CLEVELAND — As the American League Championship Series arrives in Ohio for Game 3 on Thursday, the New York Yankees possess all of the momentum.
The Yankees hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, with the Cleveland Guardians stuck in a chasm created in large part by their own mistakes and missed opportunities.
Still, the Guardians are relatively optimistic about bouncing back now that they are at home.
“We’re always confident going into every game,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “We love playing at home. We love playing in front of our fans. I think for us, knowing we have three games here, we feel really good about it.
“Obviously we would have loved to have taken one in New York, but we still feel really good about our chances.”
During the series’ first two games in New York, the Guardians failed to execute in the batter’s box and in the field. Defensive miscues and struggles with runners in scoring position (Cleveland is 1-for-11 in those situations) contributed to a 5-2 defeat in the opener and then a 6-3 setback on Tuesday.
Credit also goes to the Yankees’ pitching staff that has bent but not been broken, especially in Game 2. The Guardians compiled eight hits and six walks on Tuesday, but their only run-scoring hit was a ninth-inning solo homer by Jose Ramirez when the outcome was all but decided.
The Guardians will try to begin a turnaround when they send left-hander Matthew Boyd (0-0, 0.00 ERA in the postseason) to the mound in Game 3. New York will trot out right-hander Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 3.86).
Boyd made two effective, albeit brief, starts against the Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series. He fired 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in Game 2, then threw two innings of one-hit ball in the decisive Game 5, yielding no runs in both contests. He struck out a total of 10 and walked three.
Boyd’s only previous postseason experience was recording one out for the Seattle Mariners in the 2022 ALDS against the Houston Astros.
“I’ve spent the better parts of nine seasons watching the playoffs from home,” Boyd said. “I also had one year in Seattle. It’s one of those things where you’re like, ‘Man, I know my time is going to come to get to do that.’
“You just don’t know what it feels like when you get out there. It’s just kind of invigorating. It feels like Opening Day all over again, but that doesn’t even do it justice.”
He said of going against the power-packed Yankees, “They have a very good lineup, and it’s a welcome challenge. (I) respect these guys, and it’ll be a fun task.”
Schmidt appeared once in the ALDS, allowing two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals in Game 3.
Schmidt said of the Guardians, “I think they do the small things right. … When you face lineups like this, they have guys obviously who can hit the homers with (Josh) Naylor and those guys, but they find ways to score runs.
“When you face teams like that, they pose a challenge because you can’t really take anyone off. Anyone can get a hit, top to bottom. … Yeah, I think very scrappy team, but also have the ability to slug and score some runs and they’ll find a way to score any way they can.”
–Field Level Media
