Yankees at Blue Jays
Perhaps the biggest reason why the New York Yankees lead the American League East -- the best division top to bottom in baseball -- is pitching, but home runs are also taking them a long way as they try to win a four-game set from the Blue Jays in Toronto on Sunday. New York prevailed 7-0 on Saturday, belting four solo home runs in the eighth inning by players not named Aaron Judge, and has outscored the Blue Jays 24-9 in winning two of the first three games of the series.
Judge leads the major leagues with 18 home runs, but it was Brett Gardner, Matt Holliday, Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius who did the damage Saturday, tying a club record for most homers in an inning. "We're getting it from all spots in the lineup, which is really nice," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters about his club, which has belted 25 in the last 15 games. New York, which boasts the AL's second-best ERA at 3.76, is 3-3 on its seven-game trip through Baltimore and Toronto -- holding its own against teams expected to be in the race all season. The Yankees' Luis Severino is 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA in his past two starts and opposes Marcus Stroman, who is unbeaten in his last eight turns (5-0) but was roughed up at Yankee Stadium last month -- two days after the Blue Jays hit Severino hard.
TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, YES (New York), TVA Sports, Sportsnet-1 (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Luis Severino (4-2, 2.93 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (6-2, 3.28)
Severino allowed one run, seven hits and one walk while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings of New York's 8-3 victory in Baltimore on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Dominican hasn't yielded a home run in his last four starts and is unbeaten (2-0) with a 1.88 ERA over his past five outings. Severino is 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in six appearances (five starts) versus Toronto, including a 7-1 loss May 1 when he permitted five runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Stroman allowed two runs, five hits and zero walks while striking out five in six innings of a 17-2 victory over Cincinnati on Monday. The 26-year-old New Yorker, who has permitted two runs or fewer in eight of 11 starts, yielded a home run to Judge among five runs, six hits and three walks in three innings of Toronto's 8-6 loss at Yankee Stadium on May 3. Stroman is 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA in nine starts against New York, including 1-1, 1.80 in three turns last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays C Russell Martin (neck) missed his third straight game Saturday but said he hopes to return Sunday.
2. Yankees CF Jacob Ellsbury was to take batting practice Friday, but instead will visit a neurologist Monday after suffering headaches again. Ellsbury suffered a concussion May 24 after crashing into the wall while making a catch.
3. Toronto SS Troy Tulowitzki (.250 this season, .291 career) is 5-for-23 with four walks and one strikeout in seven games since returning from the disabled list. He has a home run and four RBIs -- all from a grand slam in the 17-2 victory over Cincinnati on Monday -- during that span.