The start of the season has been strong for both the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.
After rain in Cleveland on Friday postponed the scheduled start of the clubs’ intriguing weekend series, the Yankees and Guardians will play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
New York, which finished an underachieving 82-80 last season and missed the postseason for the first time since 2016, has won 10 of its first 13 games this year.
Although the Yankees closed a 4-2 homestand with a 5-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, they should feel confident entering play Saturday thanks to their 6-1 road mark. New York swept a four-game series at Houston and won two of three at Arizona.
Overall, the Yankees rank among the AL leaders in homers (15) and on-base percentage (.345).
“We’re in a good spot,” said New York’s Giancarlo Stanton, who is 8-for-19 with two doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in the past five games.
Stanton isn’t the only Yankee swinging a hot bat.
Prized free-agent acquisition Juan Soto is batting .360 and has a 1.008 OPS with two home runs and 12 RBIs to begin his Yankees tenure. Teammate Anthony Volpe has been New York’s early star while batting .372 with five extra-base hits.
“You’re not always going to get results, but (if) you have the level of at-bats he’s putting in night in and night out, you’re going to be successful,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe, who recently was inserted into the leadoff spot.
Cleveland, meanwhile, went 76-86 last season after winning the AL Central in 2022. However, the Guardians have won nine of their first 12 and are brimming with confidence.
“You feel the vibe. You feel the energy and we trust each other,” infielder Andres Gimenez said. “We know each other pretty well.”
The Guardians overcame a 5-0 deficit Wednesday against the visiting Chicago White Sox and won 7-6 in 10 innings. Josh Naylor tied the game with a double in the 10th inning, and his brother Bo delivered the game-winning RBI single — on National Siblings Day, to boot.
Cleveland rates among the AL’s best in runs (69) and run differential (plus-35). Josh Naylor is batting .333 with three homers, while teammate Steven Kwan is hitting .386 and already has four three-hit games this season.
Josh Naylor and Kwan are a combined 4-for-7 against New York’s scheduled Game 1 starter, Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 4.66 ERA), who has allowed five runs and 13 hits over 9 2/3 innings in his first two starts.
Schmidt owns a 4.35 ERA without a decision in three career appearances (two starts) vs. the Guardians.
In the nightcap, right-hander Cody Poteet is slated to make his Yankees debut after going 2-4 with a 4.45 ERA spanning 19 games (nine starts) in 2021 and 2022 with Miami. He didn’t appear in the majors in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, returning just to make one minor league relief appearance.
Poteet has never opposed the Guardians.
In Game 1, Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will make his first home start with the Guardians since 2020. He allowed four runs in eight innings of his first two outings of the season after signing as a free agent on Feb. 1. Carrasco was with Cleveland from 2009-20, then spent three years with the New York Mets.
He is 5-5 with a 4.01 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts) against the Yankees.
Cleveland’s Triston McKenzie (1-1, 4.00 ERA), slated to start Game 2, has a 2.45 ERA over two regular-season starts against the Yankees. The right-hander yielded three hits and four walks while throwing 5 2/3 innings during a 4-0 victory over the White Sox on Monday.
–Field Level Media