The Yankees look to get the bats going against Toronto on Thursday night in the Bronx with CC Sabathia returning from a short stint on the disabled list.
- New York Yankees (8-8)
- Toronto Blue Jays (12-5)
- American League, 6:35 p.m. EST, WPIX
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Coming off a day of rest after getting blown out by the Miami Marlins, the Yankees are looking to make a huge turnaround and sweep the Jays.
CC Sabathia is making his first start tonight since being put on the disabled list on April 6, 2018. He left in the fourth inning against the Orioles on the 6th with soreness in his right hip. After the MRI coming back clean, Sabathia knew he would be good to get back on the bump as soon as possible.
Tonight, the Yankees face right-hander Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez pitched against the club on March 30 and received the loss with giving up four runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings.
The opening series of the 2018 season for the Yankees was played in Toronto and ended on two wins and two losses for the team. With few changeable mistakes to be fixed, the Yankees shouldn’t have a problem sweeping the Blue Jays in this four-game set in the Bronx.
There is no question that CC Sabathia can handle a power hitting lineup, which he has done over his 17-year career. As he steps up against Toronto, one player to be aware of is switch-hitting Justin Smoak. Smoak has two home runs and a lifetime .345 average against Sabathia.
Lineups
Yankees vs. Blue Jays tonight at 6:35pm on WPIX and WFAN pic.twitter.com/74NdXytYeZ
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) April 19, 2018
Player To Watch
Thursday night’s player to watch is Didi Gregorius. It is close to unarguable that Gregorius has been the most fearful player to face in the Yankee’s lineup.
Didi is batting a .333 average with five home runs and 16 runs batted in on the season so far. This will be the first time that Didi is hitting out of the three hole in the Yankee’s lineup on the 2018 season, and he will be between Judge and Stanton.
Expect for Didi to have an impressive evening because of his ease when it comes to hitting off of right-handed pitching.