Slade Cecconi (3-5, 5.25) gets the ball for Cleveland against Carlos Rodón (1-2, 3.32) in the series finale. Rodón's last time out he gave the Yankees 6 innings of 1-run ball against the A's; Cecconi went 4.1 and gave up 3 against Boston in his last start. On paper this is a clear edge for the home team — the market agrees, hanging Rodón at -164.
The bigger story is who isn't on the lineup card. Aaron Judge has been out the last two games with a bone bruise in his upper right rib that's been radiating into his shoulder, and Aaron Boone confirmed Wednesday that Judge is going back in for additional imaging. There's no timetable. A Yankees lineup that's already trying to cover for Stanton, Dominguez, and Max Fried can't really afford a long Judge absence, and the last two nights have shown what that looks like in real time.
- Day-To-DayCarlos Hernandez RP — Hernandez (shoulder) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
- 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-DayAaron Judge RF — Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Judge (ribs) will undergo additional imaging, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
- 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 — Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Stanton (calf) is scheduled to face live pitching Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Dominguez (shoulder) will hit live pitching Wednesday and likely begin a rehab assignment later this week, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.
- 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.
- 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.
Cleveland, meanwhile, is humming. They're 15-of-20 overall and have been the best road team in baseball since early May, going 10-1 away from Progressive Field over that stretch. Kyle Manzardo homered in both games of this series and Rhys Hoskins added a 3-RBI night Wednesday off Gerrit Cole, who took his first loss of the year. Gavin Williams won his 4th straight start to get the Guardians the series win before this one even started.
If you're looking for a Yankees angle to grab onto: Rodón's been the most reliable arm in this rotation outside of the games he hasn't been. His 3.32 ERA is real, and a get-right spot at home against a Guardians lineup that's been opportunistic but not overpowering is a fine place to stop the bleeding. The total sits at 8.5 with the under juiced to -113, which lines up with two starters who can miss bats when they're on.
The Yankees have dropped 3 of their last 5 and are staring down a sweep at home to a division-ish rival they should be trading blows with, not getting steamrolled by. Win this one and it's a salvaged series with an injury scare. Lose it and the panic meter ticks up another notch with Judge's imaging results still pending.