The New York Yankees, after being down 3-0 after the top of the first inning in the Wild Card game, stomped back to win the game 8-4 over the Minnesota Twins. However, they’ll need to play much better if they want to beat the Cleveland Indians. The Indians finished with a 102-60 (.630) record, good for first-place in the American League. After losing game seven of the World Series last year in dramatic fashion, the Indians are hoping to redeem themselves this time around. The oddsmakers certainly believe they have a good chance of doing so, pegging them as the favorites to win it all. Let’s preview their American League Division Series against the Yankees.
Why The Yankees Might Win The Series
The Yankees have a ton of firepower with their youngsters and have shown that their offense can get going at any time. While prone to strikeouts, rookie Aaron Judge has definitely been their most feared hitter all season long, producing some unprecedented statistics for a rookie – .284/.422/.627 with 52 HR, 114 RBI, 128 R, 24 2B, and arguably his only blemish, 208 K. The Yankees starting rotation will feature Sonny Gray, CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, and Luis Severino. Here’s how they fared this season.
Sonny Gray: 10-12 with a 3.55 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 0.37:1 BB:K ratio, and 1.05 HR/9 rate
CC Sabathia: 14-5 with a 3.69 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 0.42:1 BB:K ratio, and 1.28 HR/9 rate
Masahiro Tanaka: 13-12 with a 4.74 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 0.21:1 BB:K ratio, and 1.77 HR/9 rate
Luis Severino: 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 0.22:1 BB:K ratio, and 0.98 HR/9 rate
The Yankees starting rotation doesn’t seem intimidating whatsoever – they must rely on their bullpen to shorten games while their offense will have an opportunity to showcase itself. If the Yankees can cut each game down to five innings, they may have found the formula to beat the Indians.
Why The Indians Might Win The Series
The Indians went on a historic 22-game winning streak during the regular season and heading into the playoffs, they’re showing no signs of slowing down. The Indians have a deep lineup, solid rotation, and a superb bullpen. Corey Kluber is a Cy Young candidate this year, with an 18-4 record, 2.25 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 0.87 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, 0.14:1 BB:K ratio, and a 0.93 HR/9 rate. Furthermore, Kluber has held opponents to a measly .193/.235/.321 slash line. The Indians will round out their rotation with these starters:
Trevor Bauer: 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 0.31:1 BB:K ratio, and 1.28 HR/9 rate
Carlos Carrasco: 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 0.20:1 BB:K ratio, and 0.95 HR/9 rate
Josh Tomlin: 10-9 with a 4.98 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 0.13:1 BB:K ratio, and 1.47 HR/9 rate
It just seems like this year is the Indians’ time to redeem blowing a 3-1 World Series lead last year. They basically have no flaws and this fact should show itself in this series against the young Yankees.
Outlook
The Indians just seem like they’ll dominate the Yankees – they’re the much better team at the end of the day. They have been the best team in baseball in the second half of the season. Their lineup is clicking, their pitching staff is strong and most importantly, they have experience on their side. Remember that this is a team that has experience on their side. They went to the World Series last year and lasted until Game 7. Not only do they have the experience and knowledge of what it takes to get it done, they have the hunger to do so after getting stung by the loss last year.
The Yankees, asides from Severino, don’t really have a true ace to depend on. And even Severino was rocked in his Wild Card start against the Twins. Meanwhile, the Indians have depth in every facet of the game and should make quick work of the Yankees and advance to the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. The Yankees are a young team that’s happy to be here but the Indians are the more experienced, more talented team and they have home-field advantage. That’s going to be the difference in this series as they advance.
Pick: Indians -175
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