New York Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Odds and Picks for Thursday, 10/17/24

When teams have gone up 2-0 in the Championship Series, they have historically gone on to advance 84 percent of the time. As such, it is not an understatement to say that the Cleveland Guardians are in a must-win position on Thursday evening when the series against the New York Yankees shifts to Progressive Field. Left-hander Matthew Boyd is tasked with shutting down a New York lineup that pushed across 11 runs in the first 2 games, and he is likely to have a short leash given the magnitude of this game. Boyd has been effective across his 2 starts this postseason, tossing a combined 6.2 scoreless innings while racking up 10 strikeouts. His last start resulted in just 2.0 innings before Cleveland turned to its bullpen, something that will likely happen again on Thursday. On August 20, Boyd went up against this Yankees lineup and allowed 3 earned runs through 5.1 innings — which included back-to-back homers by Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.

The Yankees counter with right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who last pitched on October 9 in a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Schmidt surrendered 2 earned runs on 4 hits across 4.2 innings of work. In Schmidt’s lone start against the Guardians back on April 13, he notched 7 strikeouts and gave up just 1 earned run in 5.0 innings — he did, however, walk 5 batters. While the Guardians have home-field advantage on Thursday, this series feels like it’s the Yankees to lose. The Guardians have been stagnant offensively, scoring a total of 5 runs in the series, and they rank 20th with a 95 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Cleveland certainly has the best bullpen in baseball, but its offense has not been able to combat the bats on the side of New York — and ultimately that will probably hold them back again on Thursday. I’m backing the Yankees to go up 3-0 in the series.

Yankees vs Guardians prediction: New York ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

If you’re looking for a new sportsbook, check out Bet365, the world’s #1 sportsbook. They have an amazing sign-up offer where you can INSTANTLY receive $200 in bonus bets from a $5 wager, regardless of whether that bet wins or loses! There’s no catch, it’s really that simple. Join Bet365 right now ⏰ in time to fade or follow our experts’ Yankees vs Guardians predictions.