The New York Yankees head up north to face the Toronto Blue Jays in what should shape up to be a fearsome matchup between frightening foes. The second game of the series, the Yankees and Blue Jays have been wrestling for first place in the American League East division for the last two weeks. And each team refuses to yield. This will be a major influence on the fate of the division as both teams have looked unstoppable in the month of April. The New York Yankees will send Canadian-born Jameson Taillon to the mound to face off against Alex Manaoah who is 4-0 this season with a sparkling 1.05 ERA.
Match Details:
Fixture: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays | MLB Regular Season 2022
Date & Time: Monday, May 3, 7:07 EDT
Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada
New York Yankees Preview:
The Yankees entered the series as hot as any team can be. The club leads MLB and the American League in wins. The team is firing on all cylinders. First baseman Anthony Rizzo (who re-signed with the team in free agency) is leading the AL in home runs with nine. Aaron Judge is smashing a .600 slugging percentage in his walk year. Combined with a team ERA of 2.72, this has put the Yankees at the top of the league with the game's greatest record. The team has only lost two series, one to the Baltimore Orioles and the other to the Blue Jays. They exacted their revenge on the Orioles in mid-April. They'll hope to repeat that this week.
Key Player- Anthony Rizzo
There are few things that go together better than Anthony Rizzo and home runs: hot dogs and beer, peanut butter and jelly, the Yankees and winning. Rizzo has clobbered nine home runs on the campaign and has justified every cent the Yankees signed him for in free agency.
Anthony Rizzo has more home runs (9) than the Detroit Tigers (8).
In the 21 games this season, Rizzo has already surpassed his total home runs with the Yanks in 2021 over 49 games. He's turned back the clock eight years to the player who smashed three straight seasons of 30-plus homers as a Chicago Cubs first baseman. Expect the Blue Jays to approach him with caution.
New York Yankees Predicted Lineup
Starting pitcher: Jameson Taillon
Toronto Blue Jays Preview:
The Toronto Blue Jays have been solid for the entire month of April. Led by the power of slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the hitting prowess of shortstop Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays have yet to lose a series. Their closest series was a 2-2 split with the Yankees. The team is just starting to catch fire with 2021 acquisition Jose Berrios and 2022 free agent signing Kevin Gausman are just now beginning to tap their potential. The two could propel the club into the gear they were missing in 2021.
Key Player- Alex Manoah:
Manoah enters the matchup with a 4-0 record and a 1.05 ERA. In a rotation featuring stud right handers Kevin Gausman and Jose Berros, Manoah has outperformed them both for pennies on the dollar.
"Alex Manoah is absolutely the future of the Toronto Blue Jays and doesn’t get enough credit".- Shane Todd
The 24-year-old from Florida hopes to build on his first start of the season where he held the Yankees scoreless over six innings while striking out seven. If he can do that, the Blue Jays will be in the driver's seat for the entire game.
Toronto Blue Jays Predicted Lineup:
Starting Pitcher: Alex Manoah
New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays Prediction
Alex Manoah will once again keep the Yankees off the board. While the Yankees bats will struggle, the Blue Jays will tack on enough runs against Taillon to cause Aaron Boone to summon his bullpen early and the game will be out of reach for the remainder of the contest.
Where to watch Yankees vs Blue Jays
The game can be seen on YES Network and MLB Extra Innings.