Guardians at Yankees Preview Game 31 | 7:05 PM. EST. 5/3

May 3, 2023

Andy Billman

Rubber Match Tonight – Need a Series Win

3 Things for Guardians at Yankees Game 3:

1 – Bieber time

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.  

2 – Gimenez 

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. 

3 – Strikeouts and quick at-bats

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.

Team Notes

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.

Guardians Notes

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.

Guards Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Shane Bieber

  • Bieber (2-1, 3.11 ERA) is making his 7th star. He has a 1.14 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, and 6.2 K/9 in 37 2/3 IP.
  • Current Yankees batters own an aggregate .800 OPS against him.
  • Owns a 2.75 road ERA over the last 3 seasons (2021-23)
  • The current 6.2 K/9 figure is the worst of his career; he had an 8.9 K/9 last season.

GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS

  • The Guardians are 3-1 this season in games when they hit at least two home runs.
  • Cleveland is 2-1 in games this season when it has put up at least five extra-base hits.
  • The club has totaled at least eight hits 14 times this season and has a 9-5 record in those games.
  • Cleveland has an 8-2 record in games this season when it put up five or more runs.
  • The Guardians are 8-3 in the 11 games this season when they have drawn five or more walks.

Yankees Notes

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.

YANKEES PROBABLE PITCHER – Clarke Schmidt

  • Schmidt (0-3, 6.84 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 1.68 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, and 11.5 K/9 in 25 IP.
  • Allowed 5 ER in his last start and has yielded 3 ER or more in 5 of 6 turns.
  • April 12 vs. Guardians: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, and no-decision in Yankees’ 4-3 win.
  • Figures to see a lot of lefty bats in the Cleveland lineup; he has allowed a .995 OPS against lefties over his career.

YANKEES HITTING TRENDS

  • They have won seven of the 10 games this season in which they hit two or more home runs.
  • New York is 20th in the majors, slugging .379.
  • They have a record of 9-5 this season when collecting eight or more base hits in a game.
  • New York has won eight of its 10 games this season in which it scored more than four runs.
  • In eight games this season with five or more walks drawn, they’ve posted a record of 6-2

Final Thoughts

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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