Sports fans everywhere were gearing up for a winner-take-all Game 5 between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees on Monday night, but Mother Nature had other plans.
Due to rain in the Bronx, the game was pushed back to Tuesday afternoon. This gives the Yankees the opportunity to start left-hander Nestor Cortes instead of Jameson Taillon.
Betting Odds and Trends For ALDS Game 5 With Nestor Cortes Now Starting
The Yankees were already favorites at -150 before the rain postponed Game 5, but with the All-Star, Cortes, now in play, the line has moved even more in the Yankees’ favor.
Per BetMGM, the Yankees are now -175 favorites on the money line, and the over/under has moved from 7.5 to 7. According to the sports book’s data, 47% of bets and 64% of money is currently on the Yankees at -175. With 46% of bets and 52% of money on the under at 7.
Despite the many suggestions that Guardians manager Terry Francona go with star pitcher Shane Bieber following the postponement, they’re going to stick with their original scheduled starter, Aaron Civale. However, Bieber will likely see significant time on the mound in a relief role.
“We like Civale,” the Guardians manager said Monday afternoon via The Post. “The longer he stays out there, the better off we are.”
It’s no secret that the Guardians are better positioned than the Yankees if the game comes down to the late innings given their bullpen prowess centered around Emmanuel Clase, Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak and Enyel De Los Santos, who will now be on multiple days of rest. But with all hands on deck in Game 5, things could get incredibly interesting in the Bronx on Tuesday afternoon.
In the end, Cortes and the Yankees’ stacked lineup might be too much for the Guardians to handle.
