Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees with the Yankees holding a 1-0 series lead.

Game 1 saw the Yankees jump out to an early lead behind a Juan Soto home run while Carlos Rodon was lights out on the mound, tossing six innings of one run baseball while striking out nine.

The Guardians did have a small attempt at a comeback, threatening late but Luke Weaver tossed the final 1.2 innings and shut down Cleveland’s chances.

Game 2 will be another interesting matchup as we see Tanner Bibee on the mound for the Guardians while the Yankees send out Gerrit Cole.

How will Game 2 play out? Before we make our Guardians vs. Yankees predictions, let us take a look at the top stories and pitching matchups for Game 2.

 

 

 

Cleveland Guardians: New Day, Same Plan

Yesterday I said the plan for the Guardians is to limit the damage against the starting pitcher so that the Guardians offense can try and put some runs on the board and then the elite Cleveland bullpen can keep the Yankee hitters at bay.

Unfortunately, Alex Cobb gave up the 3-run homer to Juan Soto and the Guardians were not able to get any offense off of Carlos Rodon.

Game 2, same plan. Fortunately for Cleveland, Tanner Bibee is a better pitcher than Alex Cobb and therefore may be able to keep the Yankees off the board long enough for the Cleveland offense to score.

Now, Gerrit Cole is the pitcher on the other side, so it won’t exactly be the easiest task for runs to be scored but they need to get to their bullpen with a lead if they have a chance in this series. 

 

 

 

New York Yankees: Which Gerrit Cole Shows Up?

We saw Cole pitch twice in the Yankees series against the Royals with varying levels of success. 

In his first start he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over five innings.  

His second was much better, holding the Royals to one run over seven innings.

If the first version of Cole shows up today the Guardians could very well win Game 2.

However, if the second version of Gerrit Cole shows up, this series may be over before we know it.

 

 

 

Guardians vs. Yankees Predictions For AL Championship Series Game 2

My opinions on this series really do not change when it comes to what each team needs to do to get a victory.

For the Yankees, they need to jump out to an early lead and put pressure on the Guardians offense to come through.

For the Guardians, they need their starting pitching to hold the Yankees offense so that they can eventually get into their bullpen with a lead.

Last night we saw the Yankees offense strike early with the big blow.

Will that be the case in Game 2?

 

 

 

Guardians vs. Yankees Starting Pitcher & Lineup

Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

Bibee may have been the best starter on the Guardians roster this season, going 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA while striking out 187 over 173.2 innings.

Bibee appeared in two postseason games against the Tigers, going 4.2 shutout innings in his first outing while allowing two runs over four innings in his second outing.

The shorter starts are not all that surprising given the fact that the Guardians WANT to get into their elite bullpen so that they can mix and match to their advantage.

Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

Not to be overly redundant here but the story of Gerrit Cole is the story for the Yankees here today.

We saw him twice during the divisional series against the Royals with one start good and one start, at best, mediocre.

A mediocre start tonight likely leads to a Guardians win.

Let’s see if Cole can come through and be the “Ace” the Yankees are paying him to be.

 

 

 

Guardians vs. Yankees Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

We’re about to break down our Guardians vs. Yankees predictions, but first, here are the current Guardians vs. Yankees odds, spreads, totals and betting lines from DraftKings Sportsbook:

Run Line

  • Guardians +1.5 (-155)
  • Yankees -1.5 (+130)

Money Line

  • Guardians (+140)
  • Yankees (-166)

Total

  • 7.0 (Over +100/Under -120)

 

 

 

Guardians vs. Yankees Predictions: Guardians ML (+140 on DraftKings)

Yes, I am going right back to the well with the road team here. Yesterday we predicted both road teams winning with the Mets and Guardians. We got the Mets win over the Dodgers, but the Yankees pulled off the Game 1 victory.

I just don’t see the sweep happening here with how feisty the Cleveland lineup is and how good their bullpen can be.

Bibee is a good enough pitcher to keep the Yankee bats in check and I see Cleveland taking a close Game 2 for my Guardians vs. Yankees picks.

 

 

 

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