Yankees vs. Blue Jays Preview For 9/22/2020

Sep 22, 2020 - 1:08 PM ET

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The Bronx Bombers are favored by 1.5 runs with the over/under set at 9.5

I know I have been covering a lot of basketball and hockey recently. Now that the New York Islanders have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I need something to write about on a near-daily basis. Thankfully, the Yankees are in the thick of the MLB playoff hunt. They have already clinched a postseason birth, but they will still have a tough test ahead when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays at 6:30 PM tonight.

Things are beginning to get tight in the American League. Five teams have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, so there are only three spots remaining for the other ten teams in the AL. The Toronto Blue Jays are right in the mix. Toronto currently has a 28-26 record. With the 2020 season limited to just 60 games, the Blue Jays’ magic number to clinch a postseason birth is three, meaning they need to win three more games or the Seattle Mariners need to lose three more games for Toronto to qualify for the playoffs. With just six games left in the regular season, it’s massively important for the Blue Jays that they win at least one of their next three games against the Yanks.

The Yankees and Blue Jays have had near opposite seasons. The Yankees went 9-2 in the team’s first 11 games and looked like one of the best squads in Baseball. On the other hand, you had the Blue Jays, who only managed four wins in their first 11 games. Then, somebody threw down an Uno Reverse card on this scenario. In mid-August, the Yankees lost seven straight games while Toronto put together a six-game win streak. Both teams continued to show streaky qualities. New York won ten games in a row earlier this month to clinch a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays lost six straight before winning their two most recent games. Now, Toronto is on the outside looking in, but there is still hope for this team.

At this point, the Yankees and Blue Jays have become somewhat familiar with each other. Neither team has shown an edge in the season series, but the Yankees still lead the Jays four games to three. Whenever these teams get together, the games have rarely been defensive battles. Throughout this series, the winning team has scored 10.7 runs per game on average. Furthermore, when these squads do match-up, they are combining to score 15 runs per game. Needless to say, you can expect a lot of scoring tonight.

The Blue Jays will have a tough time today because they will be going up against Gerrit Cole, who has dominated Toronto this season. Cole has been excellent against the Jays, holding the starting lineup to just two Home Runs in 68 at-bats. The last time he went up against Toronto, Cole pitched seven innings and only allowed one earned run on his way to eight strikeouts. That game resulted in a 13-2 win for New York. The circumstances surrounding today’s matchup are much different. The Blue Jays are hoping to get closer to their magic number, but I am worried about Toronto’s ability to hit the ball with Cole on the mound for most of the game.

My biggest concern for the Blue Jays is the fact that Tanner Roark is getting the start tonight. He’s 2-2 on the season, but he is surrendering 6.41 runs per game. This was perfectly exemplified last Tuesday when the Yankees scored six runs off Roark in just four innings pitched. In the eight innings against the Yanks, he has allowed eight hits for six Home Runs and eight earned runs. He has been a disaster for Toronto. I can see New York getting a few good swings in and taking an early lead.

I like the Yankees in this game to cover the spread. In the seven games these teams have played, only once has the winning team won by less than two runs. The average margin of victory in this series has been 6.4 runs per game. That means whoever has been on the winning side has won BIG. I think the Yankees bounce back from their tough loss yesterday, especially with Gerrit Cole on the mound. Yanks cover the spread and hit the over

Yankees 10 – Blue Jays 4