The Yankees have regained and lost first place three times in the AL East this August.

After Wednesday’s 8-1 win over the Guardians, the Bombers are 9-8 since late-July’s five-game win spree that propelled them back into contention. 

That was their longest win streak dating to the good old days of June 6, when the Yankees had a 4.5-game division lead.

But the Yankees rank No. 27 in starting pitching ERA since then. 

More recently, bullpen woes are the problem as Yankees relievers sport a 4.50 ERA since Aug. 1 while Clay Holmes’ glaring incompetency saving games becomes a more imminent issue. 

Gerrit Cole’s down year is also a thorn.

After the ace returned from a scratch due to body fatigue, he has strung together three solid outings.

However, he has shown slight velocity decreases across his arsenal and is more vulnerable to quality contact with balls knocked into play than ever, per Statcast. 

Cole’s ERA is trending toward a career-worst, but he’s still striking out more than 10 hitters per nine innings.

Cleveland has struck out the fourth-fewest times in baseball. 

Guardians starter Gavin Williams has made notable strides in his sophomore season, touching 97 mph on his fastball and owning a significantly more effective 2.49 ERA on the road. 

Backing an inexperienced pitcher against the reigning AL Cy Young winner is hazardous.

But it’s worth casting the name value aside with the Guardians’ MLB-leading bullpen (2.65 ERA) at an advantage, along with their .500 record as road underdogs. 

THE PLAY: Guardians (+142, Caesars Sportsbook)