Our Blue Jays vs. Yankees predictions for Friday’s series opener point toward a challenging night for Toronto, with New York holding a significant edge on the mound. The Yankees hand the ball to AL Cy Young favourite Cam Schlittler, who has dominated the Blue Jays in three previous starts this season, while Toronto is turning to a bullpen game.
With both teams battling for position in a crowded American League playoff race, there’s plenty at stake at Yankee Stadium. Toronto has won seven consecutive series and remains firmly in the postseason hunt, but injuries to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Andres Gimenez could leave the lineup shorthanded.
We’ll break down the latest Blue Jays vs. Yankees odds, starting pitchers, injuries, betting trends and key matchups before making our best bet for Friday’s game. With a low 7.5-run total on the board, pitching and run prevention could ultimately decide this American League East showdown.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees prediction
Yankees run line -1.5: +115 best odds @ Sports Interaction
Yankees run line -1.5
You won’t find a more lopsided starting pitching matchup than the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award up against a bullpen day for Toronto, so we should see the Yankees pull out a home win in this series opener by two runs or more.
Schlittler has been dominant against the Blue Jays in three previous outings this year (1.96 ERA across 18 1/3 innings), and the Yankees have some serious momentum with wins in four straight games heading into this series.
Toronto’s injury woes also have to be taken into consideration heading into Friday night, and this wager will look especially strong if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Andres Gimenez aren’t able to suit up for the Blue Jays.
Overall, this game projects to be relatively low scoring with a posted total of just 7.5 runs and cool and calm weather conditions that should favour the pitchers on both sides. Look for New York to claim a 4-2 or 5-2 victory before Toronto has more favourable pitching matchups on the weekend.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees odds
| Blue Jays moneyline odds | +230 |
| Yankees moneyline odds | -260 |
| Run line odds | Yankees -1.5 (+100), Blue Jays +1.5 (-120) |
| Game total | Over 7.5 runs (-105), Under 7.5 (-115) |
| Date/time | Aug. 21, 7:05 p.m. ET |
Betting the Blue Jays (63-66 SU, 63-66 ATS, 68-60-1 o/u)
With just over a month remaining in the regular season, the Blue Jays have won seven straight series to climb back into playoff contention in the weak AL. Toronto took two of three games from Tampa Bay earlier this week to move just a half game out of the final playoff spot, but there are six teams all within two games of each other competing for a postseason berth.
Injuries have hampered the Blue Jays all season long, and they’ll enter this series with more question marks as Andres Gimenez (hamstring) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (concussion) are the latest stars to succumb to the injury bug. It’s possible that both players return as early as Friday for this series opener, but it’s also possible they both miss a few more games. Bettors will want to monitor any injury news before placing their wagers accordingly.
Toronto has struggled to consistently score runs this year, averaging 3.98 runs per game, which ranks as the third worst in the majors behind Cleveland (3.96) and Seattle (3.91).
Betting the Yankees (72-55 SU, 62-65 ATS, 52-72-3 o/u)
The Yankees will be looking for a fifth straight win on Friday after completing a three-game road sweep of the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week. They went 4-2 on the road trip and now return home for 10 games against the Blue Jays, Astros, and Red Sox.
New York trails Tampa Bay by four games for the top spot in the AL East, but it does hold a four-game advantage over Boston for the top AL Wild Card spot entering play Friday.
Yankees pitchers own the best ERA (3.22) in the majors, and they’ve allowed the fewest runs (3.7) per game. Offensively, the team has struggled without injured sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but they’re still scoring an average of 4.4 runs per game, which ranks 17th in MLB.
Probable starting pitchers
Toronto: LHP Mason Fluharty (5-1, 3.71 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9.88 K/9)
The Blue Jays will use Fluharty as an opener on Friday as part of a planned bullpen game. Only Louis Varland (21 pitches) and Spencer Miles (8 pitches) threw out of the bullpen in Thursday’s win over the Rays, so Toronto’s relief corps is in great shape heading into this contest, and everyone should be available.
Fluharty will be making his fourth start as an opener for the Blue Jays in what will be his MLB-leading 67th appearance this season.
New York: RHP Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.19 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 11.19 K/9)
Schlittler is the favourite to win the AL Cy Young Award (-170 odds @ bet365) heading into action Friday, and he’ll be making his second straight appearance against the Blue Jays, who managed one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings last week against the right-hander. This will be Schlittler’s fourth start against the Blue Jays this season, and he’s had a tremendous amount of success against Canada’s team, recording a 1.96 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings.
The 25-year-old relies on his blazing fastball, which averages around 98 mph, and an outstanding cutter/sinker combo to baffle opponents. He ranks in the 95th percentile in strikeout rate (31.4%) while also boasting an elite 5.6% walk rate.
One knock on Schlittler is that he has struggled a bit at Yankee Stadium, owning a 2-4 record with a 3.95 ERA and .253 opponents’ batting average. He’s 8-2 with a sparkling 1.14 ERA on the road this year.
Notable injuries
The following notable players are on the injured list for Toronto:
- P Trey Yesavage (knee)
- P Jameson Taillon (forearm)
- 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (concussion) – could be activated Friday or Saturday.
- P Yimi Garcia (elbow)
- P Patrick Corbin (shoulder)
- OF Addison Barger (elbow)
- OF Anthony Santander (shoulder)
- P Jose Berrios (elbow)
- P Cody Ponce (knee)
- SS Andres Gimenez is day-to-day with a hamstring injury.
The following notable players are on the injured list for New York:
- OF Cody Bellinger (hamstring)
- P Max Fried (elbow)
- OF Aaron Judge (ribs)
- P Clarke Schmidt (elbow)
- DH Giancarlo Stanton (calf)
Weather
Forecasts are calling for temperatures around 23 C with a 40% chance of showers throughout the evening. Light winds will blow in from left field at 7 mph.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees betting trends
- The Yankees have hit the team total under in 14 of their last 18 games at home.
- The Blue Jays have hit the team total over in 14 of their last 21 road games.
- The under is 6-1 in New York’s last seven games.
- The Blue Jays have played over the game total in four straight games.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees player prop trends
- Schlittler has allowed one earned run or fewer in four of his last five starts and in 18 of his 26 starts this season. He’s -125 to allow under 1.5 earned runs.
- Alejandro Kirk is riding a nine-game hitting streak into action Friday and is -190 to extend that streak.
- Kazuma Okamoto has hit safely in six straight games and is -120 to extend that run.
- Schlittler has recorded seven or more strikeouts in five of his last six games and in 62% of his starts this season. He’s -118 to record over 6.5 strikeouts.
