Blue Jays-Yankees prediction: Picks, odds on Sunday, April 23

After New York scratched out a dramatic walk-off win on Saturday, the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays will meet one more time for the rubber game of their three-game set in the Bronx. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 1:35 p.m. ET. Kevin Gausman (1-2, 3.65 ERA) will go for the Jays, while Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 8.79) starts for New York.

Toronto is a -135 favorite on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Yankees are +115 underdogs. The run total is set at 8.5.

Blue Jays-Yankees picks: Sunday, April 23

Blue Jays

Day to day: 2B Santiago Espinal (hand)

Out: RP Mitch White (elbow), Hyun Jin Ryu (elbow), RP Chad Green (elbow)

Yankees

Out: OF Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), RP Jonathan Loaisiga (elbow), 3B Josh Donaldson (hamstring), SP Luis Severino (lat), OF Harrison Bader (oblique), RP Lou Trivino (elbow), SP Carlos Rodon (elbow), RP Tommy Kahnle (biceps), C Ben Rortvedt (finger), SP Frankie Montas (shoulder), RP Scott Effross (elbow), SP Luis Gil (elbow)

Kevin Gausman vs. Clarke Schmidt

Gausman was roughed up his last time out against the Houston Astros, with eight runs (seven earned) allowed over just 4.2 innings of work, but the righty had been cruising prior to that. He's still searching for some fastball velocity early in the season, but that should come as the weather warms, and his splitter is still as filthy as ever – with batters swinging and missing at the pitch 43.2 percent of the time.

Hopes were high for Schmidt after he earned a spot in New York's rotation this spring, but it's been a disaster for the former top prospect so far. The righty added a cutter in the offseason in the hope that a different fastball shape would help after teams teed off on his sinker last season, but teams are hitting a whopping .563 against the pitch so far this year. Unless he finds some answers soon, he'll be headed back to the bullpen when Luis Severino returns.

These teams have fallen short of this number in each of the first two games of this series, and I'm sticking with that trend on Sunday. New York's slumping offense won't be able to do much against Gausman, so even if Schmidt gives up a few runs the under will have some leeway.

Pick: Under 8.5

There's just no way to trust Schmidt right now, at least until he shows he can make it through an MLB lineup – let alone one as good as the Blue Jays' – multiple times without imploding. Gausman has shoved against the Yankees in his career, so I'm taking Toronto.

Pick: Blue Jays

  
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