NY Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays: Cam Schlittler takes mound again

The New York Yankees’ defense betrayed them again on Monday, as a pair of errors from Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe led to a 4-1 defeat. Five walks from Carlos Rodon didn’t help either. New York now sits four games behind the Jays, and hopes giving the rookie the ball again will help.

That’s right, folks. Cam Schlittler is back.

The big righty had his start in Atlanta pushed back due to a sore bicep, but his MRI was clean and he’s good to go now. He showcased blazing velocity in his MLB debut back on July 9, 5.1 innings and seven strikeouts against the Mariners.

Two weeks later, the Yankees are hoping he can rack up some strikeouts and keep the whiff-resistant Blue Jays off of the basepaths.

Time: 7:07 p.m. ET

TV: YES

Betting Line: Yankees +1.5 (+105), O/U 8.5

Key Storyline: Can Schlittler shut down the Blue Jays? Cam Schlittler is no ordinary pitching prospect. He’s got size at 6’6″, 225 pounds, and his fastball velocity touched 100 mph once or twice in his MLB debut. He now has a heavy task ahead of him: Make sure his fastball is on enough tonight that the Blue Jays actually strike out. They own MLB’s best strikeout rate (K%) at 17.5% and will almost certainly be hunting fastballs up in the zone.

Between the recent bicep soreness and long layoff, Cam Schlittler has his work cut out for him tonight.

Pitching Matchup: Cam Schlittler (1-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.70 ERA). From a pitching standpoint, it’s very clear that Schlittler is still learning how to pitch. He leans heavily on his fastball and slider and is still learning how to best command the latter. He’s developing a curveball and sweeper, potentially a sinker as well. All things considered, Schlittler performed pretty well in his first start; 5.06 ERA and 6.47 FIP paired with a 2.84 xERA and 3.55 xFIP. Add 107 Stuff+, and it’s a pretty strong small sample.

On the Jays’ side, Scherzer gets another bite at the Yankees apple. He tossed five innings of two-run ball against them in a no-decision back on June 30. The Blue Jays won that game on the back of a New York bullpen meltdown. He’s 4-5 with a 4.21 ERA in 13 career starts versus the Yankees, so expect the future Hall of Famer to cruise if he has an early lead.

X-Factor: Anthony Volpe. Death, taxes, the Yankees defending Anthony Volpe. The once-revered shortstop prospect is looking more and more like a bust as his struggles continue. Volpe’s throwing error on Monday night should have been the third out, and yet allowed Toronto to score a fourth and final run. The former Gold Glove shortstop has seen his fielding decline for a third year in a row, posting a meager +2 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -3 outs above average (OAA).

The hitting side is no better, even if he’s matched his home run total from last season and also turned in a two-homer game in Atlanta on Saturday. Volpe is batting a meager .214 on the season and his batting average since the All-Star Break is…also .214. Aaron Boone keeps defending him, so he’ll continue to play.

The least he could do is actually play better.

Prediction: Another night at the Rogers Centre, another long night at the office for the New York Yankees. Cam Schlittler may start strong, but maybe has one trip through the Toronto lineup before the Blue Jays make him work. His only real path to victory is if his slider is in top form and hitting the corners. Otherwise, expect the Blue Jays to hunt fastballs early and often. And, in the end, take a five-game lead in the AL East. Bet Toronto and the over if you’re in a New Jersey online casinos kind of mood. Blue Jays 7, Yankees 3.