After a solid victory in game one for the New York Yankees, they turn to Luis Cessa to keep the explosive Blue Jays’ offense from detonating.
- Toronto Blue Jays (77-60)
- New York Yankees (71-65)
- American League, 7:05 PM ET
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Following a terrific win in game one of this three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees are feeling hopeful.
Now they are just five games out of first place in the American League East in the loss column while trailing 3.5 games for the second Wild Card spot.
Although the chances are slim, the Bronx Bombers are very much alive in the postseason race. Which is remarkable given they waved the white flag just over a month ago.
Tonight, they look to trim that AL East lead even further and are hoping rookie righthander Luis Cessa can lead them to their third straight win.
Cessa is making his fourth Major League start, coming off a no-decision last time out against the Kansas City Royals. In six innings of work, the 24-year old surrendered four runs (three earned) while striking out two.
Back on May 24, he faced Toronto in an hitless inning of relief on just ten pitches.
Aaron Sanchez will get the ball for the Jays as they keep a close eye on his innings. After a 10-day “vacation,” he will return to a rotation in which he has anchored.
Through 25 starts, the former reliever owns a 2.88 ERA and has the lowest home run rate (0.6 HR/9) among qualified AL pitchers as he has allowed just 11 long balls in 162.1 innings.
This will be Sanchez’s first start at Yankee Stadium, but he has pitched 13 innings of relief where he has struck out 12 Yankees’ batters.
Lineups:
#Yankees Lineup:
Gardner LF
Ellsbury CF
Sanchez C
Didi SS
Castro 2B
McCann DH
Headley 3B
Judge RF
Austin 1B
Cessa RHP— Christian Kouroupakis (@ckouroupakis) September 6, 2016
Player To Watch:
The Yankees’ centerfielder went 3-for-4 with a two-run bomb during New York’s Labor Day win and is set to keep on raking on Tuesday.
In his career against Sanchez, Ellsbury is 3-for-10 with a walk but on the year he is slashing .311/.354/.444 with an OPS of .799, four stolen bases, and a home run.
"How to Hit a Knuckleball," by Jacoby Ellsbury:
If it comes in high, let it FLY.#SeeYa #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/DWoNq2vQgB
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 5, 2016
Bird In The House:
According to Chad Jennings of Lohud, Greg Bird will be with the team during this 10-game homestand with Toronto, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The lefty that slugged 11 home runs in just 46 games a year ago has been taking batting practice since early August as he works his way back from Labrum surgery.
The report also lists how Bird is scheduled to start facing live pitchers on September 26.
https://twitter.com/RNs_Funhouse/status/692534703170142208
Roster Moves:
Bryan Mitchell and left-hander James Pazos were called up prior to tonight’s pregame.
Mitchell has been battling back from toe surgery and posted a 0-1 record with a 5.57 ERA in six starts while rehabbing and making his way back to the Bronx.
In 2015, he appeared in 20 games (two starts) and served up 37 hits in 29.2 innings en route to a 6.37 ERA.
Pazos is a hard throwing lefty that struck out 41 batters over 27.1 innings in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and posted an overall 2.32 ERA between Trenton and the Electric City.
He appeared in 11 games for New York a year ago and did not allow a single run.
Roster Moves: Prior to tonight's game, the Yankees recalled RHP Bryan Mitchell (#55) and LHP James Pazos (#67) from @swbrailriders.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) September 6, 2016
Bold Prediction:
Didi Gregorius, who has not gotten a hit since getting his 12-game hitting streak snapped, will hit a grand slam while Cessa easily hands the ball over to Tyler Clippard and Dellin Betances to secure a seemingly easy 6-0 Yankees’ win.
