The New York Yankees will host the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Skipper Aaron Boone's squad won a league-high 57 home games last year and has posted four wins in their first six games in the Bronx this season.
New York is a legitimate World Series contender, with odds currently around +800 to go all the way, and will feature one of the league's top pitching units when left-hander Carlos Rodon returns from the injured list.
Cleveland is the reigning AL Central champion and has been a streaky team during the season's early stages. The Guardians should excel in low-scoring affairs but will be hard-pressed to keep pace in high-scoring contests.
New York opened the 2023 season with four straight series wins, including taking two out of three games against the Guardians at Progressive Field. The Yankees boast an elite pitching staff and rank in the top 5 in ERA, Home Runs Allowed, WHIP, and Batting Average Against.
Staff ace Gerrit Cole won his first three starts while posting a sparkling 1.40 ERA and 22 strikeouts. The 2022 MLB Strikeout King limited Cleveland to a pair of runs on five hits over seven strong innings in an 11-2 victory on April 12.
Rookie Jhony Brito tallied wins and a 0.90 ERA in his first two big league starting assignments. Southpaw Nestor Cortes began the season with a 2-0 card despite surrendering 11 hits in 10.1 innings.
Aaron Judge continues to be the measuring stick for the Bronx Bombers, with a team-high 14 hits and four home runs in the first 12 games of the season.
Second baseman Gleyber Torres led the team with a .371 batting mark after a dozen games, while Franchy Cordero and Giancarlo Stanton have combined for seven long balls and 19 RBIs.
Cleveland was shut out on Opening Day before reeling off four straight wins. However, skipper Terry Francona's squad dropped four of their last six games to post a 7-6 record after 13 games. The Guardians have struggled at the plate and have scored three or fewer runs in eight games.
Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale anchor a pitching rotation that is ranked 11th with a 4.14 ERA. Bieber has compiled a 2.37 ERA over 19 frames, while Civale sports a 2.84 ERA with eight strikeouts in 12.2 innings. 2022 All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase has notched a team-high three saves.
Second baseman Andres Gimenez is batting .308 and leads the team with 14 hits, and first baseman Josh Naylor paces the Guardians with two homers and nine RBIs. Cleveland is ranked 15th with 58 runs in 13 games but resides near the bottom of the league with just six home runs.
The Yankees are 14-7 against the Guardians in their last 21 regular season matchups and showcase a slew of talented hurlers and red-hot sluggers. The Guardians possess a quality pitching staff but do not have enough offensive firepower to outslug Judge & Company.
Prediction: Yankees win the series, two games to one
The Yankees will host the Guardians in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium from May 1-3. New York fans can watch the games on the Yankee Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network and Amazon Prime.
Game 1: Monday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. (YES)
Game 2: Tuesday, May 2 at 7:05 p.m. (YES)
Game 3: Wednesday, May 3 at 7:05 p.m. (AMZP)
