NEW YORK (Interstat) — The New York Yankees host the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday in a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium II, with first pitch for the afternoon game at 1:05 p.m. EDT and the nightcap at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The forecast calls for clear skies and 82 degrees.

The Yankees (36-24) lead the American League East by a slim margin and enter the twin bill after dropping the first two games of this three-game series, including a 4-2 loss Wednesday. Cleveland (35-27) has won four of its last five overall and can complete a sweep with a doubleheader sweep.

Cleveland is scheduled to start right‑hander Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.83 ERA) in the opener and left‑hander Carlos Rodón (1-2, 5.40) in the afternoon game. New York has not announced its probable pitchers.

Players to watch

Guardians third baseman José Ramírez is 8-for-25 (.320) with four RBIs over his last seven games. He went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in Tuesday’s 9-4 win at Yankee Stadium. For the Yankees, designated hitter Paul Goldschmidt has been productive despite the team’s recent slide. He homered and drove in four runs in Tuesday’s loss, going 3-for-5, and is 7-for-26 (.269) with two homers and eight RBIs over his last eight games.

Recent results

Cleveland has won the first two games of this series, scoring 13 runs while limiting New York to six. The Guardians took Tuesday’s contest behind a four‑RBI game from second baseman Travis Bazzana, who had a key hit in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 4-2 win. New York has lost three of its last four overall.

Betting line

The Yankees are installed as a -1.5 run‑line favorite for the doubleheader. The over/under for each game is 8.5 runs. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Yankees win in a typical matchup between the teams.

Looking ahead

Following the doubleheader, Cleveland travels to Texas for a three‑game weekend series against the Rangers. New York returns home to host the Boston Red Sox for a three‑game set beginning Friday.