Toronto Blue Jays: Previewing pivotal series against Yankees

Blue Jays hoping to continue offensive outburst

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. continues to swing a hot bat and help carry the Toronto offence. In 13 games this month he’s gone 16 for 45, hitting .356 with a .408 OBP and a 1.008 OPS. He’s got three home runs and eight RBI’s during that stretch.

After a horrible month of August, Travis Shaw has turned things around in September. He hit just .205 with a .600 OPS last month. During September, Shaw is hitting .325 with an .OPS of .914. He’s only hit one home run this month, but with other sources of power in the lineup the Blue Jays will take anything they can get from him at this point.

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Taijuan Walker continues to impress since coming to the Blue Jays in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. He’s made three starts with the Jays (one in August, two in September), and has only allowed two earned runs through 15.2 IP, good for a 1.18 ERA.

Rafael Dolis continues to succeed in the closer’s role, as he is now 3 for 3 in save opportunities. He’s pitched 6.1 innings this month without allowing an earned run, and has 10 strikeouts in that time.

Yankees depth stepping up

Miguel Andujar is 11 for 31 this month, hitting .355 with an .OPS of .975. He’s got one home run and five RBI’s in September.

DJ LeMahieu leads all Yankees this month with four home runs in 52 at-bats. He’s hitting .269 with an .OPS of .885 and six RBI’s.

Since the calendar turned to September, Gerrit Cole has been finding his groove. He’s made two starts this month with 13 IP, a 0.69 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts. Opponents are also hitting just .128 against him.

Masahiro Tanaka has also looked impressive. 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts through 16.1 IP. Deivi Garcia will have the first pitch of the opener tonight at 7:05 PM Eastern.  Walker counters for the Blue Jays.

Can the Blue Jays win this series with the Yankees? How important do you think these games are to the final standings? Let us know in the comments below.