Yankees vs. Indians Preview
CLEVELAND (AP) – The New York Yankees are ready to get their captain back as he chases baseball history.
Derek Jeter is expected to return to the lineup and resume his pursuit of 3,000 hits Monday night when the Yankees open a three-game road series with the Cleveland Indians.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Yankees -122 money line favorites for Monday’s game against the Indians. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 77% of more than 462 bets for this game have been placed on the Yankees -122.
The Yankees’ all-time hits leader was placed on the disabled list June 13 with a right calf strain. It came with the iconic superstar six hits shy of 3,000.
After successful rehab games at Double-A Trenton on Saturday and Sunday, Jeter will join the Yankees.
“He’s good to go,” said general manager Brian Cashman, who watched both games in Trenton. “I haven’t talked to (Yankees manager) Joe (Girardi) about it but he’s ready to go. He’ll play tomorrow.”
Jeter went 1 for 2 with a walk in Saturday’s game and was 1 for 2 with a bunt single, a walk and a throwing error in six innings Sunday night.
Asked after Sunday’s game if he’d be playing Monday, Jeter replied, “Yup.”
“It feels good,” Jeter said of his calf. “I’m looking forward to getting back and helping the team to continue to play well.”
New York (50-32) had its season-high seven-game winning streak snapped with Sunday’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Mets. An error by fill-in shortstop Ramiro Pena in the 10th kept the inning alive and allowed Jason Bay to follow with a game-ending single.
Pena was in the lineup since Eduardo Nunez was held out due to a tight right hamstring. Nunez went 7 for 8 in the first two games of the series, and batted .339 in 17 starts in place of Jeter with the Yankees winning 14 times.
Jeter was named one of four All-Star starters for the Yankees, with Russell Martin and Mariano Rivera making the squad as reserves. Rivera blew his fourth save Sunday as he failed to preserve Freddy Garcia’s eighth win.
Cleveland (44-38) also has a shortstop and closer on the All-Star team in Asdrubal Cabrera and Chris Perez. Cabrera leads the Indians in homers (14), RBIs (49) and steals (12).
“What Asdrubal has done this year is nothing short of All-Star caliber,” manager Manny Acta said. “He’s been a big part of stabilizing our lineup, that’s for sure. He’s been our best hitter from day one.”
The Indians have lost 13 of their last 17 against the Yankees after dropping three of four in New York from June 10-13. Curtis Granderson went 8 for 17 with six RBIs and Alex Rodriguez was 6 for 15 with six RBIs in that series.
Cabrera was 5 for 18 in that series, and he’s the only healthy Cleveland player who had more than three hits.
A.J. Burnett (8-6, 4.05 ERA) was the lone Yankee starter to lose in that series, allowing one run over 7 2-3 innings and striking out eight in a 1-0 loss in the finale.
The right-hander is also 1-4 with a 7.12 ERA in five career starts in Cleveland, with Travis Hafner 7 for 20 with a homer against him overall.
Burnett yielded two runs over seven innings to earn a 5-2 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin (9-4, 3.86) will look to do better than he did when he gave up six runs over five innings in a 9-1 loss to the Yankees on June 12.
Tomlin is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three outings since, allowing two runs over seven innings Tuesday in a 6-4 loss at Arizona.
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