After a doubleheader on Saturday, the New York Yankees close out their series in Cleveland against the Guardians looking to get starting pitcher Nester Cortes back to peak form.
New York Yankees (-142, 8.5) vs. Cleveland Guardians
Cortes was limited to 12 starts last season due to injury and is coming off his best start in years, pitching eight scoreless innings against the Miami Marlins in a home win.
Though Cortes has excelled in Yankee Stadium throughout his career, he has been the same pitcher on the road, posting a 3.77 ERA with 1.2 home runs and 1.8 walks per nine innings allowed since the 2023 season began while posting a 5.75 ERA with 3.75 walks and 1.5 home runs per nine in his allowed away from home.
Also working against Cortes is that he is a left-handed pitcher facing a Guardians lineup that entered game two of Saturday’s doubleheader with a batting average of .300 off of left-handed pitching and leading the American League in scoring with 5.7 runs per game.
The Guardians look to Logan Allen for a good start on the mound, who has a 3.89 ERA and 4.17 fielding independent with 8.4 strikeouts and 1.1 home runs allowed per nine innings while being backed up by what has been the league’s top bullpen this season.
Entering the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Guardians led the league with a 1.53 bullpen ERA with the Yankees fourth with a 2.22 ERA.
With Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in a funk with a .200 average and just two home runs through the first 14 games of the season, the road struggles of Cortes will be too much for the Yankees to overcome.
The Play: Guardians +120
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