Still, even with their hot stretch, the Indians remain 16 games below .500 and 12.5 games out of first in the AL Central.
Head to Head:
The Yankees took three out of four from the Indians at the end of May, and they did it with offense, offense and a little bit of offense. They averaged more than nine runs per game and the only loss came at the hands of Joba Chamberlain.
Pitching Matchups:
| Date: | Yankees starters | Indians starters |
| Mon., 7:05 p.m. | J. Vazquez (8-7, 4.68) | J. Westbrook (6-6, 4.74) |
| Tues., 7:05 p.m. | CC Sabathia (13-3, 3.18) | Josh Tomlin (0-0, 0.00) |
| Wed., 7:05 p.m. | A.J. Burnett (8-8, 4.77) | F. Carmona (10-7, 3.51) |
| Thurs., 7:05 p.m. | Sergio Mitre (0-2, 3.99) | Mitch Talbot (8-9, 4.08) |
UPDATE:
Dustin Moseley (0-0, 4.22) is taking Mitre’s spot start Thursday.
Players to Watch:
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez. He’s sitting on 599 homers. Everyone going to these games in Cleveland are there for one reason: To see A-Rod’s 600th.
Indians: Trevor Crowe. He has led the Indians’ charge in the second half with his .343/.410/.571 hitting line. Also, if I’m remembering this right, Crowe made a sensational grab in center back in May at a game I attended.
Prediction:
This doesn’t seem fair. The Yankees are in an easy part of their schedule, but are playing teams that are overachieving. The Indians were supposed to be a breeze, but now I see they’re hot and I’m having some doubts. I’ll be happy with a series split but don’t be surprised if Josh Tomlin throws eight shutout innings in his major league debut tomorrow night and the Indians sweep.
