The New York Yankees are on a roll right now, winners of nine in a row, with a 16-6 record and the lead in the American League East. They head to Toronto on Monday to start a series with the Blue Jays, who had been favored in many online betting books to win the East but who currently trail the Yankees by 1 ½ games, with a 15-8 slate. Toronto has won five of seven, taking three of four from Boston and two of three from Houston. In Sunday’s win over the Astros, Bo Bichette hit a home run, a sign that his slow start to the season may be coming to an end, and Kevin Gausman struck out 10. What can we expect from the middle game of this series? Read on for our preview and look up for our MLB betting odds.
MLB Preview: N.Y. Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays (Tuesday, May 3)
When: Tuesday, May 3, 2022, 7:07 pm ET
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto
TV: No National Broadcast
Radio: WFAN 660 AM New York City / CJCL 590 AM Toronto
Live Stream: Sling TV
MLB Odds: New York Yankees -120 / Toronto Blue Jays +100
Projected Starting Pitchers: Jameson Taillon (1-1, 3.26 ERA) (NY) vs Alek Manoah (4-0, 1.44 ERA) (TOR)
Why should you bet on the Yankees?
Jameson Taillon took a hard-luck loss in his season debut after permitting two runs on five hits over five innings against the Blue Jays on April 11. Since then, he has not permitted more than two earned runs in any outing, but he has only made it through five innings once. He faced the ORioles on Thursday, permitting two earned runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking one in 4 ⅔ innings, and he hit 83 pitches before coming out of a game that the Yankees would win, 10-5. That lack of durability could hurt the Yankees if they have to dig into their bullpen early.
The Yankees took care of business against bottom-feeders the last two series, sweeping the Orioles at home and the Royals on the road. They won the three games in Kansas City by a combined score of 21-6, and in Sunday’s 6-4 win, Aaron Judge hit a 453-foot home run to dead center in the first inning and also hit a 30-foot single on a check swing that brought the Yankees back even. He added a long ball in the ninth inning to help seal the win.
Why should you put your money on the Blue Jays?
Alek Manoah has been stellar in all four of his starts for the Blue Jays. He has picked up wins in all four games despite not getting more than four runs of support in any of those games. He threw seven shutout innings against Boston on Thursday, scattering three hits and striking out seven while permitting just one walk, needing 92 pitches. Given that his outings have been against the Yankees, A’s, Astros and Red Sox, most of his time on the mound has come against contending teams.
Toronto’s win over Houston came down to the seventh inning on Sunday, when Santiago Espinal drove in the winning run with a single. Tim Mayza came on to pitch the eighth, and Jordan Romano got his 11th save out of a dozen chances, permitting a double to Kyle Tucker with one out but otherwise retiring the Astros. Romano also got some assistance from George Springer, who made a highlight-reel catch on a line drive by Alex Bregman to get the second out. The Blue Jays are now 9-2 in one-run games, leading MLB in one-run wins.
Final Score and Prediction
Looking at this from a pitching perspective, I see Manoah getting the better of Taillon, and I also see Taillon tiring earlier, giving the Blue Jays a crack at the Yankee bullpen. I predict a final score of Toronto 4, New York 3.
MLB Betting Odds
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