The Yankees will look to avenge Saturday’s loss and win the opening series in Toronto while sending Sonny Gray to the mound on Sunday afternoon.
- New York Yankees (2-1)
- Toronto Blue Jays (1-2)
- American League, 1:07 p.m. ET, YES Network
- Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
After two wins to start the season, the Yankees lost their first game of 2018 on Saturday afternoon in Toronto and will look to win the series on Easter Sunday.
On the mound for the Bombers, will be Sonny Gray in his first start of the young season.
Last season, Gray went 10-12 with a 3.55 ERA. 65.1 of those innings came in New York, in which he posted a 3.72 ERA after his trade to the Bronx. Gray struggled a bit with walks towards the end of the season, but he bounced backs with some good starts in the postseason.
Gray has pitched well against Toronto in his career, sporting a 2.47 ERA in eight starts.
Taking the ball for the Blue Jays will be Marcus Stroman. Toronto’s ace was 13-9, with a 3.09 ERA in 2017. The Yankees were expecting to see Stroman on Opening Day, but shoulder inflammation caused him to be a few days behind schedule.
Stroman and the Yankees are very familiar with each other, as Stroman has made 13 starts against the Yankees, putting up a 3.09 ERA. It is worth noting the injury though, as Stroman may not be at 100 percent.
Lineups:
Miguel Andujar (@MAndujarPapa) steps right into the #Yankees lineup, batting seventh and DHing: pic.twitter.com/cVfv1mLbHl
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) April 1, 2018
Player to Watch:
Although Aaron Judge was the player to watch yesterday, he has to take that title again today. Aaron Judge is the only player with high levels of success against Marcus Stroman.
In 12 at-bats vs Stroman, Judge has six hits, with three of those being home runs.
The big fella has yet to hit his first home run of the season, and he will look to change that on Easter Sunday in Toronto.
Bouncing Back:
Throughout the course of a season, bouncing back after a loss can be huge in the long run. It’s even bigger when it determines whether or not you win the series.
The Yankees find themselves in that position this afternoon. If they win, they take the series 3-1. A loss would give them a series split.
It may be the first series of 2018, but a series win against a division rival is big at any point throughout the course of the season. The Yankees will get their first test at bouncing back in 2018, and it will be interesting to see how they respond.