Blue Jays vs Yankees – MLB Odds & Picks

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are both surging a bit as they try to chase down first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East Division. The Jays and Yanks battle for second place this week. Here’s a look at Tuesday’s series opener from the Bronx.

How to Bet Blue Jays at Yankees MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 7:05 PM ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Probable pitchers (away/home): Taijuan Walker/Deivi Garcia
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: TBA

Why Bet on Toronto?

The Jays took two of three over the weekend at their temporary Buffalo home vs. the Mets. Santiago Espinal went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in Sunday’s win. Espinal broke the game open with a bases-clearing three-run double off of Jared Hughes in the sixth inning after four Blue Jays had walked earlier in the frame.

Lourdes Gurriel added a two-run homer on Sunday. Gurriel smacked a two-run shot off of Mets’ starter David Peterson in the second inning giving the Blue Jays an early 2-0 lead that they would never give back. He also walked and scored a pair of runs. For the season, the 26-year-old is slashing 285/.339/.481 with seven long balls and 25 RBI.

Where the Jays have really been good this year is in the bullpen. That group boasts a 3.66 ERA — third-best in the AL and fifth across MLB. Adjust for league and park factors, as FanGraphs’ ERA- does, and the Blue Jays still have a top-five group at 18 per cent better than league average. Having received a collective 3.1 wins above replacement from its relievers, Toronto is tied with the Athletics for the MLB lead in bullpen impact.

Toronto remains without two key offensive players in Teoscar Hernandez and Rowdy Tellez, but both are ahead of schedule in their recovery from injuries and could be back before the postseason. Hernandez leads all Toronto regulars in home runs and OPS, and is still tied for the team lead in RBI and hits despite missing playing time. The 27-year-old is eligible to be reactivated on Sept. 16 Wednesday but probably won’t be quite yet.

It’s scheduled to be Taijuan Walker on the mound here. Despite walking five and hitting a batter, Walker (3-2) threw four scoreless innings last Tuesday against the Yankees. Walker walked the bases loaded in the first, but the Yankees couldn’t capitalize. He also put on a baserunner in each subsequent inning, but neither of the two hits he allowed pushed in a run. Walker has allowed two runs in 15 2/3 innings since joining the Blue Jays in a trade from Seattle, and Toronto has prevailed in all three of his starts.

If he continues to pitch like he has across the rest of 2020, he could be the No. 2 starter come playoff time.

Why Bet on NY Yankees?

New York won its fifth game in a row Sunday, 3-1 over Baltimore. Gleyber Torres hit a pinch-hit two-run double in the eighth inning to give the Yankees the win. The young shortstop now has a five-game hitting streak, and that’s helped raise his average from .225 to .262.

Aroldis Chapman struck out two over a scoreless inning on Sunday to get a save. Chapman didn’t allow a hit and he threw 9-of-15 pitches for strikes. He’s struck out two or more in his last five appearances, and he lowered his ERA to 4.50 with the scoreless outing. Chapman has his suspension appeal hearing on Monday. It’ll take place over Zoom. Chapman was handed a three-game suspension by Major League Baseball back on September 2 for throwing at Mike Brosseau of the Rays.

The Yankees are finally starting to get some good luck on the injury front. Giancarlo Stanton has been at the alternate site in Scranton for a few days, and has been playing in simulated games, and the expectation is that Aaron Judge will be joining him after a “strenuous” workout in the Bronx on Sunday. They could be back by the weekend. Gio Urshela is also expected to be activated off the injured list as soon as he’s eligible on Tuesday.

It’s young Deivi Garcia (1-1) on the mound. Garcia picked up his first major league victory last Wednesday by holding the Blue Jays to two runs in seven innings. Garcia has excelled in two of his three starts since debuting, and he seems poised to stick in the rotation for the rest of the month. He’s struck out 18 and walked just two through 17 2/3 innings as a major leaguer.

The 21-year-old’s emergence for the Bombers has been perfectly timed, with James Paxton dealing with a flexor strain in his forearm and still a few weeks away. The starting rotation has been inconsistent, but it’s finally starting to gain some ground.

“They’re very talented team that I’m facing again,” Garcia said of the Jays and Tuesday’s matchup. “For me, it’s a matter of being aggressive and being able to execute my pitches. When you see a lineup like that, you have to not give in and cast the tenacity behind every pitch.”