Toronto @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 25, 2010 ) NY Yankees 3, Toronto 6

Brandon Morrow has been scary good at the Rogers Centre this season –and downright scary away from it.

Morrow will look to end his season on a high note as the Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game series against the New York Yankees with a rare Friday afternoon game in the Bronx. The teams have met 12 times this season, with the Blue Jays holding a surprising 7-5 edge over the best team in the majors.

Toronto didn't do the Yankees much of a favor in its last series, dropping two out of three to the Tampa Bay Rays. Fortunately for the Yankees, they didn't need the help – they swept the Oakland Athletics out of town to extend their winning streak to six games.

Tampa's lone loss in that span allowed New York to vault into sole possession of the lead in the American League East, with the Rays 1 1/2 games back. Tampa visits the Baltimore Orioles this weekend.

Toronto will try to end New York's winning ways by sending Morrow (10-6) to the hill in what will be his final start of the season. The Blue Jays have opted to shut the 26-year-old down for the rest of September, hoping to prevent injury in a season that has seen him throw 143 1/3 innings – well above his previous career high.

Morrow has left fans, teammates and management impressed in his first full season as a starter. The former first-round draft pick has been especially hot since the All-Star break, going 5-0 with a 2.91 ERA in seven starts since the break. He also has 63 strikeouts in just 43 innings over that span.

Morrow's final start of 2010 will give him one last chance to figure out how to succeed outside Toronto.

As good as the hard-throwing right-hander has been at home (8-1, 2.74 ERA), he has been abysmal on the road (2-5, 6.31 ERA). The disparity isn't simply limited to record and ERA, either – Morrow has surrendered nearly twice as many home runs on the road, and opposing batters are hitting .274 against him away from Toronto compared to just .221 at the Rogers Centre.

Morrow has faced New York three times this season, going 1-0 with a pair of no-decisions. He struck out 12 over just six innings in his last outing against the Yankees, but settled for a no-decision in a game the Jays went on to win 3-2.

New York counters with rookie right-hander Ivan Nova (1-0), who has given the Yankees more than they were counting on so far. The 23-year-old earned his first major-league win in his previous start, scattering a run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings as New York edged the Chicago White Sox 2-1.

Nova has already faced Morrow this season, limiting the Jays to two runs over 5 1/3 innings in their meeting Aug. 23.

The Yankees would no doubt love to put some distance between themselves and the pesky Rays, and will have a chance to do so as they conclude their nine-game homestand with three games each against Toronto and Baltimore, the AL East basement dwellers. New York and Tampa face off seven more times before season's end.