Series Preview: Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees with Probable Starting Pitchers 4/25-4/27

Toronto Blue Jays (12-13) at New York Yankees (15-10)

Game 1:

Date: Friday, April 25th
Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT
Broadcast: MLB Network (National)/SN1

Game 2:

Date: Friday, April 26th
Time: 1:05 p.m. EDT
Broadcast: YES Network/SN1

Game 3:

Date: Saturday, April 27th
Time: 1:05 p.m. EDT
Broadcast: YES Network/SN1/MLB Network (National)

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Probable Starting Pitchers

Game 1: José Berríos (1-1, 5.02 ERA) vs. Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 6.53 ERA)

Berríos is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. In his last start, he went six innings, giving up three runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out three. Carrasco is 2-1 with a 6.53 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. In his last start, he went four innings, giving up four runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out one.

Game 2: Kevin Gausman (2-2, 3.16 ERA) vs. Max Fried (4-0, 1.42 ERA)

Gausman is 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. In his last start, he went six innings, giving up four runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out six. Fried is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. In his last start, he went shutout 7.2 innings, giving up two hits. He walked two and struck out two.

Game 3: Chris Bassitt (2-1, 1.88 ERA) vs. Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 7.45 ERA)

Bassitt is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. In his last start, he went 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three. Schmidt is 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA, a 1.66 WHIP, and nine strikeouts in 9.2 innings. In his last start, he went four innings, giving up five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out seven.

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Players to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

With the ink barely dry on his 14-year, $500 million extension, Vlad Jr. needs to show the Toronto faithful that he is worth the money. With 25 games in the books, Vlad has only hit one home run and is slugging an anemic .372. That’s a 31.6% drop from where he ended last season and certainly isn’t representative of what he’s done throughout his career. This Blue Jays vs Yankees series could be a turning point, however. Vlad has historically hit well against the Yankees, and doubly so in the Bronx. The short porch in Yankee Stadium is built for lefties with power, which has proven to be ideal for a pull-hitter like Vlad.

New York Yankees

Ben Rice has been a man on fire this season. He looks like a completely new player, and while he is loath to admit it, the 15 pounds of muscle he added this offseason seems to be a contributing factor. Rice has also re-tooled his approach, which might account for more than the muscle. His six home runs and one-dot OPS suggest that whatever he’s doing, it’s working. With the Yanks back in the Bronx this weekend and facing a struggling Toronto rotation, Ben Rice will look to build on his early success.

Next Up:

Toronto Blue Jays: April 29th-May 1st vs Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees: April 28th-April 30th @ Baltimore Orioles