The Blue Jays and New York Yankees are back at it for a second straight weekend, and this time Toronto comes to Yankee Stadium after taking two of three in the first meeting. Friday’s opener is set for 7:05 pm ET, with Cam Schlittler matched against TBD.
That matchup is already drawing attention because the Yankees need the series to keep chipping away in the AL East, while Toronto is trying to hold onto its place in the race. The clubs split the last weekend’s attention in a way that made both sides feel better and worse at once: the Blue Jays won two of three in Toronto, but the Yankees also held them to one run on four hits in one of those games.
The pitching grid gives this series its shape. Saturday brings Ryan Weathers against Dylan Cease at 1:35 pm ET, and Sunday pairs Carlos Rodón with José Soriano at 1:35 pm ET. Schlittler has been better in some places than others, posting a 3.95 ERA and allowing a.725 OPS in the Bronx, compared with a 1.14 ERA and a.467 OPS on the road. He also struck out 11 Braves while allowing one run in seven innings in his previous start at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto’s last trip into this matchup came with a patched-together staff, and that matters again now. The Blue Jays have had multiple starters on the IL, and they traded away Kevin Gausman at the deadline, so last weekend’s bullpen games were not just a one-off choice. Still, the relief approach worked well enough to win two games, which is why the Yankees cannot treat the rematch as a simple reset.
There is also real form behind the names on the board. Weathers has a 0.69 ERA over his last four outings in 26 total innings, and he allowed one run in 7.1 innings against the Blue Jays last weekend. Cease was even sharper in the decisive game, striking out 10 Yankee hitters in 6.2 innings while allowing two runs on two hits. Rodón, meanwhile, returned from the IL earlier this week against the Orioles and gave up one run on two hits in four innings over 66 pitches, a reminder that the Yankees are still managing his workload as they go.
Soriano is the one arm that gives Toronto a different look. The Jays picked him up from the Angels to add to their rotation, and he has a 3.29 ERA and a 3.78 FIP for the season, including a 2.76 ERA and a 3.88 FIP since going to Toronto. The Yankees saw him last in June of the previous year, when he shut them out over seven frames, so Sunday’s finale carries the kind of matchup edge that can decide a series before it starts.
For New York, that is the point of this weekend: keep pressing in the standings and make last weekend’s narrow split feel less costly. For Toronto, it is a chance to show that a team can survive a thin rotation, survive bullpen games and still keep winning close series. Friday’s game gives the first answer. The rest of the weekend will decide whether the Blue Jays leave New York with the same kind of edge they brought home last time.
