This one will have more than enough intrigue. In a David versus Goliath type of situation, the underdog Cleveland Guardians will go toe-to-toe with the powerful New York Yankees on Monday night.
The clash, which will get underway at 7:07 p.m. and be broadcast on TBS, will decide which squad continues on in the playoffs and which will be going home for the off-season. Let’s break it down before making Guardians vs. Yankees predictions.
For the hosts, it might be a bit of a nervous atmosphere. For the excitement that came with a fantastic start and a record-breaking home run chase, it felt as if the Bronx Bombers were in a good position to make a title run.
We’ve seen this postseason where assuming gets us. The defending world champion Atlanta Braves and juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers — who won the fourth-most games in the regular season history of MLB — were eliminated within hours of one another.
MLB Standings
The conclusions of those teams’ seasons were extremely disappointing and showed that summer momentum doesn’t always continue into the fall. They also showed the MLB standings sometimes don’t mean much.
Meanwhile, Cleveland, which arguably played in the weakest division in the majors, didn’t seem well-equipped to make any noise.
As the youngest team at this level, many would have thought they were a few years away, at least, from being in a spot like this.
Closer to World Series
On Sunday night, they had a chance to close things out and move one step closer to the World Series. That was before Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole had his say.
The former Pittsburgh Pirate and Houston Astro went seven frames, giving up two earned runs on six hits.
In total, in this series, Cole has gone 13.1 innings, allowing ten knocks and three earned runs. He has two wins under his belt, including one in the opener.
Having given the rundown of Game 4, let’s take a look at what the bookmakers think before we make any Guardians vs. Yankees predictions. After all, that’s why you’re here, right?
New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians Odds
This is the only game on the MLB schedule today. The hosts have the edge in this one, according to the numbers. New York is -1.5 on the run line at +128, while the Guardians are -154 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Yankees are +164, and Cleveland is a +138 underdog on MLB odds. The total has been set at 7.5 runs, with the over being +102 and the under -124 at the time of this writing.
Who has the edge with MLB stats?
Yankees vs. Guardians Betting Preview
Who’s throwing can make all the difference in a winner-take-all matchup. Who’s going for both teams today?
Jameson Taillon as Starter
Turn away Pirates fans. For the home team, 30-year-old righty Jameson Taillon will be on the mound. He went 14-5 this regular season and had a 3.91 ERA.
Earlier in the ALDS, he had a bit of a rough go of it. In Game 2, which Cleveland won, 4-2, in extra innings, he wasn’t able to record an out. He allowed two earned runs on three hits.
Aaron Civale as Starter
Opposing him will be Aaron Civale. The Guardians hurler went 5-6 this go-round and had an uninspiring 4.92 ERA. Interestingly, this will be his first appearance in the postseason.
There is good news, however. In seven of the last eight games, Civale has taken the hill in, and Cleveland has come out on top.
He didn’t give up more than three earned runs in any start from September until the end of the schedule.
There aren’t many other places that are as daunting as Yankee Stadium in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview
The Yankees have the pitching advantage here. With guys like Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton, it only takes one swing of the bat to drastically shift the momentum.
Neither team has any stars on the MLB injury report, which means everyone is a go. Go ahead and take the Yankees to cover.
MLB Pick: Yankees -1.5 (+150)
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