Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees May 3 Betting Preview

In the final game of a three-game series, the Cleveland Guardians (14-16) take on the New York Yankees (16-15) at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees evened the series and forced the Guardians in another series-deciding game three. The Yankees on the other hand, broke a four-game skid and will look to take the series. 

The Wednesday night pitching matchup will feature Guardian Ace Shane Bieber (2-1), while the Yankees will counter with righty Clarke Schmidt (0-3). The Guardians will head into the final game of the series at Yankee Stadium as favorites.

Bullpen Blows Lead for Cleveland

Only the top four batters in the order were able to produce any of the Guardians' four total hits during the series opener on Monday, and on Tuesday collected just six hits in their loss to the Yankees. Despite their poor offensive production, it was the bullpen that surrendered four runs in the later innings that proved their downfall. 

Guardians’ pitching has been one of their biggest strengths as they come into the season finale ranked 13th ERA, seventh in walks allowed, and seventh in home runs allowed. That being said, Cleveland has their top pitcher on the mound in Shane Bieber, who holds a 3.11 ERA.

On the offensive end, the Guardians did a much better job of making things happen as they scored two early runs off Gerrit Cole, while walking three times. It’s a much better direction for the Cleveland offense, but they continue to struggle with men in scoring position finishing 1-for-10 on the night. 

Yankees Mount Comeback and Beat Guardians

Having recently faced a tough stretch, the Yankees have a record of 16-15 for the season and have dropped to the bottom of the American League East standings. Luckily, New York got back on track as they overcame a two-run deficit and scored in each of the last three innings to even up the series at 1-1. 

New York’s offense has been riddled with injuries, but they scratched and clawed Guardians’ pitching to grab a victory on Tuesday night. Anthony Volpe and Willie Calhoun mashed home runs in the sixth and seventh innings, while Anthony Rizzo collected two hits in the win. It was a great effort offensively for the Yankees, that collected nine hits and scored four runs after scoring a total of four runs all of their last series against the Rangers. 

New York’s bullpen also did a tremendous job in relief of Gerrit Cole, going three innings and surrendering only one hit. Despite a plethora of injuries to the pitching staff, the team has done well, coming in with fourth least hits allowed and ranking tenth in ERA. On the mound, the Yankees will send out Clarke Schmidt (6.84 ERA) for the final game of the series. Shmidt was torched by Texas in his last matchup, surrendering five runs and ten hits in five innings of work.  

What to Expect in this Matchup

The Guardians will have to put up a strong effort on both sides of the ball if they want to break their four-series skid. The good news is they should have the advantage with their best pitcher on the mound in Bieber, while facing a guy in Schmidt who has struggled to keep opposing teams off balance. 

The Yankees on the other hand, have not looked the same without Aaron Judge in their lineup. Although they scored four runs in yesterday’s matchup, the team struggled to get going once again. Bieber should keep the Yankee lineup off balance and if the Cleveland offense can put together some good at bats, they should be in control of the game in this matchup.