New York @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2016 ) Toronto 0, NY Yankees 2

The Toronto Blue Jays' pursuit of a wild-card spot in the American League intensifies on their final homestand of the season, beginning Friday with the first of four games against the New York Yankees. The Yankees are three games out of the second AL wild card and four behind the Blue Jays, who hold down the top wild card spot - one game ahead of Detroit and 1 1/2 clear of the Baltimore Orioles.

The Jays wrapped up a 4-3 road trip with a 2-1 loss at Seattle on Wednesday, falling to 18-24 in one-run games and 4-9 in extra-inning affairs. New York worked its way back into the playoff picture with a seven-game winning streak earlier this month that included a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays. It is 3-8 since that run after dropping a 2-0 decision at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Bryan Mitchell gets the nod in the opener for the Yankees, who announced that ace Masahiro Tanaka will be skipped in Monday's series finale due to a forearm strain.

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, ESPN2, YES (New York), Sportsnet (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Bryan Mitchell (1-1, 6.00 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Francisco Liriano (7-13, 5.08 ERA)

After tossing five scoreless innings against Toronto in his season debut with the Yankees earlier this month, Mitchell has been reached for 10 runs (eight earned) in seven frames over his last two outings. Opponents have pounded out 14 hits in that span and New York has lost both games. The 25-year-old is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four career games (one start) versus the Blue Jays.

Liriano has notched two straight quality starts since returning to the rotation two turns ago, allowing a pair of earned runs in six frames of a loss at the Los Angeles Angels his last time out. He has a 3.89 ERA since joining the Blue Jays at the trade deadline, which includes two scoreless innings in relief against the Yankees on Sept. 5. Brett Gardner is 6-for-13 with five RBIs against Liriano and fellow outfielder Aaron Hicks is 3-for-3 with a walk.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees C Gary Sanchez needs one home run to become the sixth player in franchise history to reach 20 as a rookie.

2. Blue Jays RHP Joaquin Benoit has allowed one run in 21 2/3 innings since joining the team prior to the trade deadline.

3. New York DH Billy Butler has hit safely in all six games since signing with the Yankees while posting a .444 average.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 6, Yankees 3