Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez’s pursuit of 600 home runs is starting to wear on his teammates.
Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees
Toronto has captured the first two games of this series and the offense has managed to generate eight runs in each contest. “We’re doing a good job offensively,” Jose Bautista said. “We’re coming up with big hits when we need them and solo shots here and there.” He hit his MLB-best 33rd home run last night in the ninth inning, as the Blue Jays have hit 23 of their 167 home runs during their current 8-3 stretch. The pitching staff has held its own recently, ranking second in the American League with a 3.05 ERA since the All-Star break. The team is now 5-3 against the Yankees this season and have won eight of their last 13 meetings dating back to last year. Toronto stands at 22-16 versus division opponents (+1,010) and the total is 17-20 O/U in those contests.
Continue reading “Wednesday MLB Preview – Blue Jays at 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.
Los Angeles started its brief road trip to New York and Texas with an impressive 10-2 victory over the Yankees in the Bronx. It’s part of a stretch that has the club playing three teams with a combined record of 166-112 when adding a series with Boston when they return home. The team banged out 14 hits on Tuesday night and is batting a combined .300 against the Yankees over the past five seasons, their highest average against any AL club. In fact, the team is 54-44 against New York during the Mike Scioscia era, dating back to 2000. The Angels have a 4-3 season series lead over the Yankees, but the team has managed to win just three of their last 13 games in New York. The bullpen has been much improved this month, posting a 2.67 ERA in July, after struggling to post a 4.97 ERA the month prior. Los Angeles continues to dominate teams during the day, posting a 18-13 mark this season (+510) and 86-39 record the last three years (+4,750).
Tampa Bay picked up a 10-5 road victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The Rays have won three of their last four games against the Yankees in the Bronx, after losing six straight here. The win improved the club’s record to 55-35 on the season and moved them to within two games of first place. “It was a good day, we needed this win today and I was fortunate enough to get some big hits and score some runs,” Reid Brignac said. Tampa Bay is now 23-11 against divisional foes this season (+1,020) and have won 13 of its last 16 games on the road against the AL East. The Rays also took a 4-3 season series lead over the Bronx Bombers heading into the series finale this afternoon.
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).
