First pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 7:05 PM ET, and the pitching matchup is wildly lopsided on paper. Cam Schlittler (7-2, 1.50) toes the rubber for New York opposite Joey Cantillo (4-2, 3.57) — a gap that explains why the Yankees are sitting at -221 on the moneyline.
Schlittler isn't just pitching well, he's doing things nobody in pinstripes has touched in over a century. He's the first MLB starter since Walter Johnson in 1913 to open a season with 50-plus strikeouts, fewer than 10 walks, and a sub-1.50 ERA through 9 starts. His last time out he went 6 innings against the Royals on 77 pitches, zero walks, 6 punchouts, 1 earned. The Cy Young chatter is real.
Cantillo, meanwhile, is the inverse story. His last start against Washington was a 2-inning, 4-walk, 4-earned-run mess on 69 pitches — he couldn't find the zone, couldn't get deep, couldn't do much of anything. He's only completed 6 innings once all year. The Guardians are reportedly undefeated when he starts, but that streak is going to need a lot of help from the lineup tonight.
Cleveland also walks in banged up at the worst possible time. Steven Kwan is on the bereavement list, Angel Martinez is day-to-day with a foot strain, and Gabriel Arias is parked on the 60-day. That's a top-of-the-order pulse the Guards don't have to throw at the best ERA in baseball. The Yankees are missing Stanton, Dominguez, and Fried, but they're 36-23 and just dropped 13 on the A's on Saturday, so they're absorbing it fine.
- Day-To-DayAngel Martinez LF — Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Sunday that Martinez has been diagnosed with a right foot strain following an MRI, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCarlos Hernandez RP — Hernandez (shoulder) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
- bereavementSteven Kwan CF — Kwan went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 3-1 win over Philadelphia.
- 15-Day-ILErik Sabrowski RP — Sabrowski (elbow) underwent an MRI on Tuesday which confirmed inflammation but no structural damage, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGabriel Arias SS — no
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton (calf) has begun running outside, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Dominguez (shoulder) could be ready for a minor-league rehab assignment during the first week of June, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Chivilli (shoulder) has resumed throwing off a mound and is slated to throw live batting practice during the coming week, per MLB.com.
- PaternityAmed Rosario 3B — The Yankees placed Rosario (personal) on the Paternity List prior to Saturday's game against the Athletics.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Fried (elbow) played catch Monday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
The total sits at 7.5 with juice slightly to the under, which tracks — books are essentially asking whether the Yankees can score 5 or 6 against Cantillo without Schlittler giving any of it back. Given how Cleveland's offense has looked the last week (4 runs total in two losses to Boston before dropping the finale 9-4), leaning on Schlittler keeping it under 2 isn't crazy. This one has Yankees comfortable written on it.