New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 2017: Game 2 Prediction, Betting Odds

It was a little over two days ago that the New York Yankees were celebrating a wild-card win over the Minnesota Twins, hoping to use that momentum for a World Series run. As the team heads into Game 2 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians, New York is staring at a potential 2-0 series deficit directly in the face.

Every game is important in a best-of-five series, but Game 1 was especially important for the Yankees. A loss Thursday night means New York needs a win on the road Friday afternoon against Corey Kluber in order to avoid reaching the brink of elimination before they even play a game at Yankee Stadium.

Clayton Kershaw is undeniably the best pitcher in baseball. As for which pitcher an MLB lineup would least want to face in the playoffs, that distinction might belong to Cleveland’s ace.

Kershaw has struggled in the postseason. Kluber made his playoff debut in 2016, pitching to a 1.83 ERA in six starts. If he hadn’t run out of gas in Game 7 of the World Series in his fourth consecutive start on three days’ rest, it might’ve ranked as the single greatest postseason run in MLB history.

All Kluber’s done since then is have the best season of his career. His 2.25 ERA ranked ahead of Kershaw's and was the best in all of baseball. He’s the favorite to win the 2017 AL Cy Young award.

That’s the pitcher that the Yankees are hoping they can mount some kind of offense against. They’ll try to do it less than 24 hours after their bats went silent and they were shut out by the combination of Trevor Bauer, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge struck out four times.

New York doesn’t have their ace going. Luis Severino is the team’s best starter, though he only recorded one out before the bullpen kept him from getting the loss in the wild-card game. Sonny Gray came up short in his Yankees postseason debut, unable to make it out of the fourth inning Thursday night.

Instead, it’ll be C.C. Sabathia that gets the call for New York. The team’s ace eight years ago when they last won the World Series, Sabathia doesn’t have the same stuff that he once did, though in some ways the 37-year-old is exactly who the Yankees want on the hill.

Going 14-5 with a 3.69 ERA in the regular season, Sabathia was at his best when the Yankees needed him to step up. He went 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA following a Yankee loss, and the left-hander will have to be that good, if not better, in order to give New York a chance Friday night.

The Yankees have had a few shots at Kluber in the last two months, and the starter treated them like he has the rest of the American League. On Aug. 3, Kluber threw a complete game, allowing one run and striking out 11 Yankees in a 5-1 Cleveland win. Less than four weeks later at Yankee Stadium, Kluber gave up three hits and two runs in eight innings for another Indians’ victory.

New York’s hitters that have faced Kluber have a combined .155 batting average and a .454 OPS in 148 at-bats. Kluber has allowed just one total run in his last four starts.

If Sabathia is able to match Kluber, the Yankees might have the advantage in the later innings. Andrew Miller was forced to throw 30 pitches in Game 1, while the backend of New York’s bullpen is completed rested.

Getting to the late innings tied or with the lead against Kluber, however, probably isn’t going to happen.

The opening betting odds make the Indians a heavy favorite. The Yankees are +210 underdogs, and Cleveland has -256 odds just hours before Game 2, via OddsShark.

Prediction: Cleveland over New York, 3-1