Written By: The Persian
The New York Yankees clash against the Cleveland Guardians in the second of a critical three-game set Wednesday night inside famed Yankee Stadium from the Bronx, New York. They toss out the first pitch at 7:05 pm.
The Yankees have had a solid season, but they have also had some issues of late, struggling with their offense and starting pitching. They raced out of the gates with a great start and record for the first several months and have since cooled off. They dropped two of three from the Detroit Tigers before their series opener against the Guardians.
They have the type of lineup that can wake up and score runs in bunches. On offense, they are led by the front-runner for AL MVP, Aaron Judge, who is running away with the award this season. He has smashed 44 home runs and driven in 111 runs while hitting .331 and has clearly defined himself as the face of the franchise in the future.
They have hit 188 home runs already this season, and as a club, New York is batting .252 as a team. They will send out veteran hurler Nestor Cortes, who sports a mark of 6-10, has struggled this season, and is allowing over four runs per contest. Look for him to try to settle in early and get into a groove.
The Guardians have had a decent season. Although they do not have the type of explosive offense like New York, they do know how to manufacture and create runs when they have to. They have a patient group of hitters, as they are collectively batting .238 on the season.
Cleveland leads the Minnesota Twins by a couple of games in the AL Central as we head into the stretch run,
They are led on offense by Jose Ramirez, who has cracked a team-high 32 homers and is pretty close on the pace when it comes to matching and surpassing his career-high of 36, which he smacked back in 2021. He has been a solid all-around player for the Guardians and is also hitting a very solid and decent .277 this season. He is a career .279 hitter and has hit 248 home runs.
They have not named a starter as of late Tuesday night. They know whoever they toss out there needs to get through the first two innings unscathed against a potent New York lineup.
The Yankees are 3-2 in their last five games and 4-1 in their last five games against the number too. They are also 36-30 in their road games against the spread, and the totals have gone over in just one out of their last five games.
The totals have also gone over in 33 out of their last 59 games at home. The Guardians are 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number, too. They are a solid 32-34 in their road games against the spread, and the totals have gone over in none out of their last five games.
