The Cleveland Guardians succumbed to the New York Yankees in last season’s American League Championship Series, but already got a measure of redemption in 2025.
Looking for a sixth straight win, the Guardians aim to sweep this three-game set from the visiting Yankees on Wednesday.
The Guardians have made the most of their chance to modestly avenge losing the 2024 ALCS to New York in five games. Following Monday’s 6-4 victory, the Guardians overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the sixth to win 3-2 on Tuesday.
Cleveland is 11-3 after losing six of its first nine and 7-1 at home.
“Let’s keep it rolling,” said Guardians star Steven Kwan, who had two hits Tuesday and is batting .341 in 2025.
Kwan opened the sixth Tuesday with a single and eventually scored from second on Mark Leiter Jr.’s wild pitch amid a double steal. Kyle Manzardo then tied things with an RBI double and scored on Angel Martinez’s looping liner over second base.
“Like we say, it’s always good to create chaos,” said Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee, who allowed two runs over six innings Tuesday.
Scheduled Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz (2-2, 5.48 ERA) looks for a fourth consecutive solid outing. After yielding seven runs, nine hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings at San Diego in his season and Guardians debut, the right-hander has yielded 12 hits and walked five while going 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA in his last three outings.
“He’s got a bunch of pitches going in a bunch of different directions, to put it simply,” catcher Bo Naylor told the Guardians’ official website.
“When you’re in the zone with multiple pitches, as well, it doesn’t allow the hitter to be able to eliminate as much as they would like to.”
Facing his former team Friday at Pittsburgh, Ortiz gave up three of those walks and four hits, but just two runs and struck out eight in five innings of a 10-7 victory.
Ortiz is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in two starts against the Yankees, but has not faced them since 2023.
Batting .371 this season, New York’s Paul Goldschmidt is 5-for-7 with a double versus Ortiz. Meanwhile, teammate Aaron Judge is batting an MLB-leading .411 after going 4-for-4 on Tuesday. However, Judge is 0-for-3, but walked three times against Ortiz.
The Yankees have lost three of four after winning five in a row, but scheduled starter Carlos Rodon (2-3, 4.34) is 8-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 21 appearances (19 starts) versus Cleveland. The left-hander allowed 14 runs (13 earned), 10 hits and 10 walks over 17 1/3 innings while losing three straight starts before he overcame four walks, by yielding just two hits and striking out nine in six innings of Friday’s 1-0 win at Tampa Bay.
“I think it’s just one of those things where I can’t give in,” said Rodon, who didn’t allow a home run for the first time this season Thursday.
“Just conviction in the pitch I’m throwing and competing.”
Including the postseason, Kwan is 1-for-8 versus Rodon. Teammate Carlos Santana is 0-for-16 with six strikeouts in the last four games, but batting .385 with two homers against Rodon.
–Field Level Media
