Yankees Announce Starting Pitchers for Road Series vs. Guardians: Will Warren Opens Rematch Meeting

Will Warren is the Yankees' starting pitcher for the Guardians series opener. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Yankees' weekend series against the rival Red Sox was a mixed bag, to say the least. The series opened with a 5-3 loss on Friday before Saturday's clash was postponed due to weather, only for the Yankees to end on a high note with a 6-1 blowout win over the Red Sox in the Bronx on Sunday.

Now that the six-game homestand at Yankee Stadium is over, New York is back on the road with two away series this week, beginning with Monday's opener vs. the Guardians at Progressive Field. The two American League contenders collided in the Big Apple for three games last week, ending with Cleveland winning twice as New York was outscored 15-10 on aggregate.

Now that the rematch series is here, the Yankees have announced which starting pitchers will lead the charge against the Guardians this week. Let's dive into each matchup and dig into whether or not New York has the advantage against the AL Central leaders.

Monday, June 8 (6:40 p.m. ET): Will Warren (NYY) vs. Gavin Williams (CLE)

This week's Yankees-Guardians series kicks off with Will Warren getting the nod for Aaron Boone's squad. The American League's win percentage leader (.875) is off to a 7-1 start through his first 12 appearances, having not been credited with a loss since a May 6 meeting with the Rangers. The fact that he hasn't lost in over a month now shouldn't fly under the radar.

Warren has gone 3-0 with an impressive 2.78 ERA in his last four starts, striking out 17 batters in 22 2/3 innings. His last performance was one of his better ones of the 2026 campaign, as the 26-year-old righty pitched six scoreless innings against the Athletics on May 31. That victory improved Warren's road record to 3-0 on the year, and it's also worth noting that his road ERA (2.25) is significantly lower than when he pitches at Yankee Stadium (3.96) in 2026.

Will Warren has been one of the Yankees' most consistent pitchers throughout the 2026 MLB season. Will that continue vs. the Guardians? | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

It's going to be interesting to see how the Yankees will fare against Gavin Williams this time around. The Fayetteville, NC native notched his MLB-leading ninth win in a 5-4 victory over the Yankees last week, striking out six batters while allowing three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. He's now a perfect 4-0 in his last four outings, which includes two outings at Progressive Field with only three earned runs surrendered in 13 innings.

Williams didn't exactly pitch a gem against the Yankees last week, so it isn't as if he's unbeatable. At the same time, he's now 2-0 in his last two outings vs. New York, and even struck out eight batters when he last faced the Bronx Bombers in Cleveland on April 21, 2025—another Guardians win.

With the way both pitchers have performed lately, fans could be in for a pitcher's duel when Warren and Williams go head-to-head on Monday night.

Game 1 pitching advantage: Even

Tuesday, June 9 (6:40 p.m. ET): Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. Slade Cecconi (CLE)

Gerrit Cole will be on the hunt for revenge when he faces the Guardians on Tuesday evening. After all, the former American League Cy Young winner was the losing pitcher in the aforementioned 5-4 loss to Cleveland last week, as he allowed four earned runs and three homers on six hits across 5 1/3 innings—easily his worst outing of the season.

The silver lining here is that Cole pitched two scoreless outings before that performance, so perhaps it was an outlier rather than a sign of what's to come. His lone road outing saw him strike out 10 batters in a 7-0 win over the Royals on May 27, and that's without mentioning how he's never lost to the Guardians as a visitor, going 4-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 32 strikeouts in five all-time trips to Cleveland.

Gerrit Cole didn't have a good performance vs. the Guardians last week; however, his track record in Cleveland leaves room for hope. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Cole's opponent is none other than Slade Cecconi, who was the starting pitcher in the Yankees' only win over the Guardians last week. Even then, Cecconi was solid on the mound, striking out four batters with only one earned run allowed across six innings. He's now up to a 3.09 ERA in his last six appearances after pitching to a 6.56 ERA in his first seven.

At the same time, Cecconi hasn't won a game since May 18, and a lot of that stems from the lack of run support he's received. The Guardians have only averaged 1.7 runs in Cecconi's last three outings, which is a noteworthy red flag considering that they averaged 6.3 runs per contest in the trio of games before that.

Cole is a gamer who knows how to bounce back, whereas Cecconi can only do so much if the Guardians aren't supporting him. Yankees fans should like the six-time MLB All-Star's odds to emerge victorious in this one.

Game 2 pitching advantage: Yankees

Wednesday, June 10 (6:40 p.m. ET): Carlos Rodon (NYY) vs. Parker Messick (CLE)

Carlos Rodón wasn't credited with the win in last week's 2-1 victory over the Guardians, but that doesn't mean he didn't pitch well. It was another solid showing for the 33-year-old southpaw, who amassed seven strikeouts while allowing only one earned run on two hits across six innings. That means Rodón has now gone three consecutive starts with exactly one earned run surrendered, indicating that he's rediscovered his groove after a delayed start to the season.

The Yankees would love to see Carlos Rodón pitch well vs. the Guardians for the second time in as many weeks. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One thing to note is that the Guardians have played well against lefties this season, batting .251 (7th) with a .332 on-base percentage (6th), 92 RBIs (5th), and 79 walks (T-4th). At the same time, Rodón is a mind-blowing 10-5 with a 2.54 ERA in 24 career games (22 starts) against Cleveland.

If that isn't impressive alone, he hasn't lost to the franchise since September 2020, which includes going 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in five starts vs. the Guardians in a Yankees jersey.

As for Parker Messick, he's showing a lot of potential with a 6-2 record and 2.40 ERA across 13 starts. He's also 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA in seven appearances at Progressive Field this season, so beating him when he has the home crowd's support might be easier said than done. Conversely, Messick allowed three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings during a 3-2 loss to the Rangers last week, meaning he could be vulnerable.

Throw in the fact that the Yankees lead all of baseball in home runs (31) and OPS (.798) vs. left-handed pitchers, and there's good reason to be confident that Rodón and the Bombers will get the job done on Wednesday.

Game 3 pitching advantage: Yankees