In the last of a five-game series between the New York Yankees (77-64) and the Toronto Blue Jays (82-60) at Yankee Stadium, Masahiro Tanaka (11-6, 3.57 ERA) and R.A. Dickey (10-10, 4.01 ERA) get the ball. The Yankees lost the last game 10-7, extending a five-game losing streak. Toronto can finish out the series sweep with a win in this game. The game gets underway at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sep. 13 and will air on YES and RSN.
In his last start, Tanaka pitched 8.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out 10 and walking one in a 2-1 loss to the Orioles. Alex Rodriguez (.254, 76 Rs, 31 HRs, 80 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. The Blue Jays were unsuccessful to the Red Sox 5-1 the last time Dickey pitched. He went 6.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out four and walking one. Josh Donaldson (.307, 109 Rs, 38 HRs, 119 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Blue Jays, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
New York, a -137 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Toronto. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is eight runs. The Yankees perform well as a favorite with a 51-34 record and have an overall money line of +52. They have an SU record of 33-28 against teams in their division and a 21-15 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Yankees come into the game with the AL’s fourth-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 4.8 runs per game in their own ballpark.
Across the field, the Blue Jays have a record of 20-28 when they are the underdog and are +938 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 7-3 SU and have an unblemished 1-0 record when they were an underdog to win. The Blue Jays are the number one overall scoring offense in the AL, averaging 5.5 runs per game so far. Toronto has an eye for the strike zone, averaging an AL-best 3.4 walks per game.
The Blue Jays have gotten the best of the Yankees in head-to-head matchups this season, going 11-4. The Yankees will take on a right-hander (Dickey) in this game and have a 53-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Tanaka will take the mound against the Blue Jays, who have a 61-48 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, O/U – Over
Notes
New York earned its second shutout of the season in its last game. Toronto has been shut out four times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Yankees are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Blue Jays have an 8-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
It looks like the Blue Jays have a slight leg up on the Yankees, as the Blue Jays have won their last two games while the Yankees have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Yankees are 51-7. The Blue Jays have a 64-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Toronto has earned 780 this season. New York ranks second with 681 runs.
Ranking first in walks, Toronto has earned 485 this season. New York ranks fourth with 469 walks.
When the Yankees hit at least one home run, they are 66-38, well-matched with the Blue Jays who are 73-31 when hitting one or more homers.
