The Toronto Blue Jays have won their last seven series, and after taking two out of three from the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees are next on the schedule.
The Blue Jays have been playing great as of late, and a series win against the Yankees could have them in sole possession of one of the three wild card spots by the end of the weekend. The Blue Jays have their two best arms lined up for the series as well.
Cam Schlittler will take the mound for the Yankees on Friday, and the Blue Jays have yet to announce a starter to match up with the Yankees ace. However, the Blue Jays have Dylan Cease scheduled to start on Saturday against Ryan Weathers. On Sunday, Jose Soriano will take the mound for Toronto against Carlos Rodón.
The series will feature three great pitching matchups, and with a chance to really make a dent in the wild card standings, the Blue Jays would not rather have anyone else lined up.
Cease leads the American League in strikeouts with 201 and has a 2.42 ERA. Schlittler is currently the American League Cy Young Award favorite, but if the Blue Jays offense can get to him on Friday and Cease follows it up with a dominant outing, he could close the gap.
Soriano was a deadline pickup for the Blue Jays, but they made the move thinking about the future. Ultimately, they were sellers at the deadline. However, in a weak American League, Soriano has made an immediate impact in the wild card race. He has a 2.76 ERA in three starts with the Blue Jays, posting a 3.23 overall ERA this season. Walks have been an issue for him, as he leads the American League in free passes.