Guardians-Yankees Game 2 FAQ, lineups (LIVE on TBS)

NEW YORK -- If the Yankees learned anything from a late-summer swoon that threatened their place atop the American League East standings, it’s that a hot start doesn’t guarantee anything. So even though the Bombers took Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday evening, they know the Guardians didn’t come this far to roll over.

“The Guardians are a young team that has a lot of momentum and have been pitching really well,” Yanks first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “That’s a scary combination. With them coming in after a big Wild Card Series win, it feels really good to come out and get Game 1.”

In the history of best-of-five postseason series, Game 1 winners have gone on to win the series 102 of 144 times (71%). In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams winning Game 1 at their home ballparks have advanced 34 of 47 times (72%).

• Postseason ticket information: Guardians | Yankees

“You’ve got to win three in this series, so however you get there, you want to rack them up when you can,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

When is the game and how can I watch it?

Game 2 of the ALDS was scheduled to be played on Thursday at Yankee Stadium at 7:37 p.m. ET, but inclement weather forced postponement until today at 1:07 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by TBS.

• Yanks take G1 as Cole feeds off Bronx energy

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Who are the starting pitchers?

Guardians: Cleveland ace Shane Bieber (13-8, 2.88 ERA) gets the ball in Game 2. Because he started the first game of the Wild Card Series last Friday, the Guardians wanted to give him full rest before getting him back on the rubber, which meant using Cal Quantrill in Game 1 of the ALDS and waiting to start Bieber until Game 2. In Friday’s start, he was nearly flawless, allowing one run on just three hits in 7 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay.

Yankees: Left-hander Nestor Cortes (12-4, 2.44 ERA) was one of baseball’s best stories during the regular season, having earned a selection to the All-Star Game, where he even broke out one of his funky ‘Nasty Nestor’ deliveries. Not overpowering, Cortes finds success by baffling opponents with a variety of pitch speeds and arm angles. He comes in on a roll, having gone 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his final five starts of the regular season. Cortes faced Cleveland twice this season and he pitched well both times, most recently on July 2, when he picked up a win with six sharp innings at Progressive Field.

• Quantrill, Guardians stumble in Game 1 of ALDS

What are the starting lineups?

Guardians: Owen Miller replaced Will Brennan as Cleveland’s designated hitter in Game 2 with a lefty on the mound. Although Josh Naylor has struggled against southpaws this year, the club stayed with him at first over Miller. It's the same lineup Cleveland had against Rays lefty Shane McClanahan last week in the Wild Card Series.

1. Steven Kwan, LF
2. Amed Rosario, SS
3. José Ramírez, 3B
4. Oscar Gonzalez, RF
5. Josh Naylor, 1B
6. Owen Miller, DH
7. Andrés Giménez, 2B
8. Austin Hedges, C
9. Myles Straw, CF

Yankees: The Yanks trotted out a similar lineup to the one that produced four runs in Game 1, knocking out Cleveland starter Quantrill in the sixth inning. The only change was Josh Donaldson and Oswaldo Cabrera flipped spots in the order. Harrison Bader and Rizzo homered in the contest for New York, with Bader becoming the sixth New York-born player to homer for the Yanks in the postseason (Lou Gehrig, Phil Rizzuto, Joe Pepitone, Alex Rodriguez and Raul Ibanez were the others).

1. Aaron Judge, RF
2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
3. Gleyber Torres, 2B
4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
5. Josh Donaldson, 3B
6. Oswaldo Cabrera, LF
7. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
8. Jose Trevino, C
9. Harrison Bader, CF

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Guardians: With two days off after Game 1, Cleveland doesn’t have any concerns about its bullpen. The team will still hope to be able to get the ball to closer Emmanuel Clase as quickly as possible, but guys like Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak will be fresh to take the seventh or eighth innings, if needed.

Yankees: We got a sneak peek at how Boone plans to navigate the late innings in Game 1, when Jonathan Loáisiga, Wandy Peralta and Clay Holmes combined for the final eight outs in relief of Cole. They combined to hold the Guardians scoreless on two hits, a good sign for a Yanks ‘pen that is widely suspected to be their Achilles’ heel.

Any injuries of note?

Guardians: Aside from Nick Sandlin having to be left off the ALDS roster due to a right teres major strain, Cleveland isn’t dealing with any injuries.

Yankees: The 26-man playoff roster is healthy and playable, though DJ LeMahieu, Andrew Benintendi, Scott Effross, Ron Marinaccio and Frankie Montas are all observers for this round.

Who is hot and who is not?

Guardians: No one in the lineup is necessarily “hot,” considering the club has had its fair share of offensive woes to start the postseason, but Kwan and Ramírez showed signs of heating up in Game 1, as they each had multihit performances. And although Giménez had a double, he’s been mostly silent since the postseason began, going 2-for-12 with seven strikeouts.

Yankees: Rizzo has his power stroke working as evidenced by his two-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 1. Rizzo has hit three homers in six combined regular-season and postseason games against Cleveland this season. Judge was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, a walk and a run scored in Game 1. Torres was one of the Yanks’ most productive hitters in the final month of the regular season before battling an illness; he went hitless in three Game 1 at-bats.

Anything else fans might want to know?

• Major League Baseball is keeping a close eye on the forecast for Thursday. A possible rainout would alter the schedule, likely moving Game 2 to Friday. That would be problematic for the Guardians, who could be considering bringing Bieber back on short rest on Monday if the series reaches Game 5. But if Bieber doesn’t start until Friday instead of Thursday, that eliminates his chances of being able to get back on the rubber that quickly.

• Boone has said that he is not sure how the Yankees would handle a potential rainout, though the most likely scenario would be to keep Cortes and Severino in line for Games 2 and 3. Under that scenario, Cole could pitch a potential Game 4 on regular rest. If a Game 5 was necessary, the Yanks could consider Jameson Taillon, Domingo German or a bullpen game.