The New York Yankees look to sweep a two-game set from the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre Wednesday night. After winning 7-2 on Tuesday night – the New York Yankees are -130 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
The Blue Jays started the season well enough, but they’ve fallen on some hard times recently. Following Wednesday’s loss, the Blue Jays have just four wins in their last 18 games. Toronto is now eight games under .500. A month ago, the Blue Jays were still within striking distance of a wild-card spot, but they are looking more and more like a team that will be selling off pieces this summer.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have the second-most wins in baseball. Unfortunately, the division rival Red Sox have the most, putting the Bronx Bombers a game back in the AL East standings. On the bright side, the Yankees have won six of their last seven games, helping them keep the pressure on the Red Sox to keep winning as well.
Get It Together
The Yankees will send Sonny Gray to the mound Wednesday night. Gray has fallen well short of expectations this season. In 11 starts, he’s 4-4 with a 5.50 ERA, a sharp drop off from the first few years of his career in Oakland. He showed modest improvement in May after a rough April and is actually coming off one of his best starts of the season. However, that outing came against the lowly Orioles, so it’s too early to say he’s turned a corner.
On the bright side, Toronto’s lineup is missing both Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, making them not so intimidating. Teoscar Hernandez and Justin Smoak have both been steady contributors, while Yangervis Solarte has provided a surprising amount of power. Other than that, the Blue Jays don’t have many hitters who will worry Gray, especially with the likes of Curtis Granderson, Kevin Pillar, and Kendrys Morales all ice cold over the last week.
Who?
The Blue Jays, on the other hand, will send Sam Gaviglio to the mound Wednesday. The 28-year old didn’t make his big league debut until last season but has quietly been a nice addition to Toronto’s pitching staff. In three starts this season, Gaviglio is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA. However, he’s about to face the highest-scoring lineup in baseball.
Every night, the Yankees are rolling out a lineup that includes nine hitters who are capable of doing damage. Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres have cooled down considerably over the past week. But Miguel Andujar and Aaron Hicks have picked it up, as both hit home runs against Toronto on Tuesday. Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner are in the midst of heating up as well.
Too Much
Even though Gray delivering a solid outing is far from a guarantee, the Yankees have too much offense against an inexperienced pitcher like Gaviglio. If Toronto’s bullpen were firing on all cylinders, they may have a chance to pull off the upset. But the Blue Jays haven’t been the same since losing Roberto Osuna following his arrest. In either a pitcher’s duel or a slugfest, New York has a huge advantage in this game. Take the New York Yankees -130 over Toronto on Wednesday.
