Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series starting on Friday.
Preview
Can Aaron Judge keep this torrid pace?
Judge is having one of the best starts of his career. Entering play Wednesday, Judge was a career .291 hitter in March/April. This season? He’s hitting .415 after picking up two more hits in the Yankees’ win against the Guardians on Wednesday.
He’ll enter the weekend series with a 21-game on-base streak, tied for the fifth-longest streak of his career. It’s the third-longest active streak in the majors and has reached base in 24 of 25 games this season. He also leads the big leagues in batting average, OBP, SLUG, OPS and hits.
I can go on, but Judge is on pace to exceed what he did last season when he won the AL MVP. But can he keep that hot hitting going while at home? It’s very likely the captain will be able to, and we should just sit back and enjoy what we’re seeing right now.
Can Anthony Volpe break out of slump?
As hot as Judge is, Volpe is the complete opposite.
After going hitless on Wednesday, the young shortstop is hitting below the Mendoza line (.198) and has struck out seven times over his last five games. In just this Cleveland series alone, Volpe went 1-for-11 with a run, two walks while striking out five times, including four in Wednesday’s series finale. It’s a disturbing slump for Volpe, who has lost his ability to get on base, let alone get hits, and power — his last homer coming back on April 2.
Perhaps manager Aaron Boone will give Volpe a day off. But even if he does, the shortstop and the team have to figure something out.
Can Devin Williams bounce back…again?
Feels like every week, Williams needs to “bounce back” or get it together after a bad outing. Last time out, Williams allowed three runs in his one inning of work against the Rays back on April 19. That outing was one reason why the Yankees failed to sweep the Rays in that four-game set, but the right-hander hasn’t pitched since then.
The Yankees lost both Monday and Tuesday, and were up big when Luke Weaver came in to finish off Wednesday’s win. After Thursday’s off day, the earliest Williams would come in would be Friday on four days rest. The Yankees need Williams to get right, but if he can’t do it at home this weekend, the noise to give Weaver the closer’s job will be deafening at Yankee Stadium.
Will Clarke Schmidt find it again?
Schmidt was supposed to be the arm that solidified the rotation that has lost so many to begin the season. However, the young right-hander has been anything but since being activated off the IL last week.
After allowing three runs in 5.2 innings in his first start, Schmidt pitched a dud on Monday against the Guardians. He allowed five earned runs on seven hits, three walks in just four innings. Schmidt is scheduled to pitch Sunday and the Yankees will need him to show that he can put that bad start behind him.
The Yankees do have Max Fried pitching this weekend, so the pressure is off a little bit but the team can’t win all of the southpaw’s starts this season. Carlos Carrasco, the other probable this weekend, is still unreliable, so, for now, Schmidt needs to pitch like the No. 3 guy behind Fried and Carlos Rodon.
AL East battle
This series is the first against the Blue Jays this season and the second the Yankees will face a team from their division. After taking three of four from Tampa, the Yankees are in a good spot at the top of the AL East. Entering the series, the Yankees are three games ahead of the Blue Jays, so taking care of business will go a long way toward putting distance between them and holding off the Red Sox — who are 1.5 games behind the Yankees entering Thursday.
The Blue Jays are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, but were 7-3 in the 10 games prior to this tumble so it’s a team not to be overlooked, especially with the trio of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt on the mound.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Paul Goldschmidt
With Aaron Judge on a tear, there will be plenty of moments that Toronto avoids the slugger and Goldschmidt — who has been hitting cleanup of late — will need to do damage.
Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?
Max Fried
When your other options are Carrasco and Schmidt, it’s safe to pick Fried but I see Schmidt bouncing back in his start at home.
Which Blue Jays player will be a thorn in the Yankees’ side?
George Springer
Springer has had a solid start to the season, but his numbers at Yankee Stadium are pretty impressive. He’s slashed .274/.345/.476 with a .821 OPS to go along with his six home runs in 31 career games (28 starts).
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