Yankees to get further help, clip Jays?
It’s better to have partied late than never to have partied at all. Just ask the Yankees.
Yesterday, the American League East’s fourth-place squad didn’t put a man in scoring position until the seventh inning. Starlin Castro’s two-run blast promptly wiped out Jake Odorizzi’s no-hit bid, though, and New York went on to secure a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay.
Joe Girardi’s players now target their ninth win in 12 contests as the scene shifts to the Great White North at 7:07 p.m. ET. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv nonetheless prefer the host Blue Jays, whereas the Yanks are regarded as +134 underdogs. The over/under run total holds steady at 8.5.
New York (24-25) by no means crushed the baseball vs. the Rays, batting .177 in three games. The timely contributions, however, meant everything. Veterans Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez jacked homers at opportune moments throughout the weekend. The tandem could get a boost in a few hours, too, provided that Mark Teixeira (neck) is ready to return to the starting lineup. He made a defensive cameo on Sunday and seems primed to finally reclaim first base.
Of course, the Yankees won’t experience a cakewalk against Marco Estrada (2-2, 2.76 ERA). Toronto’s righty holds opposing hitters to a .184 average. He’s extremely durable, too, venturing beyond the fifth in five of nine appearances this season.
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We’re skeptical of Ivan Nova’s (3-2, 3.65) ability to deliver the same type of performance for the visitors. With Jose Bautista back to raking bombs in Canada, the Blue Jays suddenly resemble the explosive group that beguiled everybody a year ago. As a result, expect the Bombers to suffer a slip-up.
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