(Photo credit: Arturo Pardavila III)
Last night's game saw a monster pitching matchup between Luis Severino and Corey Kluber, but neither pitcher could fully contain their opponents. Severino was chased after five innings in which he allowed two solo homers, four total runs, and picked up just one strikeout. Kluber had more success, pitching into the eighth inning, but he ended up eating the loss after the Yankees scored twice off him to take the lead late on. The Yankees bullpen held strong through four innings, giving up just one walk to bring the game home 7-4.
There were five homers in total yesterday. Will we see the same fireworks today? Or will the pitchers dominate? Let's start with a look at the hurlers in action today.
Domingo German (RHP) Vs. Shane Bieber (RHP)
The Yankees young right-hander has shown promise this season, but a lot of youthful struggles as well. This is his first year in the rotation, and in his 11 starts he has a 5.46 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 10.2 K/9. German's performances have bounced between solid and awful all year. He went six innings last time out against the Blue Jays and allowed just one run, but he has also been chased after just three runs by the Rays after allowing six runs. He's given up at least six runs in three of his 11 starts, but one or none in three as well. Are you going to get the good German or the bad today? Who knows.
The Indians are also sending a righty rookie to the mound today. Shane Bieber has made just six starts this year and has a 3.47 ERA. Sounds pretty good right? But a 1.40 WHIP is far from healthy. He has had some BABIP misfortune, but with a .304 batting average against he is not in the best place to face a lineup like the Yankees. Bieber has gone six innings and allowed four runs in his last two starts (@ KCR, Vs OAK), which bodes very poorly for today.
Projected lineups
Yankees Lineup | Home Runs | Batting Average | On-Base Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
Gardner, LF | 9 | .257 | .349 |
Judge, RF | 25 | .279 | .397 |
Gregorius, SS | 16 | .260 | .324 |
Stanton, DH | 22 | .276 | .347 |
Hicks, CF | 16 | .255 | .352 |
Bird, 1B | 7 | .211 | .322 |
Andujar, 3B | 12 | .282 | .318 |
Romine, C | 6 | .271 | .336 |
Walker, 2B | 2 | .194 | .274 |
Indians Lineup | Home Runs | Batting Average | On-Base Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
Lindor, SS | 25 | .297 | .371 |
Brantley, LF | 11 | .306 | .351 |
Ramirez, 3B | 28 | .296 | .396 |
Encarnacion, DH | 21 | .228 | .311 |
Alonso, 1B | 13 | .259 | .326 |
Kipnis, 2B | 9 | .220 | .310 |
Naquin, RF | 2 | .274 | .310 |
Gomes, C | 10 | .251 | .313 |
Allen, CF | 1 | .211 | .248 |
Who's hot, and who's not
The Yankees outfield has become like an artillery unit, hitting bombs over the walls for fun. In the last two weeks Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner, and Aaron Hicks have 17 homers between them, while Greg Bird and Kyle Higashioka have added another seven. While they are all hitting homers these days, the batting average isn't quite as healthy. Stanton is hitting .333 in this time frame, but Miguel Andujar is the only other regular player hitting over .300 in that period.
The Indians don't have a full lineup of monsters, but they do have two titans in their lineup right now that are shouldering the load. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez have 11 homers between them and .352 & .327 averages respectively over the last two weeks. The pair have been utterly brilliant of late, and are getting help from Michael Brantley and Yonder Alonso who are both hitting over .275, but the bottom of the lineup is not performing right now. Greg Allen, Tyler Naquin, and Edwin Encarnacion are in slumps.
Prediction
It is tough to pick against the Bronx Bombers right now. With the bats booming even a shaky pitcher like Domingo German can take the win home. However, the Indians are more than capable of keeping up with New York at the moment. With the form that Lindor and Ramirez are in they could keep the scoreboard ticking over themselves. I'll pick the Yankees by one, but I wouldn't be stunned at all if the Indians leveled the series tonight.