With playoff implications on the line, the Toronto Blue Jays will face the New York Yankees on Tuesday in the second game of a four-game series. The game will be played in Buffalo with the Yankees heavily favored with a moneyline of -260 compared to Toronto’s moneyline of +210.
The Blue Jays beat the Yankees 11-5 on Monday night. It was their second straight win, as they try to put a recent six-game losing streak behind them. The win brought Toronto within three games of the Yankees for second place in the AL East.
Of course, the Blue Jays would have to sweep the rest of the series to even things up. Fortunately, Toronto is still in great shape for a Wild Card spot if they can’t catch the Yankees.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot and are holding out slim hopes of catching the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Yankees also have some work to do if they want to finish as the best non-division-winner and earn the right to host a playoff series in the first round.
They’ve also lost back-to-back games after winning 10 in a row, a stretch that included four wins over the Blue Jays.
The Cole Man
The season for New York’s exaggerated moneyline is that Gerrit Cole is scheduled to start on Tuesday. The club’s big-money ace is 6-3 with a 3.00 ERA over 11 starts this season.
Cole has been spectacular in September, allowing two earned runs over 20 innings to give him a 0.90 ERA during the current month. That includes seven strong innings against the Blue Jays in his last start, allowing just one run on three hits.
Of course, Toronto’s lineup is capable of doing some damage, as the Blue Jays have a slew of young hitters mixed with some veterans. Leading the way is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, with the latter coming back strong from the IL.
Lourdes Gurriel has also joined the fray, hitting .344 with an OPS of 1.031 over the last week. On the other hand, Cole kept the Blue Jays under wraps when he faced them last week.
Roark Takes Pawn
Tanner Roark will get the start for Toronto on Tuesday. The Blue Jays signed the veteran to help stabilize the back end of their rotation this season, but he’s failed to do so. In his nine starts, Roark is 2-2 with a 6.41 ERA.
He’s failed to pitch at least five innings in five of his nine starts, including three in a row. That stretch includes last week’s game against the Yankees in which he gave up six runs over four innings, including four home runs. In fact, Roark has allowed 11 home runs in his last five starts.
Naturally, New York’s lineup is licking its chops to face Roark again. Over the last week, the Yankees have four players who have at least three home runs, including five from Luke Voit and four from DJ LeMahieu. Also, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are back in the lineup and poised to break out at any time.
Take the Chance
A team with Toronto’s lineup is usually a good pick with a +210 moneyline. However, it’s hard to reconcile the mismatch of Cole and Roark on the mound.
The Yankees crushed Toronto’s pitching last week and have a lineup that can do it again. Bet on the Yankees to beat the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
