The Bronx Bombers have been known to dominate opponents on Sundays at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees
Toronto suffered one of its worst defeats of the year on Saturday afternoon, giving up an 11-run third inning to ultimately fall 11-3 at Yankee Stadium. The 11 runs for the Yankees equaled a franchise-record for the most runs the Blue Jays have surrendered in a single inning. “Everything happened in that inning that you could imagine,” manager Cito Gaston said. Overall, the Jays have won six of their last 10 contests against the Yankees. Toronto is now 8-12 at Yankee Stadium dating back to the 2008 season, with an even 4-4 mark the last eight meetings. The team’s current road trip has been a forgettable one, being outscored 49-23 in nine games. Toronto has lost both games as a road underdog of +175 to +200 in 2010, while posting a 3-11 record in this spot the past three years (-530).
Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow is 5-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 16 starts this season (+120) and is searching for his first road win of the season. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 6.69 ERA in eight outings away from the Rogers Centre (-340). In six daytime starts, he stands at an even 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA, allowing opposing batters to hit .231 against him. Morrow pitched incredibly well in June, but produced a losing 1-2 mark in five starts. He tallied 34 strikeouts and issued just 10 walks in 33 innings of work. In nine previous appearances (three starts) against the Evil Empire, he sits at 1-0 with a 3.13 ERA. He picked up a no-decision on June 6 versus the Yankees earlier this year, allowing just a single run and five hits over seven strong innings.
New York stood at the plate for 37 total minutes in Saturday’s third inning, with the major blow being delivered by outfielder Brett Gardner’s first career grand slam. “It goes to show you what we’re capable of doing,” said outfielder Nick Swisher. The victory was also the team’s first by more than two runs in their last four wins. Even more telling in yesterday’s win, New York has now won the last 47 games in which they allowed three-or-fewer runs at home. Fans that flock to the Bronx have been spoiled on Sundays the last three years, with the Bronx Bombers posting a dominant 43-24 record (+1,180). The total in Sunday games for the Yankees stands at 8-4 O/U.
Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes is 10-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 14 starts this season (+600), but is coming off a disappointing outing. He allowed seven runs (six earned) and ten hits over 5.2 innings in a 7-4 home loss to the Seattle Mariners. The right-hander has been struggling with his control recently, issuing seven free passes over his last 18.1 frames. Hughes has compiled a 6-1 record and 4.38 ERA in eight home starts (+540), but has surrendered eight home runs in the process. In 12 career outings against the Blue Jays, he sits at an even 1-1 with a 3.44 ERA. He brings a perfect 3-0 mark and 3.66 ERA in three daytime starts this season.
Bettors should focus on the total in this matchup, with the Blue Jays being 11-18 O/U in day games this season. Toronto is also 8-16 O/U against divisional opponents this year, which is similar to the 74-90 O/U mark the last three seasons. New York has been made a -200 to -225 favorite in Sunday’s contest that makes the team’s 9-20 O/U record the last three years a major selling point.
