Not too long ago, the New York Yankees were an out away from taking a 3-0 series lead over the Cleveland Guardians, before Jhonkensey Noel tied the game in the ninth with a two-run homer and David Fry walked it off with a two-run shot in the 10th inning to cut the lead to 2-1.
Despite more bullpen issues last night, the Yankees were able to take yesterday's matchup with an 8-6 victory. Tonight, Juan Soto will look to help the Yankees advance to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. Meanwhile, Noel will look to help the Guardians keep their season alive. Opening pitch from Progressive Field is set for 8:08 p.m. ET on TBS.
Continue below for my Yankees vs. Guardians ALCS player props for Game 5 and my MLB picks for Saturday, October 19.
Yankees vs Guardians ALCS Player Props for Game 5
- Juan Soto Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-120, BetMGM)
- Jhonkensy Noel Over 0.5 Hits (-120, BetMGM)
Juan Soto Player Props: Bet on NY's Slugger to Extend Hot Streak
Gleyber Torres led off last night’s game with a single into right field. He was quickly brought in to score after Juan Soto blasted a 414-foot home run to dead center. It was Soto’s second homer of the postseason and ninth in his career.
Soto is hitting .286 with five runs scored, five runs batted in, and a .952 OPS this postseason. He has reached base safely in every game this postseason, recording a hit in five of them. That includes a first single off Tanner Bibee in Game 2 and Soto is now 2-for-3 against him.
Bibee lasted just 1 1/3 innings in that start. Playing on their third consecutive day, the Guardians could use some length from him, but who knows if manager Stephen Vogt will let that happen if the Yankees get rolling early. What I do know is Soto has hit this line in six of his last 10 games and nine of his last 13 against Cleveland. I expect those trends to continue tonight.
Jhonkensy Noel Player Props: Expect Big Christmas to Perform
Jhonkensy Noel has just two hits this postseason, one of them being the aforementioned Game 3 home run. The other was a single off of Carlos Rodon in Game 1. The hit coming off a left-hander should be no surprise as Noel hit .246 with seven home runs and .968 against left-handed pitching opposed to .205 with six home runs and .683 OPS against right-handers.
Noel has a hit in four of the six games he has played against the Yankees this season, including two of three in this series. He also nearly missed another home run last night. Noel is seeing the ball well right now, but betting on him does still come with risk.
He will likely be pinch hit as soon as the Yankees bring in a right-handed reliever. However, he should see at least two and possibly three at-bats against Rodon, whose outs recorded line is 15.5 tonight. I lean toward the over there as well with the Yankees bullpen taxed from the last two games, but this will be the Guardians' second look at Rodon in the series.
Noel's batting average (.250) is nearly 70 points higher at Progressive Field compared to road games. While another hit in his first at-bat would be preferred, I'm comfortable backing Noel for just one hit at these odds. FanDuel has this line juiced at -145 odds.
