Wednesday, September 30, 2020, Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio, 7:08 p.m. ET
Yankees at Indians Betting Preview: Yankees (-126), Indians (+108)
New York Yankees
After battering Cleveland’s ace in Game 1, the fifth-seeded Yankees look to take Carlos Carrasco to task in a bid to punch their ticket to the AL Division Series. New York, which held a two-run lead after just four pitches on Tuesday, exploded for four homers and 15 hits in its 12-3 romp.
While Aaron Judge’s early two-run homer set the tone, Nos. 7 and 8 hitters Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner also made significant impacts. Torres and Gardner combined to go 7-for-9 with a pair of two-run homers, six RBIs and five runs on Tuesday.
Big-game right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (3-3, 3.56 ERA) should not be overtaken by the moment when he toes the rubber on Wednesday. Tanaka, 31, sports a 1.76 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in eight postseason starts to go along with a 5-3 record.
Cleveland Indians
The fourth-seeded Indians need to gather their senses after being on the business end of a blowout in the series opener. Ace Shane Bieber was battered in a swift and brutal manner, leaving Cleveland to put the ball in the hands of Carrasco (3-4, 2.91 ERA) with its season on the line.
Carrasco, 33, has turned it on over his past six appearances, permitting just seven runs while striking out 43 batters in 38 innings during that stretch. Like Tanaka, Carrasco has handled himself well in the postseason, registering a 1.64 ERA in two career starts.
Potential AL MVP candidate Jose Ramirez has hit safely in 11 of his past 13 games after going 1-for-3 on Tuesday, and each of his past 12 hits have gone for extra bases. Josh Naylor’s four-hit performance accounted for half of Cleveland’s hit total in the series opener, but the 14 strikeouts the team endured likely will be the primary takeaway from the performance at the plate.
Yankees at Indians Betting Pick for September 30, 2020
While one win does not a series make, it is a best-of-three, so there’s no margin for error with Cleveland. The Indians were left on the heels after seeing their ace decked. The house of cards likely will fall on Wednesday.
Yankees at Indians Betting Pick:
Yankees 5, Indians 2
Yankees at Indians Best Bet for September 30, 2020
New York appeared to flex its muscles during the series opener. Given the team’s considerable firepower and streaky nature this season, one has to think that it won’t be a one-off performance.
Yankees at Indians Best Bet: YANKEES win by at least 1.5 runs (+120)
–Field Level Media
