After completing a 60-game regular season that many believed would be impossible, Major League Baseball’s brand-new Wild Card round starts on Tuesday with all eight American League playoff teams in action. The final game on the slate is perhaps the most-anticipated of any playoff matchup this round, as Shane Bieber and the Cleveland Indians will host Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees.
We’ll take a closer look at this pitching duel for the ages before offering a free pick. It’s a pick ‘em game as both teams are -108 on the moneyline as of Tuesday morning.
Yankees Outlook
Heading into the season as the co-favorite with the Dodgers to win the World Series, the Yankees were snake-bit by a myriad of injuries once again. But New York still managed to comfortably secure a playoff spot, finishing with a 33-27 record and capturing the five-seed for the playoffs.
On a team with big names like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres, the Yankees were instead led by the right side of the infield; second baseman D.J. LeMahieu and first-baseman Luke Voit. LeMahieu built off last year’s breakout season with another impressive stat line, leading MLB with a .364 batting average and finishing second in the AL in hits and tied for fourth in runs scored.
His teammate Voit was superb as well, as the slugger was the only player in baseball to eclipse the 20-home run mark in this shortened season, finishing with 22. He also finished second in the league in RBI and slugging percentage.
New York’s pitcher for Game 1 is their unquestioned ace, Gerrit Cole. In the first year of his record-breaking nine-year deal with the Yankees, Cole went 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. In 73 innings of work, the 30-year old had 94 strikeouts to only 17 walks.
Indians Outlook
With trade speculation regarding their stars and a third of their schedule against the Twins and White Sox, many thought the Indians would take a step back in 2020. Instead, led by an excellent pitching staff that is among the best in baseball, Cleveland finished 35-25, securing the four-seed and a first-round matchup with New York.
There was one main standout in Cleveland’s lineup who kept them afloat for much of the season. 3B Jose Ramirez, who slumped for much of 2019, returned with a vengeance in 2020, finishing T3 in the AL with 17 HR and 46 RBI, third in slugging, fifth in steals, while also tied for the league lead in runs scored. Ramirez’ infield partners, second baseman Cesar Ramirez, and shortstop Francisco Linder, also contributed on offense.
Hernandez hit .283 in his first season with the Tribe while leading the league in doubles, and Lindor finished with eight homers and six steals. Designated-hitter Franmil Reyes also had a solid year with nine homers and a .275 average.
As good as Cleveland’s pitching was this year, it was Shane Bieber who stood above every other pitcher in baseball. A mortal lock for the Cy Young, the 25-year old won the pitching triple crown with a league-leading eight wins, 1.63 ERA, and 122 strikeouts in 77.1 innings. He also had a minuscule 0.87 WHIP and only 21 walks.
Betting Pick
This is a matchup between two very good teams, but ones currently trending in opposite directions. The Yankees finished their up-and-down season by dropping six of their last eight despite Voit and LeMahieu, each ending on a roll. Meanwhile, the Indians were the victors in nine of their last 11 games, with Ramirez scorching hot during that stretch.
Couple that with the fact that Bieber has been nearly un-hittable in 2020 and Cleveland having the overall better bullpen, I’m picking the Tribe to take Game 1 of this Wild Card series.
Pick: Indians -108
