With the final week of the 2020 Major League Baseball shortened season finally upon us, there is one thing on the minds of the Toronto Blue Jays; get in the playoffs.
The Blue Jays (27-26) will play host to the New York Yankees (31-22) tonight in the opening game of their final seven-game home stand in Buffalo, NY. Toronto will play New York for four games followed by three against the Baltimore Orioles.
Over the last two weeks, the Yankees have been one of the hottest teams in baseball. Last week the Yankees hit an MLB record 19 home runs and outscored Toronto in a three-game sweep of the Jays at Yankee Stadium. This helped jump start a 10-game winning streak that was snapped last night in a 10-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
After stealing two of three games the last time they played host to the Yankees, the Jays have seen better days. They snapped a six-game losing streak last night with a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on the road yesterday.
The Jays are currently the only AL post season team with a negative run differential of -27 thanks to two gargantuan losses to the Yankees on the road (20-6) and Mets (18-1) at home.
With the postseason on the horizon here are some story lines to look out for this series.
Postseason Picture:
Toronto has a solid lead for the final playoff spot over Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore and Detroit heading into this series. The Blue Jays currently hold a 4.5 game lead. Things would have to completely spiral out of control for them to miss out on the postseason.
For the Yankees, they clinched a postseason spot yesterday evening thanks to a the Mariner’s 7-4. 11-inning loss to the San Diego Padres. Even though they clinched a playoff berth, the Yankees still have a lot to play for. They are currently tied with the Minnesota Twins for the No. 4 seed and will hope to hold on as they come to Buffalo to take on the Jays this week.
He said What?
“It’s funny, when you go through a losing streak, you’re always waiting for the worst. So when we made those errors in the seventh inning, it was like, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen now?’ But credit to the guys to the bullpen for minimizing damage. They did a good job.” – Toronto Blue Jays Manager Charlie Montoyo on 6-3 win over Phillies on Sunday night.
Hot Corner:
Yankees First Baseman Luke Voit: Yankees fans have long waited for a first baseman that could hit the long ball like Mark Teixeria. They have finally found one in Voit. Currently, Voit leads is the MLB leader in homeruns (21). In his last six games, Voit has five home runs, 12 RBIs to go along with a .385 average.
Blue Jays Outfielder Lourdes Guriell Jr: Gurriell Jr. is one of the hottest hitters in the Blue Jays lineup. So far this season, he has 56 hits, 10 home runs, 30 RBIs, and a .303 batting average. In his last seven games, he has compiled 11 hits, three home runs, 5 RBIs and a .407 average. He has also made a feel highlight reel snags in left field.
Magic Number (4):
The Blue Jays magic number to clinch a postseason playoff berth is down to four coming into tonight’s series opener.
On the Bump:
The Blue Jays will open a four game series against the Yankees tonight with RHP Matt Shoemaker on the mound. Shoemaker makes his return tonight after spending some time on the IL. He is 0-1 with 25 strikeouts and a 4.91 in five starts this season.
New York will turn to RHP Mike King to embark on their quest to hold the No. 4 seed in the Postseason race. In eight games this season, King has started three of them and holds a 6.75 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
First pitch is set for 6:37PM tonight.
For live updates follow @trainwrecksprts on Twitter or visit our Facebook page.