Yankees and Guardians ALDS Game 3 pitching matchup overview

The New York Yankees are set to play game 3 of the American League Division Series in Cleveland on Saturday. The Yankees dropped Game 2 in the Bronx, losing 4-2 in a 10-inning battle against the Cleveland Guardians.

Nestor Cortes went 5 innings, giving up 2 runs, and was relieved by Lou Trivino. Jonathan Loaisiga, Wandy Peralta, Clay Holmes, and Clarke Schmidt saw the mound, with Jameson Taillon picking up the loss.

The series flips over to Ohio, with Game 3 to take place at 7:37pm ET at Progressive Field. The Yankees have right-hander Luis Severino going up against Guardians righty Triston McKenzie.

Yankees-Guardians Game 3 pitching matchup Preview and notes

The Yankees send Luis Severino to the hill in a huge Game 3 matchup. With the series tied 1-1, it is important that New York pick up a win to put Cleveland in an elimination scenario. Severino made his return from the 60-day injured list on the 21st of September, facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in his first start since July 13. He’s only pitched three games since then.

Severino went 5 innings against the Pirates, giving up only 1 run on 2 hits with 6 strikeouts. He then faced the Toronto Blue Jays on September 26, going 4 innings and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits with 4 strikeouts.

In September games, he had a 3.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 9 innings. He’s pitched one game this month on the 3rd of October against the Texas Rangers, going 7 innings with 7 strikeouts, no runs, and no hits allowed. Severino can now go the extra mile, expecting to serve at least 5-6 innings in his next start. The right-hander has gone 3-2 on the road this year, complementing his 4-1 record at home.

Cleveland will go with the righty Triston McKenzie, who went 11-11 on the season with a 2.96 ERA, as well as 190 strikeouts in 191.1 innings. McKenzie faced the Yankees on July 3, going 7 innings, striking out 7, giving up 1 hit and no runs.

The 6-5, 165-pounder chucks from the right side and employs a simple repertoire containing a 4-seam fastball, slider, and curveball. The fastball averages 93-94 mph with good bite, the curveball averages 78-79 mph with 2270-2282 spin rate, and the slider is his least-used pitched, but heats up at 87-88 mph with an approximate 2180 spin rate.

McKenzie will attack the zone, challenging Yankees hitters to swing. He’s effective when he can locate, but will get smacked around if he spots up in vulnerable zones. The Yankees will have to come out aggressive early in the count against McKenzie.

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