Series Preview: Blue Jays @ Yankees
Despite
dropping two of three games to the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees still sit
just 3.5 games out of the second wild card spot going into a pivotal three game
set with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees will kick off the series in the
Bronx with their ace Masahiro Tanaka on the hill and he will look to get the
Yankees on the right track in getting a much needed series victory. The
pressure is mounting in New York as every series is a must win if they want to
gain ground.
Game One (Monday, September 5 at 1:05 PM ET)
R.A. Dickey (9-13, 4.43
ERA) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (11-4, 3.12 ERA)
The
Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka out for game one in a must-win game of the
Yankees want to win the series. Tanaka has pitched like the ace he is paid to
be this year and the Yankees are going to need for that to continue in game one
of this series. The Yankees will go up against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who
has been less than effective in 2016. However, the Yankees have a tendency to
struggle against knucklers which is all the more reason why Tanaka will have to
be at his best in game one.
Game Two (Tuesday,
September 6 at 7:05 PM ET)
Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 2.88
ERA) vs. Luis Cessa (4-0, 4.17 ERA)
Aaron
Sanchez has been battling with Marco Estrada all season for the title of the
Blue Jays' ace of their rotation. Unfortunately for Sanchez, the Jays have been
looking to limit his innings which is why they recently demoted him for a week
and a half in August to limit his inning count. That is something to watch for
in this game as it is unlikely he throws more than six innings or so. The
Yankees will need to keep the game close then go to work when Toronto's
unimpressive bullpen gets to work. Luis Cessa will be making fourth start of
the season in game two of this series. As a starter, Cessa is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA
and has three straight quality starts. Going up against Sanchez and a tough
Toronto offense, this could be a tough game for the Yankees, so Cessa will need
to continue his momentum into this start.
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| AP File Photo |
Game Three (Wednesday,
September 7 at 7:05 PM ET)
Marcus Stroman (9-6, 4.58
ERA) vs. TBD
Many
expected 2016 to be a breakout season for Marcus Stroman. Coming off an ACL
injury that caused him to miss the majority of the 2015 season before returning
for the last month, Stroman entered this season healthy and fresh off a 1.67
ERA in four starts. However, this season has been a letdown for Stroman as he
has endured a roller coaster season. The Yankees will need to hit him hard and
take the series finale to win this series. The Yankees have yet to announce
their starter for this game as they will look to have someone take Chad Green's
spot in the rotation as he will miss the rest of the year with an arm injury.
Three players to watch for
the Yankees
1.
Gary Sanchez
After
winning the AL Player and Rookie of the month honors in August with his
incredible .389/.458/.832 (1.290 OPS) line and nine doubles, 11 home runs, and
21 RBIs, Sanchez will look to continue contributing in a big way in September
in the Yankees playoff push. Obviously, Sanchez won't sustain that pace, but
his consistent middle of the order presence could go a long way for the
Bombers.
2.
Luis Cessa
Luis
Cessa's battle for a starting rotation spot has effectively begun since joining
the rotation this year, and he surely couldn't be happier with his performance.
Cessa is going to look to continue his strong rookie campaign with a huge start
in game two.
3.
Aaron Judge
With
two more strikeouts on Sunday, Aaron Judge has now struck out in 45.7% of his
plate appearances (32 K's in 70 plate appearances). Although he was expected to
experience growing pains, these numbers are still very alarming going forward
as he is going to have to focus in on putting the ball in play, and it starts
in this series at home against Toronto.
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| Photo via Getty Images |
Three players to watch for
the Blue Jays:
1.
Edwin Encarnacion
In
a contract year, Edwin Encarnacion is driving in runs at a career rate with 36
homers and 108 RBIs. Encarnacion is in for a big pay day this offseason and his
performance down the stretch will influence the Blue Jays' playoff standing
immensely.
2.
Aaron Sanchez
After
being demoted on August 20 and recalled on August 31, Aaron Sanchez will make
his second start since being called back up to the major leagues. He's arguably
been the Blue Jays' best starter this year and him and Marco Estrada will be
battling for who will get the big game starts in the playoffs with their
outings down the stretch run.
3.
Russell Martin
After
leaving the Yankees on a sour note in 2012, Russell Martin has been a thorn to
Yankees pitchers ever since. Martin has nine home runs in 30 career games
against the Yankees including four in 11 games against New York in 2016.
Keeping him in the ballpark will be a major key for Yankee pitchers in this series.
Three things to watch for:
1. Luis Cessa goes for his fourth
straight quality start:
Since
joining the rotation, Luis Cessa has been lights out pitching to a 3.00 ERA in
three starts while posting a quality start in all three. Cessa threw one scoreless
inning against Toronto on May 24, but this will be his first start against the
potent offense. This is a big test for the 24-year-old righty who is
auditioning for a spot in the starting rotation in 2017.
2. Aaron Judge returns home
Although
the sample size is minuscule, the home/road splits of Aaron Judge are
noteworthy. The 6'7" outfielder is hitting .320 with two home runs in
eight games at home (10 strikeouts in 25 at-bats) compared to an abysmal .081
average on the road with one home run in 11 games (22 strikeouts in 37
at-bats). Judge will certainly look to get back on track in the friendly
confines of Yankee Stadium.
3. The effectiveness of the bullpen:
The
Yankees seem to have a serviceable core in the bullpen with the newcomers in
Blake Parker (3.60 ERA), Tommy Layne (2.00 ERA), Tyler Clippard (0.64 ERA), and
Adam Warren (3.24 ERA). All these guys have combined to be the bridge to Dellin
Betances at the back end and they have provided a formidable bullpen since
joining the team. The relievers outside of this group will be the question, but
if this group can hold things down, the Yankees odds of winning increase
significantly.
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| Photo Via Zimbio |
Keys to a series victory:
1. Get on the board early
2. Cut down on strikeouts at the plate
3. Limit the Toronto long ball
Prediction:
In
a must-win series, I'm looking for the Yankees to answer the bell and take two
of three against their division opponent. The Yankees need to gain ground one
game at a time and if they could leave this series 2.5 games out of the second
wild card spot, that would propel them into a prime position to make a run at
it over the last three and a half week of the regular season.
Article
by: Chad Raines
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