Guardians vs. Yankees Odds & Betting Predictions - August 21, 2024

Follow On X: https://x.com/PicksOffice First off, Cleveland's Joey Cantillo has really battled in his brief major league career. He carries a 6.23 ERA over three starts, poor command especially evident in nine walks against just 13 innings pitched contributing to the bloated 1.62 WHIP. In his last time out against the Twins, he labored through 5.2 innings, allowing three runs and two homers; really a concerning trend heading into an outing against a power-heavy Yankees lineup at Yankee Stadium. The stadium is very hitter-friendly, especially to lefties, so this isn't a spot in which a young pitcher, at times wild, is going to head out there and feel comfortable. On the mound for the Yankees is Nestor Cortes, coming off his best start in over a month: a seven-inning, three-hit shutout against the White Sox, having struck nine times and walked none. Following good starts to the year by both teams, Cortes has had midseason struggles but has seen success against Cleveland with a 3.68 ERA in six appearances. He is a good bet to make another quality start, as he does everything well in suppressing hard contact and generating swings and misses, especially against a Guardians lineup that ranks near the bottom of the league in slugging percentage against lefties. Cleveland's offense has shown it can put together an explosive inning—it did so in its last game—but overall it's been very inconsistent—especially against left-handed pitching, where it hits .230 as a team. This has been evident in their recent performance, as this faction is 6-10 over its last 16 games, unable to really build up some momentum on offense. Offensively, it's the Yankees in contention. Despite recent frustrations, the Yankees do have one of baseball's scariest lineups. Aaron Judge alone matches up with an attack that also includes a Juan Soto who has heated up with five runs and four RBIs in the last series, adorning his resume with a .332 average, 45 homers and 1.172 OPS. This Yankee lineup, one that ranks 5th in MLB with a .768 OPS and 3rd in home runs with 207, is absolutely lethal at home, where they have hit 122 of their homers this season. They should, against a pitcher as green as Cantillo, be able to cash in on mistakes early and often.