The MLB postseason is firmly upon us and we're heading for the make or break point of the American League Division Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees.
The first game between these two took place on Tuesday night and New York managed to claim a dominant victory in front of a raucous home crowd, establishing themselves as firm favorites to progress to the next round of the playoffs should they be successful tonight.
We'll take a look ahead to the game and give you our best free MLB picks for the game to see if we can earn you some extra cash ahead of the weekend to enjoy yourself.
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MLB Playoffs Game 2 Information
- Cleveland Guardians vs New York Yankees
- American League Division Series
- Thursday, 13 October 2022
- 20:37 ET
- Yankee Stadium, New York
Cleveland Guardians season so far
The Guardians had a very intriguing 2022 season, that looked ropey until a magnificent September separated them from the pack and earned them their playoff spot.
They started the season in April and May with an overall losing record, going 9-12 in April and 12-12 in May as they tried to figure out their best route to victory, which they found eventually in June by going 18-10, which included a run of eight wins in nine games between June 12 and June 22.
July was another tough month as they went 13-15 with eight losses in their first ten games of the month, before bouncing back in August with a 16-11 record.
September is where it really picked up for them, as they went 21-8 with a run of 19 wins in their last 22 games with two 6+ winning game streaks. They ended the season with a 3-2 record in October, for a full season record of 92-70 across the season to finish top of the American League Central.
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New York Yankees season so far
The Yankees had a sensational season in 2022, with just one month not being a winning month on their overall record.
They opened the season with a remarkable 15-6 start, including an eight game winning run to end the month. They continued that run into May with another three wins before nine wins in ten games had them 19-9 for the month.
June was a stunning month where they went 22-6, including a run that saw them win 15 of their first 16 games of the summer and immediately set them apart from the rest of the chasing pack. July and August saw them struggle a little bit, with a combined record of 23-31 over that period but they responded well with a 17-8 record in September.
Their overall season record stands at 99-63, which saw them cruise to the top of the American League East ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays.
What happened in Game 1?
Gerrit Cole pitched like the star he is, striking out eight over 6.1 innings of one-run, four-hit ball as the Yankees cruised to a 4-1 win in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Anthony Rizzo and Harrison Bader each homered for the Yankees and a win in game 2 will see them take a commanding 2-0 lead into game 3 of this five-game series, looking to seal a quick series win before heading to the league championships series.
MLB Picks for Game 2
Shane Bieber should concern most Yankees fans since he is a bonafide No. 1 starter throwing on full rest and that is a big difference from the first game. They will look to counter that with Nestor Cortes Jr making his first postseason start, as their star man looks to keep the team's momentum going.
Still, the Yankees hardly played a clean game in the series opener. They gave the Guardians extra outs, including a third-inning botched rundown that could’ve substantially altered the game.
They made mistakes on the base paths, most notably Josh Donaldson‘s brain fart where he didn’t run out a ball off the wall and was thrown out at first. It should also be noted that Cleveland out-hit the Yankees, six to five. Despite all that though, New York still came away with a rather comfortable 4-1 win on Tuesday.
This will be Bieber’s first major league start at Yankee Stadium, one of the most raucous atmospheres in baseball that only gets further amped up in October. If he is capable of maintaining his excellent numbers, then we'll know that he is the real deal.
Bieber’s previous numbers against the Yankees aren’t particularly good. He didn’t face New York in 2022 but is 1-1 with a 5.74 ERA in three career outings against the Yankees. That does not include his 4.2-inning, nine-hit, seven-run outing against New York in Game 1 of the 2020 Wild Card round.
Cortes also has a mindset and an aura about him that suggests he won't be shaken by the atmosphere or occasion, and that should lend itself to pitching in the postseason. He’s already exceeded expectations by going 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 28 starts. Facing Bieber and Cleveland’s young offense isn’t likely to stress him out.
Expect a close, low-scoring game that the Yankees find a way to win late and that's our MLB picks for this clash.
MLB Picks - New York Yankees to win @ -133
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