Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Cleveland Guardians vs New York Yankees: A matchup for the top of the AL

The Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees are closing their series tonight at the Yankee Stadium.

The Guardians have a promising season

The Cleveland Guardians are on top of the AL Central with a 73-53 record, including 35-33 on the road. They have lost four of their last five games. The Guardians have a 3.76 ERA, a .230 batting average, a .303 on-base percentage, and 1.22 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Ramirez is the best player on the team with 133 hits, 93 runs and 32 home runs.

The Yankees are back on top of the AL

The New York Yankees are on top of the AL West with a 74-53 record, including 41-25 at home. After losing three consecutive games, they bounced back with a win last night. The Yankees have a 3.80 ERA, a .233 batting average, a .312 on-base percentage, and 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Aaron Judge is the best player on the team with 149 hits, 99 runs and league-high 47 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Yankees are 8-3 SU in their last 11 home games against Cleveland and 15-5 SU in their last 20 games against teams from the AL Central. New York has played over the total run line in 13 of their last 20 games overall, 4 of their last 5 games against Cleveland, 6 of their last 7 home games and their last 5 games played on Thursday. The Guardians are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games overall, 2-5 SU in their last 7 games against the Yankees and 3-6 SU in their last 9 games on the road. Cleveland has played over the total run line in 7 of their last 10 games against teams from the AL and in their last 6 games against teams from the AL East.

Prediction and Conclusion

The top two teams in the AL are finishing their series tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Guardians won the first one 9-5 in the 12th inning, and the Yankees responded with an 8-1 win last night. New York ended their three-game losing streak with that one and regained the top seed in the AL. They’ll try to stay there tonight with Gerrit Cole on the mound, who is 4-2 for the season with a 4.15 ERA, 60 K, 52 IP, and 1.37 WHIP. The Guardians will start with Gavin Williams, who is 2-5 for the season with a 5.02 ERA, 47 K, 43 IP, and 1.42 WHIP. Neither pitcher has had a particularly successful season, and looking at their previous head-to-head games and recent trends, we go with over 8 runs in total.