AL East Update
By Tom Brew
Inspin.com
Contributing Writer
The Toronto Blue Jays proved a lot of things over the weekend in winning three of four games against the New York Yankees. The most important thing, though, was that they proved they were for real.
This is indeed a three-team race in the American League East.
The Jays have been great at home. They’ve hit 95 home runs in the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre as compared to 43 when out and about. They're sailing at 14 games over .500 at home (35-21), but on the road the Jays are two games under (20-22). They averaged over 43,000 fans for the Yankees series and are now only 4.5 games behind the Red Sox and 2 behind the Yankees.
"The fans made it a little easier to focus," said Reed Johnson, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs in Sunday's 13-5 win. "It's different than having Seattle here for a midweek game. I hope the city and the fans realize that. If they get behind us, you never know what could happen."
The series win allowed a bit more of that playoff atmosphere to sneak in over the border.
"We have to take care of business," says Vernon Wells, who did just that with two more homers Sunday to give him 26 on the season, "We can start looking at the standings later on."
It’s never too early to start scoreboard-watching. Now the Jays will have to do it on the road, starting a three-game series Monday night in Seattle. The Jays just took two of three from the Mariners in Toronto two weeks ago, and they need more of the same in this series.
Casey Janssen (6-9, 4.77 ERA) took the loss against the Mariners in the first series, and needs to bounce back Monday night to get this trip off to a good start. The game is a pick'em (both teams -$105). This is a tough trip for the Jays. They’ll play four more in Oakland, then three in New York before returning home to play Chicago.
Yes, it’s a tough stretch.
"You've got to survive (the road)," said Jays manager John Gibbons. "We're playing good ball right now. I think we'll have a good trip."
YANKEES HOPE FOR A-ROD TURNAROUND: Maybe all Alex Rodriguez needs is a return trip to steamy Arlington, Texas, to get his bat hot again. While fans blame the third baseman for everything wrong in the Yankees' universe, he is staying positive despite going 0-for-10 with six strikeouts since hitting his 450th career home run Friday.
"I still feel good [at the plate]," Rodriguez said after going 0-for-4 and striking out in Sunday’s 13-5 loss at Toronto. "I hit a ball to the track that would have been a double, but the kid [Frank Catalanotto] made a good play on it."
Starting Monday night the Yankees will play three games at Ameriquest Field, where Rodriguez is a career .331 (360-for-1,086) hitter with 95 homers and 254 RBIs and is 5-for-13 (.385) with a homer and six RBIs in three games this year.
"It's always good to go there," said Rodriguez, who called Ameriquest home from 2001 to 2003. "But I don't want to jinx myself."
After making five errors in his previous four starts, A-Rod handled the only chance he had Sunday without issue by throwing a strike to second base for a force out.
Monday night’s game is huge for the Yankees, who lost three of four in Toronto and slipped to 2½ games behind Boston in the AL East race. Monday night’s matchup pits Randy Johnson (10-8, 4.88 ERA) and Rangers ace Kevin Millwood (10-5, 4.61 ERA).
New York is a slight sportsbook favorite (-$118), and I like the Yankees here. Johnson has been better of late, and Millwood has actually been better on the road than at home, where’s he’s posted a 6.59 ERA. He’s only 1-3 lifetime against the Yankees, with a 5.17 ERA.
By Tom Brew
Inspin.com
Contributing Writer
The Toronto Blue Jays proved a lot of things over the weekend in winning three of four games against the New York Yankees. The most important thing, though, was that they proved they were for real.
This is indeed a three-team race in the American League East.
The Jays have been great at home. They’ve hit 95 home runs in the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre as compared to 43 when out and about. They're sailing at 14 games over .500 at home (35-21), but on the road the Jays are two games under (20-22). They averaged over 43,000 fans for the Yankees series and are now only 4.5 games behind the Red Sox and 2 behind the Yankees.
"The fans made it a little easier to focus," said Reed Johnson, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs in Sunday's 13-5 win. "It's different than having Seattle here for a midweek game. I hope the city and the fans realize that. If they get behind us, you never know what could happen."
The series win allowed a bit more of that playoff atmosphere to sneak in over the border.
"We have to take care of business," says Vernon Wells, who did just that with two more homers Sunday to give him 26 on the season, "We can start looking at the standings later on."
It’s never too early to start scoreboard-watching. Now the Jays will have to do it on the road, starting a three-game series Monday night in Seattle. The Jays just took two of three from the Mariners in Toronto two weeks ago, and they need more of the same in this series.
Casey Janssen (6-9, 4.77 ERA) took the loss against the Mariners in the first series, and needs to bounce back Monday night to get this trip off to a good start. The game is a pick'em (both teams -$105). This is a tough trip for the Jays. They’ll play four more in Oakland, then three in New York before returning home to play Chicago.
Yes, it’s a tough stretch.
"You've got to survive (the road)," said Jays manager John Gibbons. "We're playing good ball right now. I think we'll have a good trip."
YANKEES HOPE FOR A-ROD TURNAROUND: Maybe all Alex Rodriguez needs is a return trip to steamy Arlington, Texas, to get his bat hot again. While fans blame the third baseman for everything wrong in the Yankees' universe, he is staying positive despite going 0-for-10 with six strikeouts since hitting his 450th career home run Friday.
"I still feel good [at the plate]," Rodriguez said after going 0-for-4 and striking out in Sunday’s 13-5 loss at Toronto. "I hit a ball to the track that would have been a double, but the kid [Frank Catalanotto] made a good play on it."
Starting Monday night the Yankees will play three games at Ameriquest Field, where Rodriguez is a career .331 (360-for-1,086) hitter with 95 homers and 254 RBIs and is 5-for-13 (.385) with a homer and six RBIs in three games this year.
"It's always good to go there," said Rodriguez, who called Ameriquest home from 2001 to 2003. "But I don't want to jinx myself."
After making five errors in his previous four starts, A-Rod handled the only chance he had Sunday without issue by throwing a strike to second base for a force out.
Monday night’s game is huge for the Yankees, who lost three of four in Toronto and slipped to 2½ games behind Boston in the AL East race. Monday night’s matchup pits Randy Johnson (10-8, 4.88 ERA) and Rangers ace Kevin Millwood (10-5, 4.61 ERA).
New York is a slight sportsbook favorite (-$118), and I like the Yankees here. Johnson has been better of late, and Millwood has actually been better on the road than at home, where’s he’s posted a 6.59 ERA. He’s only 1-3 lifetime against the Yankees, with a 5.17 ERA.
