As the final week of the MLB season arrives, it appears the American League East will have three playoff teams. The question is, who will be the odd team out between the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees and Blue Jays start a three-game series in Canada on Tuesday while Boston is in Baltimore.
The Yankees are up one game on Boston, and two games on Toronto as all three teams have six games left. Boston finishes the season with three in Washington while the Yankees host Tampa Bay and Toronto goes to Baltimore.
The Yankees can eliminate the Blue Jays with a three-game sweep or find themselves out of the Wild Card spots if Toronto gets a sweep. The series starts Tuesday at 7:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre in Toronto as the Yankees activate RHP Jameson Taillon (8-6, 4.41) from the IL to face Toronto LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (13-9, 4.34).
Yankees Streaking Toward October
The Yankees went into Fenway Park over the weekend and swept the Red Sox to move into the Wild Card lead. Giancarlo Stanton has homered in four of the last five games, and the Yankees are hoping to keep Aaron Judge in the lineup. Judge dislocated the pinky finger on his left hand in the eighth inning on Sunday.
Taillon comes off the IL to make the start after throwing three innings in a rehab start in the minor leagues. He will likely be on a pitch count before turning the game over to the bullpen. Taillon has been out since September 7 with a right ankle tendon.
Toronto beat Taillon on September 6 with three runs scored in seven innings as they picked up four hits. The righty went unbeaten in 15 straight starts from June 5 to August 26 but is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his career against the Jays.
Vlad Jr. Carrying Jays
Toronto has to win at least two in this series to have a realistic chance of passing the Yankees in the Wild Card race. The last time the teams met, the Blue Jays earned a four-game sweep to start September and move into the Wild Card lead.
The last month has been all about young superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. becoming a bonafide MVP candidate with a .327 average and seven homers in September. Overall he is batting .315 with 46 homers, 120 runs scored, and 105 RBI. He leads the AL in homers, runs, OBP, Slugging, and OPS while ranking third on average.
Ryu is also coming off the IL to make this start. A tight neck forced him to miss one start, and Ryu was 3-4 with a 7.21 ERA in nine starts before going to the IL. However, he is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four outings against New York in 2021.
Betting Analysis
- New York Yankees +1.5 run line (-170). +100 Money Line
- Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 run line (+150). -120 Money Line
- Total Runs: 9.5. Over +105. Under -125
With two pitchers coming off the IL to start a crucial game, this one may be a high-scoring affair. The over is 4-0 in Taillon’s last four road starts, while the Yankees have scored at least five runs in five straight games. The Blue Jays scored 25 runs in the four-game sweep earlier this month, and the winner has scored at least five runs in eight of the last ten matchups between these teams.
Free Pick: Over 9.5 (+105)
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