will throw his fastball with command to both sides of the plate. Against righties, he likes to spot the changeup away, although he does pitch up in the zone, which explains the home run issues (30 this year). He used to be death on lefties, but they actually had a higher OPS against him this year. -- David SchoenfieldWhen?Kluber is on the mound: Its all about health for the 2014 Cy Young winner (and 2016 Cy Young contender) after leaving his final start on Sept. 26 with a right quad strain. Trevor Bauer drew the Game 1 start to give Kluber an additional day of rest.Klubers best pitch is one of the most dominant in baseball: A curveball (some call it a slider) that held batters to an .099 average and recorded a strikeout rate of 52.8 percent. He buries it low and away from righties, and over the past three seasons, batters have hit .106 against it with just five home runs. With two strikes, he throws it about a third of the time, so batters cant really sit. Along with his fastball he throws a cutter and an occasional changeup.One thing to watch: Kluber has always pitched much better from the windup than with runners on base. The splits werent as drastic this year, but he held batters to a .587 OPS with nobody on versus .715 with runners on and .735 with runners in scoring position. Batters also hit .339 and slugged .578 when putting the first pitch in play, so loook for the Red Sox to be aggressive on first-pitch fastballs.dddddddddddd -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightMookie Betts:?-- Speaking of fastballs, the potential AL MVP hit .328/.379/.581 against them, increasing his OPS 167 points from 2015. Betts had a big home/road split, with 49 extra-base hits at Fenway versus 29 on the road (although only three more home runs at home). Cleveland did play as a good home run park in 2016, so keep that in mind.?--?SchoenfieldWhat will decide tonights gameThe Indians success will likely hinge on one of the best pitches in baseball -- Corey Klubers curveball. Opponents hit .099 against his curve this season, the second-lowest opponents batting average against that pitch among starters who qualified for the ERA title. The pitch had the third-highest run value per 100 pitches (a stat charted on FanGraphs.com) of any pitch thrown regularly by anyone with at least 100 innings pitched last season (behind John Lackeys and Clayton Kershaws sliders).Klubers success with the pitch is predicated on getting hitters to chase it -- hes generated a 47 percent chase rate, best among starters. The two best hitters in the Red Sox lineup -- David Ortiz and Mookie Betts -- happen to be least likely among their regulars to chase a curveball from a righty. Betts fared well against Kluber this season (4-for-7 with a homer). Ortiz is 1-for-5 against Kluber this season, but does have two home runs in 16 at-bats against him.?--?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?The Red Sox. Given David Prices postseason track record (0-7, 5.28 ERA in eight starts), Bostons starter doesnt inspire much confidence. But it was pretty clear in Game 1 that the Indians cant win if they dont use relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. After both threw 40 pitches Thursday night, its unclear how available they will be given the quick turnaround for Game 2. Short of a complete game from starter Corey Kluber, the Indians might not have the horses to get to Boston with a 2-0 series lead. -- Scott LauberThe Red Sox will take Game 2 after eventually forcing Corey Kluber to be removed and taking advantage of the Indians depleted bullpen to tie the series at one game each. The Red Sox could probably still win the series even with a loss Friday, but the Indians have been difficult to beat in three consecutive games all season; Boston would be wise to take care of business on Friday.?-- Andrew MarchandWhere the series standsTerry Francona may have used relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen for 40 pitches apiece in Game 1 -- season highs for both -- but he still has Bryan Shaw for Game 2, plus Dan Otero, who posted a 1.53 ERA this year. Even Miller should be available for a few batters, or at least to face David Ortiz in a big moment. Most importantly, the Indians are up in the series and hope to ride their ace to take the commanding lead.?--?Schoenfield ' ' '