The final score has been exceeded in six straight games between the Blue Jays and Yankees, with the American League East rivals averaging 12.5 runs per game during that time.
We hope for the same result on Sunday.
The Yankees will be starting Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, but he is showing signs of decline.
Over the past two seasons, his fastball velocity has dropped two notches, resulting in a significant drop in his strikeout rate, a slight increase in his walk rate and a big increase in home runs. Cole has allowed nine home runs in 35 innings this season.
Ultimately, Cole’s ERA metrics (5.40 ERA, 4.67 xERA, 5.54 FIP, 4.30 xFIP) reflect his regressed profile.
He has also missed recent matches citing “physical fatigue”, which doesn’t inspire much confidence.
In contrast, Toronto will start Yariel Rodriguez, who has a solid arm but is ultimately too inconsistent to be trusted (14% walk rate).
Behind him is the worst bullpen in baseball (-1.4 fWAR), which got even worse after trading away Yimi Garcia (0.8 fWAR).
These exhausted, lame-duck pitching staffs will be facing two of the hottest batting lineups in baseball.
The Blue Jays are thriving offensively thanks to the return of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer.
Everything you need to know about MLB betting
Meanwhile, the Yankees have been unstoppable since pairing Jazz Chisholm Jr. with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
These two lineups combined for 13 runs on Friday and 11 on Saturday, and I don’t think Sunday will be any different, especially with the wind blowing toward center field on the first pitch.
play: Over 9.5 Runs (-110, FanDuel)
