The start to this season has been very good for both the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.
A potentially intriguing weekend series between the two clubs begins in Cleveland on Friday night.
After going an underachieving 82-80 last season and missing the postseason for the first time since 2016, New York has won 10 of its first 13 games this season.
Although the Yankees closed out a 4-2 opening homestand with Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to Miami, they should feel confident while sporting a 6-1 mark on the road. New York swept a four-game series at Houston to open the season and won two of three at Arizona.
Overall, the Yankees rank among the AL leaders in runs (61), homers (15) and on-base percentage (.345) entering play on Thursday.
“We’re in a good spot,” said New York’s Giancarlo Stanton, who is 8-for-19 with two doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in the last five games.
Stanton isn’t the only Yankee swinging a hot bat.
Prized free-agent acquisition Juan Soto is batting .360 and has a 1.008 OPS with two home runs and 12 RBIs to begin his Yankees tenure. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe has been New York’s early star while batting .372 with five extra-base hits.
“You’re not always going to get results, but (if) you have the level of at-bats he’s putting in night in and night out, you’re going to be successful,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe, who was recently inserted into the leadoff spot.
Cleveland, meanwhile, went 76-86 last season after winning the AL Central in 2022. However, the Guardians have won nine of their first 12 contests this year and are brimming with confidence.
“You feel the vibe. You feel the energy and we trust each other,” infielder Andres Gimenez told the Guardians’ official website. “We know each other pretty well.”
The Guardians overcame a 5-0 deficit Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox and won 7-6 in 10 innings. Josh Naylor tied the game with a double in the 10th inning and his brother Bo delivered the game-winning RBI single — on National Siblings Day to boot.
Cleveland entered play Thursday with an AL-leading 69 runs and a major league-best plus-35 run differential. Josh Naylor is batting .333 with three homers, while teammate Steven Kwan is hitting .386 and already has four three-hit games this season.
Josh Naylor and Kwan are a combined 4-for-7 against scheduled New York starter Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 4.66 ERA), who has allowed five runs and 13 hits over 9 2/3 innings of his two starts this season. However, he posted a 4.35 ERA without a decision in three career appearances (two starts) versus the Guardians.
Meanwhile, Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco (0-0, 4.50 ERA) allowed four runs in eight innings of his first two outings of the season. He is 5-5 with a 4.01 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts) against the Yankees.
New York’s Anthony Rizzo is a career .301 hitter against Cleveland. He’s 3-for-5 with a double and a homer against the Guardians.
