The Yankees open this three-game series against the Blue Jays with just a game lead in the AL East division.
Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees
Toronto dropped its final two games of a series against Cleveland over the weekend and now turn their focus to the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox in the next three series. The Blue Jays are 3-3 against the Yankees this season, as the teams have 12 more meetings in 2010. The club is 12-0 against the Baltimore Orioles this season, but are 8-16 against the rest of the American League East division. “We’re going to go through some tough times with it,” said manager Cito Gaston of the AL East. “People talk about being the West or being in the Central, but you’ve still got to pass through the East to get where you need to go.” The Blue Jays are 83-97 against the division over the last three years (-1,370) and the total is 81-94 O/U in those meetings.
Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow is 7-6 with a 4.62 ERA in 20 starts this season and the club has won his last three starts. In those outings, he has allowed nine runs (eight earned) and 18 hits over 17 innings of work. The right-hander is 1-5 with a 6.23 ERA in 10 road starts this year, issuing 34 walks in 52 frames. In 10 career games (four starts) against the Yankees, Morrow is 1-0 with a 4.03 ERA. He faced the Yankees in the Bronx four starts back, giving up five runs and nine hits over six innings, as the Blue Jays dropped a 7-6 contest. He finished the month of July with a perfect 2-0 record and 5.09 ERA in four starts, after posting a 1-2 mark and sparkling 1.91 ERA in five outings in June.
New York also dropped two of three games this weekend, as the club’s lead in the division shrank to a single game. The Yankees dropped a 3-0 contest in the Sunday finale, marking just the fourth time they’ve been blanked all season. “We didn’t score any runs today, that’s why we lost the game,” manager Joe Girardi said. “And that’s the bottom line, we didn’t score any runs.” Today’s game marks the first of a seven-game homestand, as they look to improve their dominating 34-16 record at Yankee Stadium (+460). New York is a superb 19-7 at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season (+660) and the total stands at 19-6 O/U in those games.
Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett is 9-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 21 starts this season and comes in with a two-game winning streak. In those two appearances, he has tossed 11.1 scoreless innings and allowed 11 hits while striking out 10. The right-hander is 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in nine home starts in 2010, after compiling a 5-3 mark and 3.51 ERA in 16 outings at Yankee Stadium last season. In six lifetime outings versus the Blue Jays, Burnett is an even 2-2 with a 3.61 ERA. He tossed 6.2 shutout frames against Toronto back on July 2 at home, but the Yankees fell 6-1 in the contest.
Bettors will find the Blue Jays with a solid 46-35 record against right-handed starters this season and the total being 40-37 O/U in those contests. On the other end, New York stands at a dominating 44-23 against righties in 2010 and the total stands at 35-28 O/U over that span.
