New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians Match Preview

If you love a good pitcher’s duel, it doesn’t get any better than the game Saturday night between the New York Yankees (8-11) and Cleveland Indians (8-10).

The Yankees will be sending Gerrit Cole (2-1, 1.82 ERA) to the mound. This season he has struck out a whopping 39 batters in just 24.2 innings and has a minuscule 0.81 WHIP. Despite the impressive numbers, he is coming off of a 4-2 loss to the Rays, a game where he went just over six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and struck out ten.

The Indians will counter with reigning A.L. Cy Young award winner Shane Bieber (2-1, 2.45 ERA). He has struck out 48 in 29.1 innings of work. His last outing was a 6-3 win over the Reds, where he went eight innings, allowing three runs and striking out 13.

The Indians will host this one from Progressive Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:10 pm ET.

The Yankees are currently the favorites despite playing on the road. They are -118 to win while the Indians’ moneyline is +100. The runline is +1.5 for the Indians, and the over/under for total runs is 6.5.

Series At A Glance

This will be the third of a four-game series between the two. The Yankees have taken the first two, including a 5-3 win on Friday.

In the win, the Yankees hit four home runs, including two home runs from outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.

In the loss, Indians’ starter Logan Allen had another rough outing going just over two innings and allowing four earned runs. Cleveland will try to take game three on Saturday.

By The Numbers

The Yankees were happy to see the power surge on Friday. Prior to that game, they ranked 23rd in home runs per game at just one on average. The Indians ranked seventh, averaging 1.35 home runs per game.

Defensively, these have been two of the best teams in baseball. The Indians rank sixth in runs allowed per game at 3.88. The Yankees are one behind them, allowing just four runs per game.

Yankees Trying To Get A Winning Streak Going

After such a brutal start to the season, the Yankees are looking to get a winning streak going. Even after winning the last two days, they are still tied for last in the A.L. East.

Offensively, they hope that Friday is a good sign for outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. The power numbers have been there as he has five home runs and fourteen runs batted in, but the strikeout numbers are still concerning. In 61 at bats, he has 22 strikeouts thus far.

It was also encouraging for New York fans to see Aaron Hicks have some success Friday. On the year, he is hitting just .167/.275/.283 with a couple of home runs and six runs batted in. Like many others in the lineup, the strikeouts are too high (17), and the average is too low.

Indians Hope To Give Bieber Some Support

When you have Shane Bieber on the mound, the offense usually doesn’t have to do too much. However, going against a really tough Gerrit Cole, the offense will try to at least scratch out a couple runs for Bieber.

In limited action, no one on the Indians has had too much success against Cole. Both Jake Bauers and Jose Ramirez have homered off of the righty, but neither of them are hitting above .200. The only other Indian who has a hit off of Cole is Franmil Reyes, who is just one for three.

Speaking of both Ramirez and Reyes, those two combined for three of the Indians’ five hits on Friday.

While they continue to be bright spots in the lineup, they really need others to start producing as well. Of the nine starters Friday, only one is hitting above .245 (Reyes at .270).

Sit Back And Enjoy The Show

It is not too often that you get to enjoy a matchup of perennial challengers for the Cy Young Award. With both Cole and Bieber on the mound, runs could be at a premium (hence the over/under of just 6.5).

Regardless, it may come down to either who can scratch out a run early or who can work the deeper counts to get into the bullpen quicker. One thing is for sure; it should be a lot of fun to watch.