First pitch at Progressive Field is 6:40 PM ET, and the marquee is two of the AL's quietest aces. Will Warren (7-1, 3.22) draws Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.20), the same Williams who beat New York 5-4 in this exact matchup five days ago.
Warren has been the Yankees' most under-discussed starter all year — he's coming off 6 scoreless against the Athletics on May 31 (5 K, 3 BB, 82 pitches) and New York is 9-2 when he takes the ball. Williams's last outing was the May 31 win over these same Yankees: 5.1 innings, 3 earned, 6 K. Two guys with ERAs inside a hundredth of a run of each other. The line on the total is a stingy 7.5.
The Yankees are walking wounded and it isn't subtle. Aaron Judge is on the 10-day IL with a stress fracture in his right first rib — he confirmed he'd been playing through it since April 27 — and he's looking at 4-to-6 weeks before re-evaluation. Giancarlo Stanton isn't being activated on this road trip either, Austin Wells is on the IL behind the plate, and Max Fried is still working back from the elbow. Spencer Jones got the call from Triple-A to help cover the outfield. That's a lot of bat to replace before you even draw up a lineup card.
- Day-To-DayPayton Henry C — The Yankees signed Henry to a minor-league contract Monday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- Day-To-DayEric Reyzelman SP — 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-ILAustin Wells C — Wells is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Guardians.
- 10-Day-ILAaron Judge RF — The Yankees announced Thursday that Judge has a stress fracture of his first rib on his right side and will be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks before being re-evaluated, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Dominguez (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Friday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Stanton (calf) will not be activated from the 10-day injured list during the team's June 8-14 road trip, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Fried (elbow) is expected to begin throwing from 120 feet and will also undergo more imaging during the upcoming week, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 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
Cleveland isn't exactly cruising either. They just got hosed 10-0 by the Rangers on Saturday to drop a series in Texas, and they've lost 3 of their last 5. The good news for the Guards: Williams has been the steadiest piece of a rotation that's been carrying this team, and Progressive Field has played fine for them — 17-14 at home coming in.
Pinnacle has Cleveland as a tiny home chalk at -113 with the Yankees +102, which feels about right given who isn't in pinstripes. The fair-probability split (51.7% Guardians, 48.3% Yankees) basically says: coin flip, pitching-led, low total. If you trust Warren and you trust a Yankees lineup that found 6 runs against Boston yesterday without their MVP, there's a path. If you trust the guy who already beat them last week at home, there's also a path. Welcome to June baseball.