The Blue Jays are heading into a pivotal weekend in New York with a pitching plan that looks a little different than usual.
Toronto is expected to open the three-game set against the Yankees on Friday night with a bullpen game at Yankee Stadium, a move shaped by injuries and recent rotation changes that have left the staff stretched. Instead of handing the ball to a traditional starter, the Blue Jays will try to cover the night with a collection of arms.
That approach puts extra weight on a bullpen that has already had to carry plenty of the load this season. Toronto has spent much of the year adjusting on the fly because of injuries, and with the season tightening up, the club is trying to protect its available pitchers without pushing anyone too far.
The Yankees will counter Friday with Cam Schlittler.
Toronto’s rotation looks more conventional after that. Dylan Cease is lined up for Saturday, and the Blue Jays will be counting on him to steady the series.
He has been one of their most important starters this season, and he also turned in a strong outing against New York in their previous meeting. That makes his start even more valuable as Toronto tries to keep pressure on its division rival.
Sunday brings José Soriano to the mound for the Blue Jays, giving them another standard starter to finish the series.
It’s a big weekend for both teams, with each still chasing position in the American League playoff race. Toronto already took two of three from New York recently, and now gets another chance to make a statement in a series that carries real weight as the season moves deeper into its final stretch.
The Friday bullpen game may complicate things, but the Blue Jays appear to be looking beyond just one night. If they can piece together the opener without burning through too many relievers, they’ll have Cease and Soriano ready to handle the last two games. For a team trying to stay in the playoff mix, that’s the gamble Toronto is making.
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