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The Toronto Blue Jays will play the New York Yankees in their second series of the year, when they pay a visit to Yankee Stadium for a three game series that begins on Tuesday, June, 17, 2014, at 7:05 PM. ET.
The Blue Jays have a 2-1 record against the Yankees this season, and are 4.5 games ahead of them in the AL. East, mostly because of their hot streak in the month of May, in which they were one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Blue Jays were 21-9 in May, a run that included a nine game winning streak that helped them move from the middle of their division to the top.
The Yankees were expecting to be back in the playoffs this year, after missing the postseason for just the second time in 19 years. They haven't been as dominant as they had hoped to be, mainly because of injuries to key players on their pitching staff and batting lineup, but they are still within reach of the Blue Jays in their division, and 1 game behind the Los Angeles Angels in the Wild Card standings.
Pitching Matchup
Marcus Stroman will get the start for Toronto, and the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound.
Marcus Stroman is a rookie, who has shown some flashes of brilliance as a starter. He is currently 3-1, with a 5.18 ERA, he allowed 1 run in six innings in his first two starts, but allowed 3 runs in six innings in his last start against the Minnesota Twins. He has thrown 21 strikeouts, with three walks, and the Blue Jays are hoping he will bounce back from his last start, to help them defeat the Yankees.
Masahiro Tanaka has been worth every penny the Yankees paid to pry him away from Japan, because he has been the best pitcher in the American League so far this year. He is 10-1, with a 2.02 ERA, and two complete games under his belt. He has been the most consistent player on a Yankee team that had been hit with injuries to other starters like C.C. Sabathia. He won his first start of the year against the Blue Jays, allowing two earned runs in seven innings, and will be going for his second win against Toronto.
The hot stretch they had in May wasn't a surprise to many Toronto fans, because of the talent they have on the team, the team brought in players like R.A Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, and Melky Cabrera last year, with the hopes of competing for a playoff spot, and making a run in the post season. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, they suffered a lot of injuries, which put an end to their hopes, their players have been relatively healthy this year, and are finally delivering on their potential.
The Yankees, as usual, have a lot of talent, but their age and injuries are starting to catch up with them. They were one of the best hitting teams in the league last year, but are 21st in runs scored this season. They would have been able to get by with their poor hitting if they had a solid pitching staff, unfortunately with the exception of Tanaka, they don't, and will need to improve if they want to make the playoffs.
Personal Pick:
The Yankees are almost unbeatable with Tanaka on the mound, and will win this game.
The Yankees need to win this series against the Blue Jays, so they can gain some ground in the division standings.
