Thursday, September 24, 2020, Sahlen Field, Buffalo, New York, 6:37 p.m. ET
Yankees at Blue Jays Betting Preview: Yankees (-250), Blue Jays (+210)
New York Yankees
The Yankees (32-24) are coming off a third ugly loss in the past four games as they prepare for the finale of their four-game series against the Blue Jays.
New York has allowed 35 runs in its past three losses and backup catcher Erik Kratz has pitched twice in those games. After the Boston Red Sox dumped the Yankees 10-2 on Sunday, the first three games of the series in Buffalo have also featured blowouts: 11-5 on Monday and 14-1 on Wednesday for the Blue Jays sandwiching the New York’s 12-1 victory on Tuesday.
After getting a rough outing from Masahiro Tanaka and four errors from its defense Wednesday, the Yankees hope to play a cleaner game behind Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 5.12 ERA). Montgomery took a no-decision Friday in Boston when he allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. He labored through 3 1/3 innings Sept. 7 in Buffalo, yielding four runs on five hits. For his career, though, he is 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA in five games (four starts) vs. Toronto.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays (29-27) own a 4.70 ERA that ranks in the middle of the major league pack, but those struggles do not apply to Hyun Jin Ryu, who starts the series finale on Thursday.
Ryu (4-2, 3.00 ERA) has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts this season, including three of his four starts in Buffalo. The only Buffalo start in which he struggled was Sept. 7, when he allowed five runs on six hits in five innings against the Yankees. He wound up with a no-decision in a game Toronto won a 12-7. Ryu is 0-2 with an 8.80 ERA in three career starts vs. New York, his highest ERA against any team.
Toronto has won three of four after allowing 61 runs in a six-game losing streak. Included in that skid was a three-game sweep in New York during which the Yankees scored 43 runs. The Blue Jays offense has bounced back this week, though. Their 16-hit attack Wednesday featured two homers, a single and a double from Danny Jansen.
Yankees at Blue Jays Betting Pick for September 24, 2020
While the Yankees got to Ryu in their last meeting, he is pitching well and could be due to pitch a decent game against them. Combine Ryu’s effectiveness with enough offense, and look for the Jays to emerge with the series win.
Yankees at Blue Jays Betting Pick:
Blue Jays 8, Yankees 5
Yankees at Blue Jays Best Bet for September 24, 2020
Games in Buffalo often are high-scoring, and though Ryu could keep the Yankees somewhat quiet, Toronto has enough offense to push the run total into double digits.
Yankees at Blue Jays Best Bet: OVER 10 total runs (-120)
–Field Level Media
