The Cleveland Guardians face off against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the ALCS on Tuesday night. Postseason baseball often sees lower-scoring contests and these clubs have two of the best pitching staffs in the MLB.
That said, Yankee Stadium tends to bolster home runs, and there will be a stiff 10 mph wind blowing toward the outfield tonight. That has me backing a pair of elite power-hitters and fading star pitcher Gerrit Cole with my MLB player props and Guardians vs. Yankees predictions on October 15.
Guardians vs Yankees ALCS Game 2 props
- Cole Under 5.5 strikeouts (-120 at DraftKings)
- Soto Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs (-115 at bet365)
- Ramirez 2+ total bases (+140 at DraftKings)
Picks made on 10-15 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Read full analysis of each pick.
Guardians vs Yankees props
Prop bet #1: Gerrit Cole Under 5.5 strikeouts
Gerrit Cole is one of the best pitchers in the world, but he may still be affected by the elbow nerve inflammation that sidelined him for three months at the start of the season.
The New York Yankees ace averaged almost 98 mph on his fastball in 2021 and 2022 but has seen that number dip to 95.9 mph this year. Likewise, while his strikeout rate topped out at an incredible 39.9% in 2019 and was at 33% in 2021 and 2022, it plummeted to 25.4% this year.
Cole struggled in his first postseason start this year, allowing four runs while fanning four batters in five innings in Game 1 of the ALDS. He pitched much better in his second start last Thursday, throwing seven innings of one-run ball, but he again posted just four strikeouts.
Even when Cole has been effective, he hasn't always been mowing down batters. In his final start of the regular season, he allowed just two hits in 6 2/3 innings against the Orioles but struck out a modest five batters, and when he faced the Cleveland Guardians earlier this year, he had just two punchouts in six innings of shutout ball.
The Yankees have an excellent bullpen, and even with Carlos Rodon pitching well in Game 1, they took him out after six innings. It's likely they won't let Cole go deeper than that, which is another reason to play the Under on his strikeout total against a Cleveland lineup with the fifth-lowest strikeout rate (20.2%) in the majors.
Prop bet #2: Juan Soto Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI
Juan Soto came into New York with lofty expectations and has lived up to them.
In his first year with the Yankees, the four-time Silver Slugger winner slashed .288/.419/.569 while scoring 128 runs (second in the majors) and driving in 109 RBIs (sixth) through 157 regular season games. That success has continued into the postseason, where he's slashing .353/.455/.588 and went 2-for-3 with a homer in Game 1 of this series.
The Guardians are giving the pill to sophomore righty Tanner Bibee who has terrible platoon splits. While he held right-handed hitters to a batting average of .190 and a slugging percentage of .338, those numbers surged to .263 and .460 against lefties.
With Soto boasting the platoon advantage as well as the home-field advantage in this matchup, take the Over 1.5 on his total hits + runs + RBI.
Prop bet #3: Jose Ramirez 2+ total bases
Jose Ramirez is not only one of the best hitters in the majors, but he also thrives in the Big Apple. In 31 career games at Yankee Stadium, he's slashing .395/.480/.716 with nine homers and six doubles. He has also dominated Cole, going 12-for-34 in his career with a pair of homers, three doubles, and a triple.
Ramirez wrapped up the regular season ninth in the majors in slugging percentage (.537) while ranking fifth in total bases (333) in 157 games. He caught fire at the end of September, slashing .377/.404/.830 and posting more than 1.5 total bases in 10 of his last 14 games.
Being able to take his 2+ total bases prop at +140 is tough to turn down, given his career success in this venue and against Cole.
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