Preview Of Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees As They Battle For American League East

Preview of the important battle between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. First, this article will preview the pitching matchups for the Yankees and Blue Jays. There are great pitching matchups in this series. In the first two games of the series, as a preview, the Yankees will start young guns Can Schlitter and Luis Gil; they will start against veterans Kevin Gausman and Max Scherzer. This article gives a brief preview of the hitting in this series. Suffice it to say that both lineups are dangerous. How many games do you think the Yankees will win in this series?

Preview Of Pitching Matchups As Yanks Host Blue Jays

As a preview, there will be great pitching matchups in this series that pit the Yankees against the Blue Jays in a battle for supremacy in the American League East. In the first game, the Yankees’ young gun, Schlitter, is on the mound. He has been excellent since his first game on July 9 against the Seattle Mariners. In eight of his nine outings, he has pitched at least five innings, and he’s pitched at least six in his last three games while only allowing one earned run in that time.

Schlitter will face a tough test against a dangerous Blue Jays team. Gausman, an accomplished pitcher who is having a good year, will start the first game of the series for Toronto. He has a 3.75 earned run average with 157 strikeouts in 27 games, so as a preview, that will threaten the free-swinging Yankees. Though he is only 8-10.  With the Blue Jays leading the AL East, they will be looking to him to set the tone against a young rookie.

Another young gun for the Yankees goes in game 2. Luis Gil is the reigning American League Rookie of the Year. His season began late due to injury, but in his six games, he has a 3.68 earned run average and 29 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He is a flamethrower who walks too many batters. The walks could be a problem against a good Blue Jays team. Gil is pitching against another established veteran.

Max Scherzer is having a subpar season by his standards, but could break out his prime form on any given night. He’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner, and even at 40 years old, he’s not a pitcher that the Yankees’ lineup can take lightly. Scherzer gave up four runs in each of his last two times out, so the Yankees face a tough test. In the previous five starts, Scherzer had a 2.25 earned run average, 28 strikeouts, and a 5-2 record in 70 innings pitched.

The final game of the series will feature Max Fried against Chris Bassett. Fried has, of late, overcome a mid-season swoon to pitch well. In his last outing, in particular, Fried overcame a stomach bug to pitch well. Against the Astros, he pitched seven innings, striking out five and allowing only four hits, with one earned run. His earned run average, after three good starts, is back under 3.00 for the season, and he will be trying to tie his teammate, Carlos Rodon, for the American League lead with 16 wins.

Chris Bassitt has a 4.10 earned run average, at 36, and he is 11-7. He is an innings eater and can be effective. Bassitt has pitched against the Yankees three times and has a 4.82 earned run average in just over 18 innings pitched. The Yankees have the pitching advantage in this game.

Hitting Preview of the Blue Jays at Yanks

With Trent Grisham hitting his 30th home run of the season last night, he joins an elite club of Yankee centerfielders that includes Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger. The Yankees have the best hitting outfield in the majors. Judge is hurt and cannot play the field, so a big story in this game is whether slugger Giancarlo Stanton will play the field. It will be interesting to see if Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play, given his knee injuries.

George Springer Jr. killed the Yankees when these two teams last played. Overall, he is batting .307 with 27 home runs. He is a dangerous hitter. The Blue Jays have more offensive depth and can score runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains a major threat, and regulars Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho, and Bo Bichette continue to be problems for the opposition. Addison Barger plays third base and is a thorn in the side of the Yankees.

Conclusion

Not mentioned so far in this preview is that the Yankees are hot and the Blue Jays are not. However, it is important to note that the Blue Jays remain a dangerous and opportunistic team. If the Yankees make the mistakes they have in the past, the Blue Jays will take advantage. As this preview has indicated, the pitching matchups for this series are outstanding.