Ivan Nova (6-7, 4.50 ERA) and Marco Estrada (12-8, 3.18 ERA) take the hill in the third of a five-game series between the New York Yankees (77-62) and the Toronto Blue Jays (80-60) at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays won the last game 11-5 and Toronto leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 12 and can be seen on FOX.
Nova pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out three and walking one in a 6-4 win over the Rays. Estrada went 5.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out four and walking four in a 10-4 win over the Orioles in his last outing. Josh Donaldson (.308, 109 Rs, 38 HRs, 117 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Blue Jays, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
The odds for New York and Toronto are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Within its division, New York has a record of 33-26 SU. The Yankees have no trouble scoring as they rank fourth in the AL in home offense with 4.8 runs per game. The Yankees are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 188.
The Blue Jays are 30-26 against AL East rivals. Offensively, they average 5.5 runs per game, which is tops in the AL. Toronto is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.4 per game.
The Blue Jays have controlled the season series, 9-4. The Yankees have a 53-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Estrada takes the mound. Nova (RHP) will be on the hill against the Blue Jays, who have a 59-48 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Toronto is 37-25, while New York is 33-35.
The Blue Jays are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 11 runs. The Yankees have a 0-9 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
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 771 this season. New York ranks second with 676 runs.
New York and Toronto both rank in the top five of the league in walks. New York sits at fifth with 465 this season and Toronto ranks third with 478.
The Yankees are 66-37 when they hit at least one home run. The Blue Jays perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 72-31 record.
