The Yankees roll into Rogers Centre chasing a playoff spot with half their lineup on the injured list, and the Blue Jays are just trying to keep a rotation held together with duct tape from collapsing entirely.
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Predictions
Yankees———
Blue Jays———
Best BetYankees
The Yankees are the deeper, more talented roster even without Judge, Stanton and Bellinger, and they're playing meaningful games in a playoff race while Toronto is scrapping just to stay afloat. That gap should show up in a series like this, especially with the Blue Jays down three rotation arms in the span of two weeks.
Yankees
+67-52, leading the AL wild-card race
+Won last game, 3-2 in last 5
+Took 2 of 3 from Atlanta last time out
−Missing Judge, Stanton and Bellinger
−Rodon and Schmidt both still rehabbing
−6 games back of Tampa Bay in AL East
Blue Jays
+Won 2 straight, 4-1 in last 5
+Took first 2 of Red Sox set
+Guerrero Jr. carrying the offense
−58-63, well under .500 on the year
−Yesavage out for a while after knee surgery
−Lost Bichette to the Mets in the offseason
Neither club had a Saturday starter locked in as of this writing, and given how both rotations have been getting picked apart, that's not exactly a shock. Whoever gets the ball is inheriting a series where pitching depth, not star power, is the whole story.
Toronto's rotation has been gutted piece by piece. Trey Yesavage is done for a while after knee surgery, Jameson Taillon just landed on the 15-day IL with forearm tendinitis, and Spencer Arrighetti is trying to pitch through a foot issue. That's on top of a run of season-long IL stints for Jose Berrios, Patrick Corbin, Bowden Francis and Cody Ponce. The Yankees aren't exactly whole either, still waiting on Carlos Rodon to work back from his elbow rehab starts.
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3:07 PM ET
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NYY Yankees
TOR Blue Jays
It's the kind of attrition battle where lineup health matters as much as who's on the mound, and right now New York is feeling that pinch hardest at the plate.
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Recent form.
New York is still without Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, a trio that would headline just about any other team's lineup card. The Yankees have found ways to win anyway, riding their last-5 stretch behind depth pieces, but every game without their middle-of-the-order thump is a game where the margin for error shrinks. Toronto, meanwhile, has Vladimir Guerrero Jr. carrying the offensive load in a lineup that's had to adjust to life without Bo Bichette, who signed with the Mets over the winter.
New York Yankees
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Toronto Blue Jays
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report via ESPN.
Toronto's actually won more consistently of late, but New York came in with the better overall record and more at stake — every August game matters when you're trying to hold position in a crowded wild-card field. First pitch is set for 3:07 PM ET on Saturday, August 15.
