Yankees vs. Blue Jays series: AL East supremacy at stake

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Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees: Domingo German vs. Yusei Kikuchi

AL East rivals the Yankees (12-7) and the Blue Jays (11-8) are set to start their series. While New York ranks second in the AL East, Toronto is in the fourth position.

This weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays will play a three-game series against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Both teams are vying for second place in the American League East Division, behind the Tampa Bay Rays. Both teams have strong offensive and pitching units. The game is set to begin at 7:05 PM EST.

The Yankees haven’t lost a series yet this season, and their two wins on Wednesday and Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels kept that streak alive. While Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Gleyber Torres carry the offense, the New York Yankees’ rotation has been destroyed by injuries, leaving just Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes to try and keep the team afloat on the mound. With Luis Severino and Harrison Bader nearing their 2023 debuts, New York’s 12-7 record and second place in the AL East has to be seen as a triumph.

After dropping two of three to the reigning champion Astros in Houston, including an 8-1 defeat on Wednesday night, the Blue Jays fly to the Bronx to face the New York Yankees. The Jays have lost three of their last five games, putting them further behind the Yankees and Orioles in their pursuit of the surging Tampa Bay Rays. The Jays bullpen blew a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning, allowing five hits and six runs, after starter Jose Berrios had allowed two runs on three hits in seven good innings. The Blue Jays had a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the top of the eighth inning but were unable to score a run.

When: Friday, April 21, 2023.

Time: 4:05 p.m. EDT.

Where: Yankee Stadium, New York.

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, YES Network.

Stream: MLB.tv, DirecTv, Apple TV+ website

Moneyline: Yankees -135, Blue Jays +115, over/under for runs is 8.5

Pitching matchup: On the mound, it is Domingo German (1-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (2-0, 4.70 ERA)

Blue Jays vs. Yankees: Domingo German vs. Yusei Kikuchi

On Friday at Yankee Stadium, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will take the mound. The Blue Jays have won all three of Kikuchi’s starts this year, improving to 3-0. In 15.1 innings of work, he has given up 16 hits, five of which have gone for home runs. Kikuchi has shut out 17 hitters while only walking 3. Last year, Kikuchi faced the Yankees six times, making four starts. He had a record of 1-1 and an earned run average of 3.54, allowing 14 hits over 20.1 innings. The Bombers hit four home runs off of him, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 10.62.

Domingo German, a right-handed pitcher, will start for the Yankees in the first game of the series. A 6-1 Yankees victory over the Twins marked German’s best start of the season. He went 6.1 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 run. German had the winning strikeout total of 11. He has thrown 14 innings, allowing 9 hits and 6 runs (6 earned). In his three outings, German has allowed only five walks against 19 strikeouts. German has a 3.65 ERA and an 8.03 K/9 rate in 17 starts since his 2022 comeback from an injury.

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