ALCS Game 2 Odds: Guardians vs Yankees

The Yankees fairly easily won Game 1 of the ALCS over the Guardians, and New York is a solid favorite on the MLB odds behind ace Gerrit Cole to take a 2-0 lead at Yankee Stadium.

Cleveland vs. New York Yankees, ALCS Game 2: 2024 MLB Expert Analysis

Opening MLB Lines Subject to Change: Yankees -175, Guardians +142 (total 7)
Expert Prediction: Yankees 4, Guardians 3

Why Bet on Cleveland?

One bright spot for the Guardians in the 5-2 loss in Game 1 was leadoff hitter Steven Kwan knocking in a run in the eighth on a single. The hit extended Kwan’s postseason hitting streak to 11 games, dating back to Game 1 of the 2022 ALDS. That’s a new franchise record. Across his six games in these playoffs, Kwan is batting .480 and his 12 hits lead all American League players are second-most in the majors, behind Mark Vientos (14 hits for Mets).

Bryan Rocchio

Shortstop Rocchio hit his first career playoff homer on a solo shot to left field in the 6th inning. Including the regular season, eight of his nine career home runs have come in road games, with Yankee Stadium becoming the first ballpark he has homered in multiple times (he hit a solo HR off Luis Gil earlier this season on Aug. 20).

Brayan Rocchio goes yard to put the @CleGuardians on the board #ALCS pic.twitter.com/bIQQIiuTSY
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2024

New York’s batters walked seven times in Game 1, while Cleveland’s lineup worked just one free pass to go alongside 14 strikeouts. The Guardians are now 3-3 in these playoffs and 1-5 all-time in Game 1 of the ALCS, including an 0-5 record when playing Game 1 on the road.

Tanner Bibee

It’s righty for the Guardians on the mound after going 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA during the regular season. Bibee’s most recent start came in Game 4 of the ALDS versus Detroit, when he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters over four innings.

The Tigers loaded the bases in the second inning with no outs, but Bibee escaped with only one run scoring as Trey Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly and Jake Rogers lined into a double play. Bibee started the fifth inning, allowed a leadoff home run to Zack McKinstry which tied the game 2-2 and was removed immediately. He also started Game 1 of that series and fared better, tossing 4.2 scoreless frames with six punchouts and one walk.

Bibee said he felt like he had a “lead block” in his stomach as his first career playoff start approached, but he insisted his nerves were far more manageable when he took the mound a second time in the series. He pays particular attention to his execution in 0-0 and 1-1 counts.

“Being able to get ahead, get ahead (again) and put them away,” Bibee said. “That’s pretty much the goal, and just whether they’re executed.”

The only time he’s faced the Yankees was his second career start, when he gave up two runs over 5 1/3 innings in May 2023.

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ALCS Game 2 Odds provided by MyBookie Sportsbook

Why Bet on New York?

The Yankees took Game 1 by a score of 5-2 and in all best-of-seven postseason series, teams winning Game 1 have gone on to take the series 123 of 191 times (64%). In series under the current 2-3-2 format, teams winning Game 1 at home have gone on to take the series 66 of 99 times (67%).

Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton hit his 13th career playoff homer in the seventh inning. With a 114.3 MPH exit velocity, it was the second-hardest hit HR of the 2024 postseason, behind a 116.5 MPH homer by Shohei Ohtani in the NLDS vs. San Diego. It was Stanton’s second homer of the 2024 postseason and second career HR in LCS play (previous: 2019 ALCS Game 1 at Houston). His 13 career playoff homers tied Aaron Judge for fifth-most in Yankees history and broke a tie with Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra.

Anthony Rizzo

First baseman Rizzo missed the ALDS with fractured fingers but was in the starting lineup for Game 1 and picked up a single and drew a walk. Manager Aaron Boone noted after the game that he pulled Rizzo after he seemed emotionally drained but that he should start again Tuesday.

Anthony Rizzo breaks down a dominant #ALCS Game 1 win at Yankee Stadium! pic.twitter.com/VjHBx2QmOS
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2024

Luke Weaver

Weaver had a five-out save in Game 1. He squashed a late threat by Cleveland by retiring José Ramírez – who came to the plate with two outs and representing the potential game-tying run – on a groundout to end the eighth. After walking Lane Thomas to start the ninth, he retired the next three in order to preserve the save. Weaver, who has now appeared in each of New York’s first five postseason games, threw 24 pitches to finish off the victory. He became the first Yankees pitcher with four saves in a single postseason since Mariano Rivera had five saves in the 2009 postseason.

Gerrit Cole

Ace righty Cole is on the hill after a regular season in which he went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts – he didn’t pitch in the majors the first couple of months due to elbow issues. Cole allowed one run in seven innings and got the win in the Yankees’ 3-1 victory over the Royals in Game 4 of the ALDS. Cole gave up six hits, walked none and struck out four.

“I think his fastball was a little bit better,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “He located it at the top of the zone, which he’s got 18, 20 inches of carry at 96, 97 miles an hour. That’s a tough thing to get to, and I think to me that was the biggest difference.”

Cole hadn’t pitched in nine days before his Game 1 start and wasn’t sharp against the Royals, but he turned in a vintage performance in a clinching game for New York. In 19 career postseason starts, Cole is now 11-6 with a 2.94. In nine postseason starts as a Yankee, Cole has gone 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA.

“I thought Gerrit was great,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone of his Game 4 outing. “Really efficient again. I thought right from the jump, his fastball was really good, and he had the command of it, and then he was able to mix other things off of that.”

Cole faced Cleveland once this season, on Aug. 22 at Yankee Stadium, when he picked up the win with six scoreless innings of one-hit ball.

Guardians at Yankees Info

When: Tuesday, 7:38 PM ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Pitchers (away/home): Tanner Bibee/Gerrit Cole
TV: TBS, truTV
Stream/game day audio: Max