Cleveland Indians: Previewing the road series against the Yankees

Probable Pitchers

Josh Tomlin (CLE) vs CC Sabathia (NYY)

Quite frankly, I don’t know where to begin with Josh Tomlin and his never-ending struggles so here is his Wikipedia bio.

Joshua Aubry Tomlin (born October 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is known for his low walk rate, or bases on balls per 9 innings pitched, as he has led the Major Leagues in fewest batters walked per 9 innings since 2013.

2018 Stats: 0-4, 9.16 ERA, 1.929 WHIP, -0.8 WAR. Moving on.

CC Sabathia is looking for his third straight win. He is 2-0 since returning from the DL. CC is not the overpowering pitcher that he was in his younger days. He’s only striking out 5.5 through nine innings. But he works around the plate well enough that he still finds ways to win. In the ALDS last year he had an ERA of 3.72 against the Tribe. He didn’t actually beat Cleveland in either start, but he pitched well enough to give the Indians troubles.

Trevor Bauer (CLE) vs Sonny Gray (NYY)

Trevor Bauer has caught himself in a bit of drama due to his calling out of spin rate and the use of sticky substances in the league. It certainly hasn’t affected his performance. In each of his last two starts he was worked 6.2 innings with four hits allowing only three runs combined. In two regular season starts against the Yankees he went 2-0 with an ERA of only 1.38.

Bauer faced the Yankees two other times in a series that we won’t discuss. In that series he didn’t allow an earned run, but four unearned runs caused him to go 1-1 against them in said series.

Sonny Gray came to the Yankees in a deadline trade with Oakland. Starting his first full season as a Yankee, the baby-faced pitcher has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride early on. He is 1-2 with an ERA of 6.67. He has yet to work beyond six innings and has yet to pitch a game where he didn’t allow an earned run. Last year against Cleveland he went 1-2, allowing nine earned runs.

Mike Clevinger (CLE) vs Domingo German (NYY)

Mike Clevinger has come down to Earth just a bit after his fiery start. His last two starts were two no-decisions after being ran out come the sixth inning of each game. On the road this year he has been masterful. He pitched a complete-game shutout in Baltimore and worked 5.1 innings without a run in Anaheim. He only faced the Yankees in relief last year where he allowed a three-run homer against Aaron Judge.

Domingo German is about as inexperienced as Clevinger is against his opponent this weekend. German has never faced the Tribe. In fact, this is his first start in the major leagues. He worked in the bullpen this year but due to the injury of Jordan Montgomery he has a chance to prove himself in the rotation against a tough Indians lineup.