Betsided

Yankees vs Guardians Game 2 Prediction and Odds for Saturday, July 2 (Cortes Bounces Back)

By Joe Summers

Nestor Cortes struggled in June but takes on baseball's worst lineup against lefties tonight in Cleveland
Nestor Cortes struggled in June but takes on baseball's worst lineup against lefties tonight in Cleveland / Mike Stobe/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

The Guardians and New York Yankees conclude their double-header in Cleveland tonight at 6:10 PM EST.

Nestor Cortes struggled in June, compiling a 4.15 ERA and failing to survive the sixth inning in each of his last four starts. He'd been dominant up until the start of June, so the Yankees hope he can regain his strong form.

Cleveland starts Aaron Civale for the third time since returning from injury. Civale's gave up five runs in nine innings over those first two outings though limited damage well and didn't give up any home runs.

Can Cortes get back on track or will Civale continue rounding into form? To pick a winner in this Yankees vs Guardians Game 2 matchup, let's first check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook:

Yankees vs Guardians Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

  • Yankees -1.5 (-110)
  • Guardians +1.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Yankees: -170
  • Guardians: +155

Total:

  • 8.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Yankees vs Guardians Prediction and Pick

Cortes dominated most of the year, but looked surprisingly beatable over the last few weeks. He surrendered four home runs in his last two starts and hasn't been sharp.

It's fortunate for him then, that the Guardians have MLB's worst OPS against left-handed pitchers. They've been dreadful against southpaws all year, so Cortes is in great shape to put June behind him.

I expect he'll have ample run support as well, given Aaron Civale takes the mound for Cleveland. He gave up six runs to the Yankees in just three innings back in April and ranks in the 16th percentile in expected batting average. Civale is better at home than on the road, but New York's bats are too powerful to keep down for long.

The only path to victory for Cleveland, in my opinion, is a dominant performance from Civale. He's not shown that ability this season, and the Guardians' offensive woes against left-handed pitchers leave him little margin for error.

Begrudgingly, I'll back the Yankees on the run line. They're 7-2 in Cortes' last nine starts with five victories coming by multiple runs. Against a lineup that can't hit southpaws, Cortes should get back on track.

Pick: Yankees -1.5 (-110)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.

Home/MLB Picks