Blue Jays Look to Extend AL East Lead Against Yankees
The American League East is almost as close as it can get as only a half game separates first and second place. The Toronto Blues Jays behind 11 consecutive wins have taken the top spot from the now second place New York Yankees.
The two AL East rivals meet on Friday for the first of three big games in Toronto. Last weekend the Blue Jays walked into Yankee Stadium trailing by 4 ½ games and left on Sunday trailing by just 1 ½ games after sweeping the Yankees.
The current line on Friday’s game has Toronto heavily favored at -231 with New York on +211 and the run total sitting on 8.
This season New York is 62-51 overall and 30-30 on the road. The Yankees are 4-6 over their past 10 games played overall. Toronto on the season is 64-52 overall and 39-21 at home. The Blue Jays are 10-0 over their past 10 games played.
The acquisition of David Price the talented left-hander is just one of the many reasons the Blue Jays have made a huge turnaround. Toronto completed a sweep of three games over Oakland Thursday. They are only one of four teams to have two 11-game winning streaks in the same season.
On July 28, just 17 days ago, the Blue Jays trailed New York by 8 games, but have vaulted to the top of the AL East in record time.
In the three-game sweep of the Yankees last weekend, the Blue Jays pitching dominated. Toronto outscored the host Yankees 10-1. On Thursday, the Yankees snapped a losing streak of five games with an 8-6 win on the road in Cleveland.
Price, who blanked the Yankees last Saturday over seven innings, will start the opener on Friday. Price on the season is 11-4 with an ERA of 2.35. The Yankees will counter with Ivan Nova. The New York right-hander is 4-4 with an ERA of 3.52.
Nova had a winning streak of three starts halted his last time out versus Toronto. Nova has a record of 4-3 with an ERA of 4.94 in 11 appearances against Toronto.
Price has pitched superbly in his two starts since being traded to Toronto. Price has 18 strikeouts over 15 innings pitched and allowed just one run over that stretch.
New York has been a nemesis for Price, scoring 8 runs in two straight outings prior to last Saturday’s pitching gem by the southpaw.
The Blue Jays are on a roll. That roll should continue today as the Yankees flew in overnight, face a confident pitcher in Price and a red-hot offensive lineup
I like the Blue Jays 5-1.
