Red-Hot Blue Jays Hope To Continue Playoff Push

The Toronto Blue Jays are 7-0 over their last seven games, including a 3-0 record through the first three games of their four-game series against the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays will try to complete the sweep Thursday night with another win in the Big Apple.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Yankees opened as -114 favorites in this matchup and have moved up just slightly to New York -116. The total has settled in at 9 runs since Sportsbook at 9.5 runs. The UNDER is 3-0 through the first three games of this series.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Jose Berrios allowed four hits and three earned runs across 6.2 innings in Toronto’s 10-8 win over the Oakland Athletics last Saturday. Through his first seven starts with the Blue Jays, Berrios has recorded a 3.79 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The right-hander had a 3.48 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 20 starts with the Minnesota Twins before the trade.

Nestor Cortes Jr. is enjoying a breakout season with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Cortes has pitched 67.1 innings across nine starts and eight bullpen appearances. The Yankees are 5-2 in his last seven trips to the mound.

Toronto News & Notes

What a difference a couple of weeks can make. Toronto hit a 4-10 slump in August and appeared to be down and out in the brutal race for a wild-card spot in the American League. But with a 10-1 record over their last 11 games, the Blue Jays have surged back into the race and are just two games behind the Boston Red Sox and 1.5 games behind the Yankees heading into Thursday’s action.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is batting .448 over the team’s current seven-game winning streak with eight runs, two home runs and three RBIs. The Blue Jays offense has produced 7.57 runs per game over the streak and Toronto has outscored the Yankees 19-4 through the first three games of this series.

New York News & Notes

Right when the Blue Jays began their 10-1 surge, the Yankees fell into a 2-9 slump over their last 11 games. New York was the hottest team in baseball with a 13-0 run in August, averaging 5.78 runs per game and allowing only 2.69 runs over that stretch. Those numbers have essentially flipped during the Yankees’ current slump as the team is averaging 3.27 runs and allowing five per game over the last 11.

What a wild finish this is shaping up to be in the AL East. Only two games separate the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays in the standings with under a month left in the season. The Seattle Mariners and Oakland aren’t far out of the wild-card picture, either, should the AL East teams all beat each other up too badly. New York needs to get back to its winning ways in a hurry to avoid disaster.

Staff Betting Pick: Toronto +106