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The Toronto Blue Jays head to Yankee Stadium to take on the mighty New York Yankees to begin a series between two bitter divisional rivals. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Blue Jays-Yankees prediction and pick will be made.
The Blue Jays enter the day fresh off a 1-0 shutout victory over the Rangers that saw them take two of three and ultimately win the series. Looking to get off on the right foot against New York will be lefty Yusei Kikuchi with is 1-1 record and 4.35 ERA through five starts. Toronto is 17-13, good for third place in the AL East.
Overall, the Yankees sit at 20-8 which puts them in first place in the division. On the bump in the Bronx will be RHP Luis Severino, who has pitched to a 2-0 record with a 3.75 ERA up to this point.
Here are the Blue Jays-Yankees MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Yankees Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: +1.5 (-137)
New York Yankees: -1.5 (+114)
Over: 7.5 (+102)
Under: 7.5 (-124)
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Why The Blue Jays Could Cover the Spread
With a 7-7 record out on the road, the Blue Jays are a group looking to rebound as visitors after losing a few contests at the hands of the Guardians in Cleveland. While Toronto did not necessarily play productively all the way around, this is still a team that has the ability to stymie hitters with their pitching and send the baseball into the bleachers when at the plate.
After giving up a combined 26 runs against the Guardians, it is no question that the Blue Jays need to find a way to limit the Yankees' lethal attack to the best of their abilities. Toronto will surely have their opportunities to cross the plate against their New York rivals, but the key to winning and covering the spread in this one will come from on the mound.
As a whole, Toronto ranks near the bottom half of the league in pitching statistics but has gotten great outings from starters to begin the 2022 season. Thus far, starters have made 12 quality starts, which is good for the fourth-most in all of baseball. Yes, opposing hitters may be raking .246 off of them, but the fact that the Blue Jays have starters that can pitch deep into games will guarantee a sense of pressure being taken off the shoulders of the bullpen.
Offensively, Toronto seems to be in a slight funk over the last week of play, but a breakout performance from this lineup versus New York would go a long way in ensuring a boatload of confidence for this bunch heading into future ballgames.
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While the total runs score has dipped down to 17th most in the majors with 115, it is vital to get the bats warmed up in the early frames of this one, especially since the Yankees averaged seven runs per contest during their lengthy winning streak.
Why The Yankees Could Cover the Spread
After winning eleven straight not too long ago, New York is in preparation to face off with the Blue Jays in a series for a third time this season, as the Yankees recently got the best of Toronto in their recent trio of games by winning two of three.
Representing the first American League team to reach 20 wins on the young season, the city of New York is rejoicing with the Yankees and Mets both looking like contenders during the first month of the campaign.
The Yankees boast one of the more premier pitching staffs and bullpens that the game has to offer, as they are getting outs in a multitude of ways. Whether it's by the strikeout or inducing ground balls at a superb rate, New York is keeping hitters guessing and off-balanced at the dish.
When compared to the Blue Jays statistically, the Yankees blow them out of the water. In fact, New York has the second-best ERA at 2.50 and is fourth in WHIP and batting average against.
After masterful performances from Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, in which the latter came five outs away from throwing a no-hitter before allowing a single late, fellow hurler Luis Severino will look to continue to keep the Blue Jays at bay.
Throughout his career against Toronto, Severino is 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 career appearances. His latest outing versus the Blue Jays came nearly a month ago on Apr. 14th when he shut out Toronto and struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. three times.
If New York can continue their winning recipe of keeping teams off the scoreboard, then the offense that is ranked 12th in the league in runs scored won't be tasked to do much in ensuring a home victory.
Final Blue Jays-Yankees Prediction & Pick
While Kikuchi has seen himself pitch up and down versus the Yankees throughout his career, it would be wise to side with the Bronx Bombers in this one. New York has played like the better team through roughly 30 games of the season, and their 12-4 record at home will prove to be too difficult to overcome for the Blue Jays.
Final Blue Jays-Yankees Prediction & Pick: Yankees -1.5 (+114)
