Guardians vs. Yankees prediction: Picks, odds, favorite to win ALDS in 2022 MLB playoffs

The Cleveland Guardians head to NYC to take on the New York Yankees in the Bronx in a best-of-5 ALDS in the 2022 MLB postseason. The Guardians got past the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round with a 2-0 series win. The Yankees locked up the No. 2 seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. These two teams are pretty familiar with each other in terms of playoff history. Let's go over the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook for this time around.

Guardians vs. Yankees odds

CLE: +175
NYY: -210

The Yankees are heavy favorites to win the series over Cleveland. The big reason why is pitching and the Wild Card round. The Guardians needed 15 innings to beat the Rays in Game 2 to advance. That meant using eight pitchers, seven from the bullpen to get through Tampa Bay. So already the bullpen is a little worn out, even though Cleveland has Sunday and Monday to rest up.

The other side is starting pitching. The way the rotation lines up for Cleveland is not ideal. The Guardians will throw Cal Quantrill in Game 1 vs. Gerrit Cole. Shane Bieber will pitch in Game 2 on Thursday but may not have a chance to start again in the series. Bieber could be pushed out there on three-days rest in Game 5 on Monday. Even if that is the way the Guardians go, it isn't helping. Plus, that means the Yankees can use Cole in at least two games, potentially that Game 5 against Bieber if it goes the distance. Even if Cleveland puts up a fight, the advantage is heavily in New York's favor.

Then you look at the lineups. One has the likely AL MVP. The other has Jose Ramirez and a lot of unproven bats. Around Aaron Judge are veterans who have won before (Anthony Rizzo, Matt Carpenter), former MVPs (Josh Donaldson, Giancarlo Stanton), and young players looking to prove themselves (Gleyber Torres, Isiah Kiner-Falefa). So if the Yankees bats show up, that may be all they need to get to the ALCS for the first time since 2019.

As for the betting line, well, there isn't a ton of value. Especially with the uncertainty in baseball. An upset would be relatively shocking but not anything anyone hasn't seen before. The Yankees had plenty of struggles in the second half before righting the ship in September. Still, that's the way we're going.

Pick: Yankees

  
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