MLB Series of the Week: Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees

From Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, two of the three teams with the best records in the American League will meet for the second time in 2024 as the Guardians face the Yankees.

New York took two of three when these two teams met from April 12 to 14, but many things have changed as the Yankees and Guardians look to keep pace in their division races.

Cleveland Guardians (72-52, first in the AL Central)

The Guardians extended a winning streak to five games with a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at home to begin last week but had it snapped by the Brewers in Milwaukee after that, as Cleveland was swept in three games.

Now, the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals are two and three games, respectively, behind the Guardians in the race for the AL Central title.

When the Guardians were hot offensively last week, as highlighted by their 17 runs against the Cubs, rookie outfielder Jhonkensy Noel was a big part of it.

Noel, also known as “Big Christmas”, hit three home runs in the first two games of the series against the Cubs.

However, the Guardians offense only managed four runs and 13 hits in Milwaukee, and outfielder Steven Kwan, who is fourth in baseball with a .316 batting average, only managed one hit in 13 at-bats against the Brewers.

Outfielder Lane Thomas has struggled mightly since coming to Cleveland from the Washington Nationals, batting just .113 with no home runs and a .368 OPS in 16 games.

Third baseman José Ramírez, the offense’s headliner, had an up-and-down week, batting only 4 for 20, but three of those hits went for extra bases and he walked four times.

After getting beat up in his first start of the season, right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb bounced back to give up just one run in 5 ⅔ innings on Wednesday against the Cubs.

Lefty Matthew Boyd made his season debut on Tuesday, and he only let up one run in 5 ⅓ innings on Tuesday against the Cubs.

After a six-inning, one-run performance against the Twins on August 10, righty Gavin Williams gave up five earned runs in four innings against the Brewers on Friday.

In the bullpen, closer Emmanuel Clase became the first pitcher since Edwin Díaz in 2018 and the first Cleveland pitcher since José Mesa in 1995 to pick up a save in four straight days.

Clase has Cy Young Award-worthy numbers in 2024, sporting a 0.63 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 37 saves.

The Guardians will return home to play three games against the Texas Rangers following the Yankees series.

New York Yankees (73-52, tied for first in the AL East)

Last week, the Yankees took two of three in Chicago against the White Sox then dropped two of three to the Detroit Tigers, splitting the two games in Detroit and then losing the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday.

Now, the Yankees are tied with the Baltimore Orioles for not just the best record in the AL East, but in the league altogether.

A handful of memorable things happened for the Yankees against the White Sox, and it began grimly on August 12.

Third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who hit .316 with seven home runs and a 1.062 OPS in 14 games since joining the Yankees from the Miami Marlins, sprained his left elbow in the first game against the White Sox and landed on the 10-day injured list.

To replace Chishom, the Yankees called up former top prospect Oswald Peraza, and on Friday, he homered in his season debut, which is the only hit he’s recorded in the two games he’s played in 2024.

Things went better for the Yankees after their first game of the series against the White Sox, as outfielders and MVP candidates Juan Soto and Aaron Judge accomplished milestones against Southside.

On Tuesday, Soto had his first career three-homer game, and on Wednesday, Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 300 career home runs.

In the rotation, lefty Nestor Cortes won just his second decision in his last nine starts on Tuesday, only allowing three hits with no walks in seven scoreless innings against the White Sox.

Among the Yankees’ projected starters against the Guardians this week, only Cortes pitched against them in the first series and struggled, giving up four earned runs in four innings.

Elsewhere, righty Luis Gil struggled on August 12, giving up four earned runs in four innings, while 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole pitched six scoreless innings on Friday against the Tigers.

The bullpen has been concerning lately, as closer Clay Holmes has blown five saves in his last 12 appearances, which brings him up to a major league-leading 10 blown saves on the season.

Mark Leiter Jr., who was brought in from the Cubs to shore up the bullpen, has struggled lately, with only one scoreless outing in his last four appearances.

The Yankees will host the Colorado Rockies for three games after playing Cleveland.

Projected Starters (per ESPN)

Game 1 (August 20, 7:05 p.m. EST): LHP Matthew Boyd (0-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Gil (12-6, 3.25 ERA).

Game 2 (August 21, 7:05 p.m.): RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 4.35) vs. LHP Nestor Cortes (6-10, 4.20).

Game 3 (August 22, 1:05 p.m.): RHP Gavin Williams (2-5, 5.02) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (4-2, 4.15).

All stats and records are as of before the games on August 19, 2024.

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.