The New York Yankees will face off against the Cleveland Indians in the Wild Card round of the 2020 postseason. Currently, on a cold streak, the Yankees are desperately trying to find their form before traveling to Cleveland to start the series away. However, the Indians are a solid team based on their pitching, not their hitting.
Cleveland’s batters have an average of .228 and have hit 59 homers over 60 games, indicating a good matchup for the Yankees’ pitchers. However, their defense is stellar, and with a struggling Yankee offense, things could get tumultuous early on.
The key to beating the Indians simply relies on Gerrit Cole and winning the first game of the series. They must gain momentum and establish themselves early on. Shane Bieber will feature on the mound for Cleveland, as he currently has a 1.63 ERA and has struck out 122 batters over 77.1 innings.
In other words, Bieber is arguably the best pitcher in the MLB right now, and the Yankees are a struggling offense that will likely be tortured by him all evening. The first game is on Tuesday at 7 PM, so the Bombers have a bit of time to rehabilitate and prepare for this match up.
To give you some more insight into the type of pitcher Bieber (Fangraphs) is, you can expect a variety of different pitches. He has several options that rank in the elite category, making him an extremely tough challenge for any team. He throws his fastball about 37.5% of the time, and his curveball 26.3%. However, he hovers around the 10% range with his slider and change-up and has even factored in a cutter this season, making him even more successful.
The only bright side for the Yankees is that he is not a strong-armed pitcher. His four-seam fastball looms in the 94.5 mph range, which is very hittable. The Yankees need to anticipate his fastball and take advantage of that pitch specifically, which he throws the most.
Nonetheless, with higher strike-out rates among their sluggers, the Bombers have to remain patient and let the ball come to them. They cannot let Bieber keep his pitch total low. They must take pitches and try to work the count and knock him out of the game early. That is their best chance at winning against a player as good as Shane.
For the remaining games in the series, it boils down to starting pitching for the Yanks. They will likely utilize Masahiro Tanaka and JA Happ, who’s actually had quite a good season up to this point.
Happ currently hosts a 3.47 ERA and has struck out 42 batters over 49 innings. The problem with him is that he frequently gives up too many home runs and hits, but he has produced some stellar outings this season. Alternatively, manager Aaron Boone could go with Jordan Montgomery or Deivi Garcia, but their lack of postseason experience is problematic.