The New York Yankees – Cleveland Guardians series is closer than most fans realize.
Yes, the Yanks already have a 1-0 advantage after winning on Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean the Guards can’t take them to the whole five games.
If that happens, Cleveland may have an edge.
After MLB postponed Thursday night’s game, the teams could end up playing four games in four straight days if the series goes to five.
“The #Yankees and #Guardians now could be playing 4 games in 4 days with bullpen depth playing a major factor,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted.
The #Yankees and #Guardians now could be playing 4 games in 4 days with bullpen depth playing a major factor. https://t.co/1HKHtjg4uG
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 13, 2022
The Yankees ranked third in bullpen ERA this year with 2.97, and the Guardians weren’t far behind at fifth, with a 3.05 mark.
Guardians Have More Bullpen Depth
Those marks, however, may be a bit misleading because some (if not most) of the Yankees pitchers that helped them get to such a low ERA are injured at the moment.
New York is currently without Chad Green, Michael King, Ron Marinaccio, Stephen Ridings, Scott Effross, and Zack Britton.
In addition to that, Wandy Peralta and Clay Holmes just returned from injury.
Their current unit is not bad at all: Peralta and Holmes recovered, Jonathan Loaisiga has been much better in the second half, and Clarke Schmidt, Domingo German, Lou Trivino and Miguel Castro all pitched well.
The Guardians, however, have more quality and depth.
The Yankees bullpen doesn’t have a pitcher as good as Emmanuel Clase, and after him, they have several capable arms capable of shutting down anyone: Eli Morgan, Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak, Cody Morris, Enyel De Los Santos, and more.
If the series comes down to bullpen wear and tear, the Guardians may have a slight edge.
