Shane Bieber is in a favorable matchup tonight with Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt, who has an ERA above six. Bieber and the Guards could use the series win, having not won a series since the Nationals in mid-April.
It has been a slow start to the season for our all-star shortstop, as Andres Gimenez is currently 0-7 in the series against the Yanks. For just pure nonverbal reaction, Gimenez has looked bundled up at times this season as he has worn all sorts of headgear to keep warm. Maybe he needs the warm weather, but in either case, the Guards need his bat to warm up.
The Guards have two trends that usually spell defeat when it comes to hitting, quick at-bats and strikeouts. Guards last night had 11 K’s, and the night before, they had a lot of first-pitch swings leading to quick outs against Domingo German. Need to get back to what made them successful last season, long at-bats that led to good solid contact.
The Guardians never field the most high-priced flashy talented teams in the league, but year after year, they show up and punch way above their weight, and on the road in New York, they’ll be looking to find their consistency and make a big statement.
In their past eight games played against right-handed starters, the Guardians have gone 6-2, but unfortunately, they’ve found less success on the road, as they are just 3-6 in their past nine games away from home, so this one is key for them to be able to climb back into the AL Central race.
The Guardians are trying to avoid losing five consecutive series for the first time since September 2012. They’re hitting .171 (13-for-76) with 22 strikeouts with runners in scoring position over the last 11 games and rank 12th in the AL at .237 for the season after finishing fifth last year at .259.
The New York Yankees came into the 2023 MLB season with incredibly high expectations, but due to injuries, this is a team that’s struggling to field a consistent lineup, and if they are to reach their lofty goals, they will need to gut out some wins until they get healthy.
In their past 55 games played at home against teams with a losing record, the Yankees have posted a 41-14 record, as well as being 62-26 in their past 88 games played against the AL Central, so this is a good opportunity for them to begin their climb from the basement of the AL East.
On Wednesday, Shane Bieber will make his seventh start of the season for the Guardians. In his last outing, Bieber delivered one of his better performances, limiting the Red Sox to just two runs in seven innings, which resulted in a 5-2 victory. The Guardians’ ace has been consistently effective throughout the season, allowing three or fewer runs in each start. It has accumulated a 3.11 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 2-1 record in 37.2 innings pitched. While Bieber did not face the Yankees last season, he has a 2-1 record with a 4.76 ERA in four previous meetings, spanning 22.2 innings.
Cleveland will be wrapping up a six-game road trip with this game, having dropped two of three games to the Red Sox in the previous series, scoring 13 runs in total. The Guardians have had a bit of a rough patch recently after a hot start, winning only four of their last ten games before Tuesday night’s matchup. In Monday’s win, they were down 2-0 before scoring three runs in the ninth inning.
Josh Naylor has been one of the most productive hitters in the Cleveland lineup recently, accumulating eight RBIs in his last five games. Despite his strong performances, the 25-year-old slugger has a weak .607 OPS on the season, with 17 RBIs. Naylor has faced the Yankees twice this season, going 2 for 13 with five RBIs.
Cleveland’s offense has struggled this season, averaging only 3.86 runs per game, which ranks them 26th in the league. However, their pitching staff has been solid, carrying a 3.97 team ERA, placing them 13th in the league.
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