Guardians vs Yankees Preview: Arm Power, Ribbing Rivalry

Yesterday the Guardians punched their ticket with a 9-4 win. Manzardo launched a home run deep to right-center. Bazzana came through with a two-run double in the eighth that sent three more runners home. The Cleveland lineup kept hitting when it mattered most. Now Gavin Williams takes the mound today as their starter. He'll face Gerrit Cole and the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. The Guardians smell blood. They want to keep this momentum rolling. One win down. One more to go.

Gerrit Cole is back for the Yankees. This is his return after missing all of last season. Cole has one of the best fastballs in baseball. His arm fires like a cannon when he lets loose. But the Guardians are not scared. Gavin Williams will pitch for Cleveland. Williams has a 5.4 ERA this season. That means runs are getting scored against him. The Yankees need Cole to dominate early. If Cleveland's bats stay hot, this game could get messy fast. Two ace arms. One battle. Let's see who comes out on top.

The Yankees are banged up right now. Aaron Judge is dealing with a bone bruise in his ribs. His shoulder is sore. Max Fried is still recovering from elbow trouble. The Cleveland Guardians have their own injury headaches. Gabriel Arias won't be back until next year. Erik Sabrowski had inflammation in his elbow and could return in late June. Both teams are fighting through pain. Both teams want this win badly. The team that stays healthy today wins this game. The team that gets their healthy players in the lineup and producing—that's the team walking out of Yankee Stadium with their head held high.