There are plenty of questions heading into the season-opener for the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays were a promising bunch in 2014, even leading the AL East for substantial stretches in 2014 only to collapse nearing the end of the season. The Yankees also had quite a start to 2014 with ace Masahiro Tanaka leading the way. But a season-ending injury derailed Tanaka’s and the Yankees’ season.
Which of these two teams will get the season started out right? Read on as we give you a complete look at this intriguing showdown.
Get everything you need to know in AL East with our complete division preview. Also don’t miss our preview of the big opening game on Sunday between Jon Lester’s Chicago Cubs and Adam Wainwright’s St. Louis Cardinals.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees Preview
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York,
When: Monday, April 6, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays had one of the best offenses in the league last season. Toronto finished fifth in runs scored (723), third in home runs (177), fourth in RBI (690) and sixth in on-base percentage (.323). But that didn’t stop them from acquiring a couple of talented batters in the offseason.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Blue Jays acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson from Oakland by trade and signed former Pirates catcher Russell Martin via free agency. Donaldson led the Athletics in batting average (.255), home runs (29), RBI (98), OBP (.342) and hits (155) last season, and should fit-in nicely with Toronto’s potent offense. Martin is also a solid hitter, who bat .290 for the Pirates last season.
The two join Jose Bautista to form an excellent batting order. Bautista led Toronto in home runs (35), RBI (103) and OBP (.403) last season. Having plenty of competent hitters should have the Blue Jays confident considering New York starter Tanaka’s health issues.
But the Blue Jays’ offense may not be enough to carry them if their pitching continues to struggle. Toronto ranked 22nd in team ERA (4.00) last season, and allowed the 11th most runs in the majors (674). Drew Hutchison, their Opening Day starter, is a good indication of where this rotation is after Marcus Stroman went down to a preseason injury. While the team does have Mark Buerhle and knuckleballer A.J. Hickey, both are now more inning-eaters than top calibre pitchers, a reality reflected by the fact the team elected to pass on both of them on Opening Day to set up more favorable matchups in the early days of the season.
Hutchison has struggled against New York batters Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Teixeira last year. Ellsbury has hit 5-of-11 with two home runs and three RBIs against the Toronto starter. Teixeira has hit 3-of-11 with a home run and two RBIs against Hutchison.
The Blue Jays have lost eight of their last 10 games on the road.
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Betting on the New York Yankees
This game is going to be a season preview for the New York Yankees. Everything rests on the health of Tanaka, who suffered a partially torn UCL last season.
The Japanese ace took things slow in Spring Training, pitching 14.2 innings, with 13 hits and five earned runs allowed in the Grapefruit League. He allowed almost as many hits (15) and the same amount of earned runs but over 21 innings last Spring.
But having Tanaka back in his Cy Young-like first half in 2014 should make the Yankees very dangerous. He went 11-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 113 strikeouts in his first 14 starts. Tanaka was able to handle the Blue Jays’ potent offense in three games last season, going 3-0 with a 2.98 ERA. He allowed five hits and one earned in his latest outing against Toronto, a 5-2 home win in September 2014.
And then there’s Alex Rodriquez. A-Rod hasn’t faced a real pitch in a live game since September 2013. He also doesn’t inspire much confidence considering his injury issues (two surgically repaired hips). But A-Rod should still be a decent hitter if he stays healthy. He had hit .269 over his last three seasons before being put on the shelf for the entire 2014 season for being a cheater.
New York has won three of its last four against Toronto at Yankee Stadium.
Writer’s Prediction
The Blue Jays batter Tanaka to start their season with a bang.
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