New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians July 2 Betting Preview

After having Friday's game canceled due to weather, the New York Yankees (56-21) and Cleveland Guardians (39-34) will square off in a doubleheader. While the first game is scheduled for 12:10 pm ET, the nightcap is scheduled for 6:10 pm ET at Progressive Field.

While they lost their last game against the Astros on Thursday, the Yankees have still won six of their last ten coming into this one. On the road, the Yankees are 22-12 this season.

Cleveland currently sits second in the AL Central, 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins. While they have lost six of their last 10, they are 19-15 when playing at Progressive Field this year.

Betting Odds

In the second game Saturday night, the Yankees are the favorites despite playing on the road. They are -150 to win while the Guardians' moneyline sits at +126. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-130), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

In the first game of the series, the Yankees will send righty Gerrit Cole (6-2, 2.99 ERA, 111 K) to the mound. The Guardians will counter with lefty Kirk McCarty. This season, McCarty is 0-1 in two games with a 10.29 ERA and has five strikeouts.

In the second game, Aaron Boone will go with lefty Nestor Cortes (6-3, 2.51 ERA, 85 K). The Guardians will give the ball to righty Aaron Civale (2-4, 7.20 ERA, 39 K).

By The Numbers

Offensively, the Yankees have been one of the best teams in baseball. They rank second in scoring averaging 4.99 runs per game (5.09 on the road). The Guardians rank 14th, averaging 4.44 runs per game (4.29 at home).

Defensively, the Yankees have been the best team. They rank atop the majors in scoring defense, allowing just 3.04 runs per game. The Guardians rank 15th, allowing 4.25 runs per game.

Yankees Try To Maintain Lead In AL East

Not only do the Yankees have the best team in the American League, they have the best team in all of the baseball thus far. Still, the AL East is the only division in baseball that has four teams with 40+ wins, and all four of those teams would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

Knowing that the Blue Jays, Red Sox, or Rays could make a run at any time, the Yankees will try to keep their feet on the gas pedal and add more tallies to their win column.

Part of the Yankees' success is their offensive power. They lead the majors in homers with 127, and they are led by Aaron Judge, who is hitting .286/.361/.627 with 29 home runs, 59 runs batted in, and 62 runs scored.

Aside from Judge, Anthony Rizzo (21), Giancarlo Stanton (19), and Gleyber Torres (13) have also shown their power this season.

Cleveland Has Room To Grow Despite Recent Success

Even though they sit in second in the AL Central, just 1.5 games behind the Twins, the Cleveland Guardians still have room for growth. Not only do they sit in just the middle of the pack in runs scored and scoring defense, but their power has been almost nonexistent.

While the Yankees lead the majors in home runs, the Guardians are almost at the bottom. They rank 28th in the majors with just 56 home runs to date.

The biggest chunk of those home runs are by third baseman Jose Ramirez, who is hitting .296/.381/.596 with 16 home runs, 63 runs batted in, and 46 runs.

While Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor have nine home runs apiece, the next highest is five, which is by Austin Hedges. Needless to say, they can't get in a slugfest with the Yankees if they want to win this series.

Guardians Have To Do It Versus Meat Of Rotation

Facing the best team in baseball is already tough enough, but if the Guardians are going to pick up wins on Saturday, they are going to have to do it against two of the Yankees' best in Cole and Cortes.

On the flip side, the Guardians will be relying on two pitchers that have struggled a bit in McCarty and Civale. Cleveland will need both to be at their best to hold down one of the game's best offenses. If they can't, it could be a long day for Guardians' fans.