The Yankees have enjoyed a prolonged time at the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium. After battling the Twins and Angels in the Bronx, New York’s 10-game homestand will come to a close this weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays.
This will be the first matchup between these two AL East foes in 2023. The Bombers outscored the Jays by 20 runs (83-63) during their 19 head-to-head battles last year. However, it led to just 11 wins and eight losses for manager Aaron Boone’s squad. Here’s what the probable pitching matchups look like for this three-game set.
Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Domingo German vs. Yusei Kikuchi
Domingo German’s last outing comes with a potential asterisk, but it was still his best of the season. And by a wide margin. The right-hander struck out 11 and walked none across 6.1 innings of one-run ball. He lowered his season-long ERA from 5.87 to a much more palatable 3.86. In 29 career innings against Toronto, German owns a 3.72 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.
Yusei Kikuchi is also coming off his best start of the year, which included season-high marks in strikeouts (nine) and innings pitched (6.1). He also lowered his season-long ERA by more than two full runs (6.75 to 4.70). Kikuchi faced the Yankees six times last year (four starts). Across 20.1 innings, he posted a 3.54 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Alek Manoah
We’re starting to run out of things to say about Gerrit Cole’s performance right now. The only thing left is the Yankees just want it to keep going at this point. He owns a ridiculous 0.95 ERA and 0.74 WHIP through 28.1 innings. Cole will also be looking for his fifth win.
The right-hander owns a 3.75 ERA against Toronto across 72 career innings. In 2022, his ERA settled in at 5.00 with an 0.89 WHIP in 18 innings (three starts).
Alek Manoah is the Blue Jays’ ace, but he’s off to a slow start. He’s the owner of a 6.98 ERA and has nearly allowed more walks (15) than strikeouts (16) in 19.1 innings. The righty does love a big stage like Yankee Stadium, though. In 23.2 innings, Manoah is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in the Bronx.
Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET: Clarke Schmidt vs. Kevin Gausman
Clarke Schmidt’s chance to pitch in the Yankees’ rotation has continued to not go well. His ERA is now up to 8.79 through four outings (14.1 innings). Schmidt has also failed to complete four innings on three different occasions. Not great, Bob.
Kevin Gausman’s first three starts went very well for the Blue Jays. He lasted six, six, and eight innings while allowing a total of six runs (three earned). His last start in Houston wasn’t great, as the Astros scored eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits (two homers), two walks, and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
Gausman has faced the Yankees 27 times during his career, with 21 being starts. He owns a 3.49 ERA across 131.2 innings. He pitched very well in two starts at Yankee Stadium last year, posting a 1.42 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and one walk.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
