Pitchers from opposite ends of the experience spectrum will face off Tuesday night as the New York Yankees attempt to end the Toronto Blue Jays’ 11-game home winning streak.
Right-hander Cam Schlittler (1-0, 5.06 ERA) will make his second career start for the Yankees after winning his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners on July 9.
The Blue Jays will try to extend their streak and expand their lead in the American League East behind right-hander Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.70 ERA). It will be Scherzer’s 463rd career regular-season start and 472nd appearance.
Scherzer faced the Yankees on June 30, when he allowed two runs over five innings and did not factor in the decision. Toronto won 5-4 to start the current home winning streak. He is 4-5 with a 4.21 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees, plus 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in three career postseason outings (two starts) versus New York.
The Blue Jays increased their lead in the division over the second-place Yankees to four games with a 4-1 win on Monday in the opener of the three-game series.
The Yankees, who were swept in a four-game series June 30-July 3 in Toronto, did little to help themselves gain some revenge on Monday.
“I’m concerned about us playing well and getting consistent, where it’s been a month now where we have not been at our best,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “We haven’t been our best and we need to, obviously, start playing better consistently and putting wins in the win column.”
All the Toronto runs came in the fifth inning, two on Bo Bichette’s double and the other two on throwing errors by third baseman Oswald Peraza and shortstop Anthony Volpe. The error by Volpe was his 12th of the year, tied for the AL lead.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon did not help himself either, walking five in his five-inning start.
“It’s still the middle of July,” Volpe said. “We have so many games ahead of us. We don’t stack ourselves up against one team or another. I feel like we stack ourselves up against ourselves. So, when we play our best, I think everything will take care of itself, regardless of how many games are left.”
The loss on Monday puts a lot on Schlittler’s shoulders. His second big-league start was delayed because of a sore upper arm that prevented a possible outing on Friday against the Atlanta Braves. After a bullpen session on Saturday, he was deemed ready to start in Toronto.
The Blue Jays got seven effective innings from starter Kevin Gausman on Monday, which helps the bullpen.
“Any time you can go seven against a division rival is going to be big, especially the first game of the series,” Gausman said. “Resting guys, it’s going to set things up for the rest of the series.”
The Blue Jays are 6-2 against the Yankees this season, including five wins in a row as they continue to perform above expectations.
“I think some of it is the personalities,” manager John Schneider said. “Some of it is that we have shown to be resilient. We’ve shown to just move on to the next thing, whether it’s in a game or after a game. They’re pretty well-versed in just saying, ‘OK, what’s important right now?’ It’s nice that they are a very stable group.”
Toronto recalled left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty on Monday and optioned right-hander Robinson Pino to Triple-A Buffalo.
–Field Level Media
