A pair of ice-cold teams from the AL East take the diamond to open up a four-game weekend series up in the Bronx. The Toronto Blue Jays are on the road as they kick off a big four-game series with the New York Yankees Thursday night. Toronto salvaged the finale of a three-game set at home with Baltimore by picking up a 6-1 victory Wednesday afternoon. New York closed a three-game series at home with Tampa Bay Wednesday night hoping to avoid a series sweep. The Yankees fell 3-1 in the middle game of the set Tuesday night. New York owns an 8-4 edge in the season series, including taking two of three on the road in the most recent series June 17-19. This article was published prior to the conclusion of the Yankees’ game Wednesday night.
Toronto had dropped three straight and eight of their previous 10 before finding a way to win the finale of their home set with the Orioles. The Blue Jays entered Wednesday night third in the AL East, 9.5 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. In the AL wild card race, the team owned the final wild card spot by one game over Minnesota. On Wednesday, Toronto scored six runs in the seventh inning to break a scoreless tie and went on to the victory. Bo Bichette (run) was the lone player with two hits in the contest for the Blue Jays. Ross Stripling didn’t factor in the decision despite throwing 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with no walks and seven strikeouts. Yimi Garcia (2-4) earned the win by getting the final two outs of the seventh, striking out one.
Jose Berrios is on the mound for his 24th start of the season for the Blue Jays in this contest. He comes in 8-5 with a 5.23 ERA, a 1.385 WHIP, 31 walks, 108 strikeouts and a league-high 26 homers allowed in 122 innings of work this year. Berrios took the loss in his last start, which came Friday at home against Cleveland. He threw four innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits with two walks and one strikeout over four innings in an 8-0 Blue Jays defeat. In his last three starts, Berrios is 1-1 with an 8.59 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, five walks and eight strikeouts over 14.2 innings of work. Berrios makes his eighth career start against the Yankees in this contest. He comes in 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA, a 1.378 WHIP, 14 walks and 40 strikeouts over 37 innings of work. Berrios is 1-3 with a 6.66 ERA, a 1.603 WHIP, 12 walks and 28 strikeouts over 24.1 innings in five career starts at Yankee Stadium.