The Cleveland Guardians fell in their quest to clinch the ALCS in two games apiece.
After rallying from a 6-2 deficit to level the score in Game 4, Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio failed to cleanly field Alex Verdugo’s ground ball in the top of the ninth, leading to Jon Berti’s run.
Gleyber Torres then hit a single to drive in Anthony Volpe and give the Yankees an 8-6 lead.
Tommy Kahnle came on in the bottom of the ninth and worked out of danger with two runners on and one out to close the game.
With the Yankees just one win away from the World Series, they will turn to Carlos RodĂłn on the mound to start Game 5, while the Guardians will go against Tanner Bibee.
However, Cleveland’s decision to start Bibee was not without risk, as he will be on short rest for the first time in his major league career.
Yankees insight
RodĂłn showed his worth in the series opener, limiting the Guardians to just one run on three hits in six innings.
It was a nice bounce-back effort after he allowed four runs in 3 â…” innings against the Royals in the divisional round.
The Yankees will surely expect more from the 10-year veteran now that he has his first postseason win.
However, these are the games that RodĂłn played during his time in the AL Central as a member of the White Sox.
In 21 games, the southpaw boasts a 2.81 ERA while limiting the Guardians to a .214 batting average and a .275 weighted on-base average (wOBA).
And if we just focus on the Guardians’ current roster, they’re hitting .193 with a .256 wOBA in 92 plate appearances against Rodón.
He did an incredible job of using his fastball to get ahead of Cleveland hitters before switching to a slider as a putaway pitch.
Rodón’s slider will continue to be his main weapon against the Guardians, and according to FanGraphs, it’s his worst pitch (-19.8 runs below average) all season.
Guardian Analysis
The Yankees gave Bibee a rude welcome in Game 2, scoring three runs on five hits in 1 â…“ innings of work.
While Bibee played well in the division series against the Tigers, facing this Yankees lineup is a big step up in class.
The Guardians are now 0-2 in Bibee’s two career starts when facing the Pinstripers.
In 30 plate appearances, the current Yankees roster is hitting .407 against Bibee with a .467 wOBA and an 18.7-degree opening angle.
Like RodĂłn, Bibee also relies heavily on his slider, as he uses it the second highest in his arsenal at 27.8%. The slider also gave Bibee the highest strikeout rate at 34.4%.
He saves a 13.8 run average when he pitches, but the problem is that the Yankees have the fourth highest production (+9.0 runs above average) in the league when facing sliders.
Although Bibee threw just 39 pitches in Game 2 and didn’t go deeper than the second inning, he was in his prime from the start.
With Torres, Juan Soto and Aaron Hakim at the top of the Yankees’ order, Bibee could be on the precipice of another tough outing.
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Yankees vs. Guardians choose
No one will deny that Bibee has had an incredible year and has been the Guardian’s best pitcher by a wide margin.
In his first two seasons with Cleveland, he was 22-12 with a 3.25 ERA.
The truth is, the Guardians had almost no choice, so they brought Bibee back on rest.
Unfortunately, he faced a Yankees lineup with too much quality.
Additionally, RodĂłn was a handful against Cleveland, and the teams went 5-0 in their starts against the Guardians.
Since it is not often that you can get the Yankees as a short favorite -120 or more, this opportunity is too good to pass up at the current price.
Best bet: Yankees ML (-118, FanDuel)
Is Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Arinze is the main sports handicapper for the New York Post. He cashed two 15-leg teasers in his betting career as well as a 12-leg parlay spanning eight Little League World Series games. Most recently, he accurately picked the finalists in the 2024 European Championship and the Copa America.
