The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are in the midst of a three-game series. The second game will be played on Wednesday.
The first game between the two had plenty of scoring for the Yankees, as New York won by a 20-6 score.
DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit both had five RBI for the Yankees, the first time that has been done by two players in New York. Voit had two home runs, giving him 18 on the season.
Can the Yankees Keep it Up?
The Yankees started the season hot as one of the favorites to win the World Series. But they have seen those chances drop in the middle of the season.
They have gone through some losing streaks, while the Tampa Bay Rays are controlling the AL East. However, it seems the Yankees have found their stride as of late.
“A couple of weeks ago, I don’t think teams were scared of us. And now we’re back to being the Bronx Bombers,” Voit said. “I don’t think people want to play us in the playoffs.”
The Yankees had a strong showing on the mound from the rookie Deivi Garcia on Tuesday. If they start to find pitching outside of Gerrit Cole, other teams might have a problem against the Yankees in the postseason.
Manager Aaron Boone has said that he has never lost faith in this team. They have had ups and downs, but he knows they can accomplish great things this season.
They will have their ace, Cole, on the mound in this one. He is 5-3 with a 3.20 ERA. His last time on the mound was a two-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles.
Blue Jays In Fight For Playoff Spot
The loss to the Yankees on Tuesday put the Blue Jays in third in the AL East. With the expanded playoffs this season, they still have hope for reaching the postseason.
Leftfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been leading the offense with a .308 batting average and has added 14 home runs this season. Centerfielder Randal Grichuk leads the team in RBI with 27.
Tanner Roark will get the start for the Blue Jays on Wednesday, and he has yet to pitch more than five innings in a game this season.
The last time he faced the Yankees, he was pulled after just four innings of work.
“I felt like I got taken out too early,” Roark said. “I’m what you’d call a diesel engine. Start off slow and get better as you go on. They signed me here to not go three or four innings and throw a certain amount of pitches.”
Prediction
The Yankees are playing some of their best baseball right now. If they continue to hit as they have, this team will be tough to beat with Cole on the mound.
I’m taking the Yankees run line in this one (NYY -1.5, -125) since the moneyline is too expensive. Good luck!