Guardians at Yankees Preview Game 30 | 7:05 PM. EST. 5/2

• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook

Dont Miss Pitching Match-Up Tonight

3 Things for Game 2:

1 – Tanner Bibee vs. Gerrit Cole 

This is a must-watch tonight, Cleveland fans. In 162 games, a lot of games can be forgotten, but make sure to set your alarm to watch rookie Tanner Bibee in the Bronx facing Yankees “ace” Gerrit Cole.  I am excited to see how Bibee performs, and I sense that he will do well in the NYC spotlight. 

2 – Turning the calendar to May. 

A lot of Guardians players spoke after the game about turning the page into May and the need to start winning games.  So far, so good. 

3 – David Fry called up

David Fry, who I enjoyed watching in the spring, got the call-up and is on the 40-man roster.   Fry will be the emergency third catcher in case needed as the Guards designated Meibrys Viloria for assignment.  Fry is listed as a utility man.

Team Notes

The Guardians dealt a crushing blow to the Yankees last night, rallying back from a near shutout to claim a 3-2 victory. This win comes as a welcome relief for the Guardians, who are looking to build momentum after a tough stretch of games, going 7-11 in their past 18 matches. Despite the Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole taking the mound in the second game of the series, the Guardians are confident in their rookie pitcher Tanner Bibee, who impressed in his debut start by allowing just one run in 5 2/3 innings against the Colorado Rockies. The Guardians showed their grit and determination on Monday night, with Josh Naylor and Mike Zunino delivering crucial hits to secure the win. Cleveland manager Terry Francona is proud of his team’s resilience, stating, “We were doing nothing tonight, and they just keep playing…I know they’ll keep playing, and that’s a good feeling.” With their eyes set on continued success, the Guardians are ready to take on the challenge and come out on top.

Guardians Notes

Tanner Bibee is considered to be the sixth-ranked prospect in the Cleveland Guardians system and had a good first outing of his career as he has a 7.1 barrel percentage, 89 MPH average exit velocity, 28.6 hard hit percentage, and a 34.8 strikeout percentage. He threw four different pitches (slider, fastball, changeup, curveball), and hitters went 3-for-12 with five strikeouts against it. It will be interesting to see how well he can do without the adrenaline of his MLB debut.

Guards Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Tanner Bibee

• Bibee (1-0) takes the mound first for the Guardians to make his second start of the season.
• His last time out was on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies, when the right-hander threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering one earned run while giving up six hits.
• He has a 1.59 ERA and 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings, while opponents are hitting .273 against him over his one appearance this season.
• He will take the hill against a Yankees offense hitting .225 as a unit (26th in the MLB). They are also slugging a collective .375 (23rd in the league) with 35 total home runs (11th in MLB play).

GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS

• The Guardians have hit the second-fewest home runs in MLB play this season (17).
• Cleveland has the third-lowest slugging percentage this season in the majors (.345).
• The Guardians rank 24th in MLB with a .229 batting average.
• The offense for Cleveland is No. 26 in baseball, scoring 3.8 runs per game (111 total runs).
• The Guardians rank 25th in MLB with an on-base percentage of .307.

Yankees Notes

Gerrit Cole has been having an exceptional start to the season, showcasing his prowess on the field. He has five different pitches in his arsenal – fastball, slider, curveball, changeup, and cutter, but his fastball has been particularly effective. Cole has an impressive .150 batting average against and has struck out 28 opponents with it. When he previously faced the Guardians earlier this season, he pitched seven innings and allowed only two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts, leading the Yankees to victory.

YANKEES PROBABLE PITCHER – Garrett Cole

• Cole gets the start for the Yankees, his seventh of the season. He is 5-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings pitched.
• In his most recent time out on Friday, the righty tossed 6 2/3 innings against the Texas Rangers, giving up two earned runs while surrendering six hits.
• The 32-year-old has an ERA of 1.11, with 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings, in six games this season. Opposing hitters have a .168 batting average against him.
• Cole has registered five quality starts this year.
• Cole will try to continue a seven-game streak of going five or more innings (he’s averaging 6.7 innings per outing).
• He will face off against a Guardians squad that is batting .229 as a unit (24th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .345 (28th in MLB) with 17 total home runs (29th in MLB).
• Cole has thrown seven innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits while striking out three against the Guardians this season.
• This season, the 32-year-old ranks second in ERA (1.11), seventh in WHIP (.836), and 21st in K/9 (9.7) among pitchers who qualify.

YANKEES HITTING TRENDS

• The Yankees have hit 35 homers this season, which ranks 11th in the league.
• Fueled by 72 extra-base hits, New York ranks 23rd in MLB with a .375 slugging percentage this season.
• The Yankees rank 26th in MLB with a team batting average of just .225.
• New York has scored the 22nd-most runs in the majors this season with 118 (3.9 per game).
• The Yankees have an on-base percentage of .297 this season, which ranks 26th in the league.
• New York ranks 16th with an average of 8.5 strikeouts per game.

Final Thoughts

As we look forward to what should be a great pitching match-up tonight, it’s worth noting that the Yankees are injury-riddled and slumping right now and often struggle against unfamiliar pitchers. On the other hand, Gerrit Cole has proven to be a formidable force on the mound, easily shutting down hitters – including the Guardians earlier this season. Given the strengths of the pitchers in this match-up, it’s likely that this will be a low-scoring game. Both teams have been performing well in terms of their pitching staffs, with New York ranked 10th in the league with a 3.78 team ERA and Cleveland not far behind in 13th place with a 4.04 team ERA. It will be interesting to see how these two teams fare against each other.