Game 5 Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees Prediction:
The Cleveland Guardians look to defend their home field on Saturday when they face the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. They look to Game 2 starter Tanner Bibee to deliver on short rest.
Bibee threw only 39 pitches in the team’s Game 2 loss, allowing five hits and three runs in 1 1/3 innings. This season, he had the lion’s share of his struggles come at home.
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During the regular season, Bibee posted a 3.47 ERA overall, but that shot up to a 4.15 ERA at home. With this being his career short-rest start, he might be on a short leash.
While the Cleveland Guardians’ 2.57 bullpen ERA during the regular season led all of baseball, their 665 2/3 innings between the regular season and postseason are the third-most in the league. They might be catching up to them, as the team has seen an increase to a 3.38 ERA in the playoffs.
The Yankees give Game 1 starting pitcher Carlos Rodon the start on Saturday after allowing just one run in six innings his last time out. But he has had plenty of issues on the road this season.
During the regular season, Rodon posted a 3.96 ERA, which ballooned to 4.69 on the road with over 1.5 home runs per nine innings allowed. He is backed up by a bullpen that had a 3.65 ERA during the regular season.
The Cleveland Guardians’ lineup has been far more explosive at home than on the road, averaging 4.7 runs per game at home during the regular season compared to 4.05 runs per game on the road. In the playoffs, they entered Friday averaging 5.25 runs per game at home this postseason.
With the Yankees leading the American League in run production and Aaron Judge having gotten online with home runs in Games 2 and 3 in this series, Saturday sets up for plenty of runs for both teams.
MLB Pick: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians Total Over
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