Premium Record: 20-10, +16.35u
*MLB(1u): Yankees/Blue Jays OVER 9(-120)–6:07 PM CT
These two teams as well as the Red Sox find themselves in a battle for the 2 AL Wild Card spots entering this final week of the season. The Yankees enter this series riding high off a sweep in Boston, but the Blue Jays have caught fire over the past month to put themselves in this position. Rather than look at a side in this game, I think the Over has quite a bit of value. Blue Jays SP Hyun Jin Ryu has been reliable throughout his career, but he’s struggled to adjust to pitching in the Rogers Centre. In his 6 starts in Toronto this season, he has nabbed just 2 quality starts. The Yankees lineup is still prone to inconsistency, but they’ve shown me enough down the stretch of the regular season to lead me to believe they’ll put together some good swings tonight. After Ryu, I have little to no faith in the Blue Jays bullpen; the Yanks should have ample opportunities in the late innings to add some runs. However, Toronto’s offense is on another level, and they’ll get a favorable matchup tonight. Yankees SP Jameson Taillon had found his groove after the All Star Break but unfortunately has been on the IL for over 3 weeks. His overall numbers for the season aren’t great, and his 1.6 HR/9 especially doesn’t match up well with this dangerous Toronto offense. The Yankees bullpen is clearly more reliable than Toronto’s, but I still believe they’re prone to late inning meltdowns. I understand that totals will tick down as the games get more meaningful, but this is too big of an adjustment. I like the Over in this AL East showdown as my best bet tonight.
