Following a day to rest upon completing a 5-2 road trip, the Yankees return home to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto is in the thick of the AL Wild Card chase, while New York is wishing they weren’t so far back at this point in the year.
Here are the probable pitching matchups for the second-to-last head-to-head meeting of 2023 for these two clubs.
Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Clarke Schmidt vs. Yusei Kikuchi
Clarke Schmidt had a “meh” start in his last appearance against the Red Sox. He allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, three walks, and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. The righty got a no-decision, but the Yankees won. He faced the Blue Jays once earlier this year in April. Schmidt allowed three runs, but none were earned while striking out eight in 5.2 innings.
After allowing one run in five innings on September 8th vs. the Royals, Yusei Kikuchi surrendered six earned runs on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts over five innings in his last start vs. the Rangers. Kikuchi owns a 3.75 lifetime ERA vs. the Yankees across 11 appearances. That includes a quality start from earlier this season.
Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Michael King vs. Kevin Gausman
Michael King’s rotation experiment continues to go well. He couldn’t complete five innings in his last start but still allowed just one run. Through six starts (23.1 innings), King’s ERA is sitting at 1.93 with a 1.16 WHIP and 32 strikeouts. He owns a 3.75 ERA in 36 career innings against the Blue Jays. This will be his third start vs. Toronto.
Kevin Gausman will look to get back on track following a rough start against Texas. Following an eight-inning, 10-strikeout gem on September 9th, the Rangers touched him up for four runs on six hits and six walks in 4.2 innings. In two starts against the Yankees in 2023, Gausman has allowed two earned runs with 21 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Jose Berrios
Gerrit Cole lasted five innings in his return to PNC Park over the weekend. It was his shortest start since August 19th when he allowed six runs in four innings to Boston. He’s produced a 1.71 ERA in the 31.2 innings since that rough appearance. Cole has tossed two no-decisions in his only two appearances vs. the Blue Jays this year, but he’s also allowed no runs in 11 innings.
Jose Berrios is looking to end his bounce-back campaign strong. After posting a 5.23 ERA in 2022, that number is down at 3.49 so far in 2023. He’s also fresh off shutting out Boston with eight strikeouts in seven innings. In his only previous start this year against the Yankees, Berrios allowed three runs in 6.2 innings.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
