13th Sept - Yankees vs Blue Jays

You could hardly think of a better pitcher to try and close out this impressive streak for the Blue Jays. R.A. Dickey hasn’t been beaten since the All-Star break and he hasn’t lost to the New York Yankees in more than two years. The veteran starter will look to extend the Blue Jays lead in the division to five and a half games with less than 20 to play.

The real key through the first three games has been the play of Toronto’s offense. They’ve hit 10 home runs and and have taken the Yankees for 30 runs through the first three games of this series. Toronto’s hitters have struggled against tonight’s starter for New York historically, Masahiro Tanaka, apart from the red hot Edwin Encarnacion, who is 7 for 14 in his career.

Tanaka has been a good option against the Blue Jays in general. He’s 4-2 with a 2.65 ERA against New York in his career. In his last 10 games, he hasn’t given up more than four runs and has pitched at least six innings every time.

If the Yankees get a better start from their pitcher, then their offense will also need to back them up. They’ve looked distinctly like second best through the first three games of this series and a number of their order’s star players haven’t got much of a history against the knuckleballer. Carlos Beltran (6 for 31) and Brian McCann (6 for 25) are perhaps the most notable examples.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Yankees will get one back

These mini-series have ebbs and flows and yesterday’s double loss will have been a wake up call for this roster. They’ve got to worry about their position in the Wildcard race just as much as they should be concerned about chasing down Toronto in the AL East race – they need to win.

2. Dickey and Tanaka won’t keep it quiet

If any two pitchers in this match-up can keep a Game Total to Under 8.5, it ought to be Dickey and Tanaka. They won’t manage it though. The hitters are swinging the bat well and the importance of this game will see two offensively geared teams rack up some runs.

3. Take advantage of odds

The flow of the series has seen the Yankees odds get just slightly better. Take advantage of that in this match-up.