Yankees look to stop 3-game skid against Blue Jays
New York Yankees (38-22, first in the AL East) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (23-38, fourth in the AL East)
Toronto; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Yankees: J.A. Happ (5-3, 4.83 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 55 strikeouts) Blue Jays: Edwin Jackson (0-3, 13.22 ERA, 2.20 WHIP, 12 strikeouts)
LINE: Blue Jays favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 runs
BOTTOM LINE: New York enters the matchup as losers of their last three games.
The Blue Jays are 6-11 against AL East opponents. Toronto ranks last in the American League in hitting with a .221 batting average. Freddy Galvis leads the team with an average of .249.
The Yankees are 18-7 against opponents from the AL East. New York has hit 97 home runs this season, seventh in the majors. Gary Sanchez leads the club with 19, averaging one every 8.4 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Grichuk leads the Blue Jays with 12 home runs and is slugging .432. Justin Smoak is 10-for-30 with four home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games for Toronto.
DJ LeMahieu leads the Yankees with 69 hits and has 38 RBIs. Sanchez is 9-for-36 with a double, four home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 3-7, .242 batting average, 6.67 ERA, outscored by 22 runs
Yankees: 5-5, .263 batting average, 4.16 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
Blue Jays Injuries: Jacob Waguespack: 10-day IL (shoulder), Ryan Tepera: 10-day IL (elbow), Matt Shoemaker: 60-day IL (knee), David Phelps: 60-day IL (elbow), Clay Buchholz: 10-day IL (shoulder), Ryan Borucki: 60-day IL (elbow), Dalton Pompey: 60-day IL (concussion), Devon Travis: 60-day IL (knee).
Yankees Injuries: Luis Severino: 60-day IL (shoulder), Jordan Montgomery: 60-day IL (elbow), Jonathan Loaisiga: 60-day IL (shoulder), Ben Heller: 60-day IL (elbow), Dellin Betances: 60-day IL (shoulder), Jake Barrett: 10-day IL (elbow), Aaron Judge: 10-day IL (oblique), Jacoby Ellsbury: 60-day IL (hip), Troy Tulowitzki: 10-day IL (calf), Didi Gregorius: 60-day IL (elbow), Greg Bird: 60-day IL (foot), Miguel Andujar: 60-day IL (labrum), Giancarlo Stanton: 10-day IL (bicep).
