The 2022 MLB season continues Thursday, April 14, with the American League East showdown at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, so we have prepared the best Blue Jays vs. Yankees betting pick and odds.
Toronto and New York wrap up their first four-game series of the season. They split the first two games, while Wednesday night’s Game 3 has been excluded from the analysis. The Yankees opened at -127 to win the closer, while the totals are listed at 8.5 runs on Caesars NY.
The Jays got blanked in Game 2
After blanking the Yankees 3-0 in the opener behind Alek Manoah’s stellar pitching, the Toronto Blue Jays suffered a 4-0 defeat at Yankee Stadium this past Tuesday. Yusei Kikuchi yielded a couple of earned runs on five hits and two free passes, while the Blue Jays’ lineup recorded only five hits.
Toronto has gone 3-2 in its first five games of the new season, tallying 23 runs in the process and surrendering 27 in a return. The Blue Jays’ pitching staff has already allowed seven home runs, while their lineup has accounted for the sixth-best OPS in the majors (.752).
Kevin Gausman will toe the slab Thursday, and the 31-year-old right-hander took a no-decision in his Blue Jays debut. Last Saturday, Gausman yielded three earned runs on eight hits across five frames in a 4-3 victory to the Texas Rangers.
The Yankees lean on their bullpen
The New York Yankees improved to 3-2 on the season following that 4-0 victory to the Blue Jays. Nestor Cortes fanned five across 4.1 scoreless innings, while four relievers kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard as well. Aaron Hicks slugged his first home runs of the season, and DJ LeMahieu scored a couple of runs.
Through their first five games in 2022, the Yankees have scored 17 runs and yielded 14 in a return. They’ve recorded an underwhelming .220/.319/.377 triple-slash in the process, but the Yankees’ bullpen boasts the second-lowest ERA in baseball (0.99).
Luis Severino will take the mound Thursday. The 28-year-old righty tossed 41 of his 65 pitches for a strike in his season debut and surrendered two earned runs on five hits through three innings of work. He took a no-decision in a 4-2 win over the Red Sox.
Trends:
Toronto:
- N/A
NY Yankees:
- 12-6 in the last 18 games overall
- 6-3 in the last nine games played in April
Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees Pick
Kevin Gausman has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors over the last two years. However, he wasn’t at his best last Saturday. Some of the current Yankees have had a lot of success against Gausman, including Aaron Judge, who’s 8-for-17 with three home runs. Giancarlo Stanton is 4-for-6 with a homer, while Josh Donaldson has eight hits in 29 at-bats against Gausman.
On the other side, Luis Severino is a bit of a mystery. The current Blue Jays are only 6-for-38 against him, but Severino tossed only a couple of innings against Toronto in 2021. On paper, the Yankees’ bullpen should make the difference, so I’ll go with the hosts.
Pick: Take New York Yankees at -127
The Total:
The Blue Jays’ bullpen carries a 3.81 ERA and a terrible 5.47 FIP. Toronto desperately needs a strong performance from Kevin Gausman, while the Yankees look like they can always rely on their relievers to get the job done.
The under is 14-6-1 in the last 21 meetings between these two AL East foes. Following the betting trends makes sense, though I don’t feel comfortable with the totals because both teams own plenty of power in their lineups.
Pick: Go under 8.5 runs at -115
