The biggest remaining series in the AL East this season starts Thursday night from Baltimore as the first-place Orioles host the second-place Tampa Bay Rays. If the O’s win the series, the division title is essentially locked up.

Nitrobetting checks out the game in this preview. Get a complete look at the game information, team and player statistics, and the latest MLB odds. We also deliver timely betting trends and predictions that help you secure the best picks.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees Game Information

Yankee Stadium #RepBX pic.twitter.com/qEcvYq6ebA

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 19, 2023

• When: Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 7:05 PM ET
• Where: Yankee Stadium, New York City, NY
• TV: Sportsnet, AmazonPV
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM (Blue Jays) // 98 Rock FM (Yankees)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Odds: Blue Jays (-115) // Yankees (-102)

Why bet on the Toronto Blue Jays?

The Blue Jays have won eight of their last 11 games vs. AL East clubs entering the series but have gone 15-25 overall vs. the AL East this season, the third-fewest intra-division wins in MLB behind Colorado’s 12 and Oakland’s 13. Since the start of August, the Jays have an MLB-best .312 batting average with RISP. Toronto ranks 2nd among AL clubs with a .265 road batting average, 2nd in road OBP (.335), 3rd in road OPS (.767), and 4th in road SLG (.432).

It’s right-hander Kevin Gausman on the mound for Toronto. Gausman (11-9) took the loss last Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and six walks over 4.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out five. The 32-year-old ace issued a season-high six walks. Gausman had only conceded more than three bases on balls in two of his 59 starts as a Blue Jay prior to Thursday.

It marked the second time in three September starts that Gausman failed to complete five innings, inflating his ERA to 4.15 and WHIP to 1.35 across 56.1 second-half innings. Gausman has allowed more home runs in his last 10 starts (10) than he did in his first 19 (9) and his BB/9 has jumped by 1.10. Despite the inconsistency, he has maintained impressive strikeout numbers this season, boasting an 11.6 K/9 while accumulating an AL-leading 222 punchouts in 172 innings.

Over 29 career appearances vs. the Yankees, Gausman is 9-7 with a 3.28 ERA (53 ER/145.1 IP) and 141 strikeouts. This year, he’s 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA against them.

Toronto is 15-8 at Yankee Stadium (entering the series) since the start of the 2021 season for a .652 win percentage, the best among all AL teams over that span. Vladimir Guerrero’s .614 slugging percentage at the venue is the highest all-time, just ahead of Aaron Judge’s .603 mark (min. 100 AB).

Why bet on the New York Yankees?

This begins New York’s final homestand of the season with the team set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Anthony Volpe’s 21 HRs are tied for the sixth-most by a rookie in franchise history. His 21 career home runs are the seventh-most by a Yankee prior to his 23rd birthday in franchise history. Volpe is the fourth Yankees shortstop in franchise history to hit at least 21 HR in a season.

Aaron Judge has hit 32 career home runs vs. the Blue Jays, his second-most against any club (39 HR vs. Baltimore). They are the most by any Yankee vs. the Blue Jays all-time and the third-most HR by any Major League player vs. a single opponent since 2017. DJ LeMahieu is hitting .336 against the Blue Jays as a Yankee, the highest BA among players with at least 100 PA against the Blue Jays as a Yankee (next: Oscar Gamble, .331).

Yankees rookie outfielder Everson Pereira remained out of the lineup for Tuesday’s opener against the Blue Jays. Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Pereira could require a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring injury which has kept him out of action for a few days. Oswaldo Cabrera has mostly been starting in left field.

It’s right-hander Michael King on the mound for New York. King (4-6, 2.77 ERA) took the loss in Game 1 of last Thursday’s doubleheader against Boston, allowing one run on six hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said earlier in the day that King had built up to 85-to-90 pitches, and the right-hander was right on target with 87 pitches (56 strikes). He appeared to be getting stronger as the game wore on, striking out the final three batters he faced and not allowing a run after the first frame.

In his past five starts, King is 1-1 with a 1.27 ERA, which ranks third in the Majors in that span. In six starts this year, King is 1-2 with a 1.93 ERA (23.1IP, 5ER) and 32K. As a reliever, he is 3-4 with six saves, a 3.08 ERA (64.1IP, 22ER) and 76K in 40 appearances. King has a 2.45 ERA and a save in 3.2 innings this year vs. Toronto.

Blue Jays vs. Yankees Betting Trends

• Toronto is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games.
• Blue Jays are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games against an opponent in the American League.
• The total went in 5 of Toronto’s last 7 games on the road.
• New York is 6-3 SU in the last 9 games.
• Yankees are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
• The total went under in 6 of NY Yankees’ last 9 games.

Blue Jays vs. Yankees Betting Prediction

Blue Jays 4, Yankees 3.

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