Cleveland will look to Amed Rosario to make a big impact against New York in game two of the American League Division Series.
After being one of Cleveland's most impressive and consistent hitters all season, Amed Rosario has yet to find his groove in the postseason. He has a .167 batting average and has only reached base twice on two hits.
Even with these stats, Rosario could be the Guardians' X-Factor in game two of the ALDS.
Rosario has actually been an underrated hitter against lefties this season. In the regular season, he slashed .295/.333/.463 with a .796 OPS against southpaws. He also had four of his 11 home runs come off left-handed pitching in only a fraction of the at-bats compared to righty pitchers.
A lefty pitcher who Rosario specifically hit well against this season was Nestor Cortes, the Yankees' game-two starter. Rosario had three at-bats against him in the regular season where he had two hits including one of his home runs. Rosario also collected two walks from him as well.
This brings his OPS against the New York pitcher up to 2.467. Albeit, it is a small sample size but it does show that Rosario sees his pitches well.
If Cleveland hopes to tie up the ALDS then it may start with Rosario's approach at the plate in game two. With the Guardians' offense struggling in the postseason, they need to get a spark from somewhere in the lineup.
Usually, we hope that history doesn't repeat itself. However, let's hope the Nestor vs. Rosario history is an example of when it does.
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