Toronto @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2010 ) NY Yankees 4, Toronto 3
The Toronto Blue Jays arrived in Cleveland hoping to find some victories, but left on the wrong end of a four-game sweep.
Their run of futility could be even longer by the time they depart Yankee Stadium in three days.
The Blue Jays look to end a five-game losing streak – and get back above the .500 mark for the season – as they open a weekend set with the New York Yankees. Toronto is making its first visit to Yankee Stadium this season, after winning just three of nine games there in 2009.
It may not be the last place the Blue Jays want to be right now, but it's probably close.
Toronto fell out of contention in the American League East with a dreadful 9-17 showing in the month of June. Hoping to take advantage of a four-game series against the lowly Indians, Toronto gave up too many timely hits en route to dropping all four games.
That dropped the Jays nine games back of the Yankees for top spot in the East.
The once-booming bats have eluded the Jays of late. They've scored just eight runs during their five-game skid, with four of those coming in a one-run loss to the Indians on Tuesday night. They bowed out meekly in Thursday's series finale, losing a 6-1 decision to return to the .500 mark for the first time all season.
A visit to homer-happy Yankee Stadium may be just what several Blue Jay hitters need, none more than scuffling slugger Jose Bautista. The infielder-outfielder entered June leading the league in homers, but hit just four in the month to give him 20 for the season. All four came in a pair of games – he had two-homer games June 4 against the Yankees and June 22 against the Cardinals.
Brett Cecil (7-5) gets the start for Toronto in tonight's opener, looking to atone for a rotten performance in his first visit to the Bronx. The sophomore left-hander was bombed for seven runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings as the Yankees escaped with a 10-8 victory over the Blue Jays back on July 5, 2009.
A fast start to the season has melted away in a hurry for Cecil, who comes in on a personal three-game losing streak. He surrendered seven runs in just 4 2/3 innings in an 11-2 loss to the Phillies five days ago, an effort that ballooned his ERA to 4.39.
The Yankees have the best record in the majors, but not everyone on the team has been clicking. Friday starter A.J. Burnett (6-7) can attest to that, entering the game on a five-game slide that easily rivals the worst of his career.
The hard-throwing right-hander has failed to reach the fifth inning in any of his last three starts, surrendering 19 runs over his last 10 1/3 innings. Sitting 6-2 with a 3.28 ERA on May 30, he has gone 0-5 since while watching his ERA soar to 5.25. He allowed six runs over three innings his last time out, a 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.