The Yankees will be looking to get their hot start back to the Bronx for Friday’s American League East opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.
New York won the 2023 season series 7-6, defeating the Jays 32-29 in five Grapefruit League meetings.
Marcus Stroman made his debut with the Bombers last week, allowing zero earned runs through six innings and earning home opener honors.
Stroman wasn’t exactly effective in terms of strikeouts, but he still limited batters to a 0 percent barrel rate on 101 pitches.
Yusei Kikuchi already feels like he’s in a high-pressure position for the Blue Jays.
After a rebounding season, cleaning up some sloppy contacts and regaining his confidence, Kikuchi’s numbers this spring have been abysmal (16.43 ERA in 7/3 innings).
His season debut wasn’t all that encouraging. The 32-year-old left-hander was pulled in the fourth inning due to control issues, resulting in a 3-0 hole.
When Kikuchi falls behind in the count, he fumbles with the strike zone. This is an uneasy approach that has historically never worked for him.
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The Yankees have been the most disciplined team ever at the plate, with a swing rate of 40.8 percent.
And the Jays’ offense hasn’t always been supportive. Toronto got off to a bad start with a wRC+ rank of 76.
The Yanks have a few hitters who are making some noise early on, so look for run support to cover the run line as a bargain, rather than getting a high moneyline price.
play: Yankees -1.5 runs (+133, BetRivers Sportsbook).
