Cleveland Looks to Stay Hot at Home Vs New York

The Cleveland Indians are 6-1 in their last seven games at home and 4-2 in their last six home games against the New York Yankees. The Indians are hoping those winning trends will continue when they host the Yankees on Tuesday night in the first game of a three-game postseason series.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

After the Yankees opened as a very slight favorite, betting odds have adjusted and made this game a pick’em with both New York and Cleveland going off at -105. The total has remained steady at 6.5 runs with each team sending its ace to the mound. The OVER is 8-2 in New York’s last 10 games against American League opponents.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Gerrit Cole had a relatively pedestrian August with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP across six starts. But over four September starts, Cole looked like the $36-million ace he is paid to be with a 1.00 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched. The Yankees have cruised to blowout wins in each of his last three starts.

Shane Bieber wrapped up his AL Cy Young campaign with another gem, pitching five innings with zero earned runs and 10 strikeouts. He finished the regular season with an eye-popping 1.63 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and 122 strikeouts in 77.1 innings. The Indians were 10-2 in Bieber’s 12 starts.

New York News & Notes

New York wrapped up its regular season in underwhelming fashion with a 5-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, falling to 2-6 over its last eight games and 1-4 over its last five. Before their season-ending slump, the Yankees showed how dangerous they could be when they get on a roll, racking up 10 straight wins and averaging 8.5 runs per game over that stretch.

How will the Yankees’ powerhouse offense perform against a Cleveland pitching staff and bullpen that recorded the best team ERA in the American League at 3.29? With only a three-game series to work with, New York can’t afford an offensive cold streak in this postseason opener.

Cleveland News & Notes

Cleveland finished the regular season on a 7-1 tear but was unable to catch Minnesota for the top spot in the AL Central, finishing one game behind the Twins with a 35-25 record. The Indians averaged 4.88 runs per game over their last eight games after averaging only 4.02 runs per game during their first 52.

Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco and Zach Plesac make up the best 1-2-3 starting pitching combo in the postseason. If this trio can navigate the Indians to a series win over this lethal Yankees lineup, the sky would be the limit the rest of the way.