Yankees vs Blue Jays Preview: Big Pitching Showdown in Toronto

Aaron Judge is out. The Yankees' biggest hitter won't play for weeks. That's huge. Judge has a stress fracture in his rib, and he won't be back until late July at the earliest. The Yankees are also missing Giancarlo Stanton, their designated hitter. Austin Wells, their catcher, is sidelined too. Trent Grisham pulled his hamstring running the bases. So New York is down four major bats heading into Toronto. Still, the Yankees are 41-27. They beat the Blue Jays 3-1 yesterday. They need everyone stepping up without Judge in the lineup.

Toronto is 34-36. The Blue Jays lost two games in this series—first 8-5, then 3-1. Wait, they won yesterday 3-1 against the Yankees. So the series is tight. Toronto is missing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. today. He's taking a day off. The Blue Jays also lost Daulton Varsho to a wrist injury. But Lenyn Sosa is heating up. He smashed a 415-foot home run. The Blue Jays stay hungry even when stars are banged up. Patrick Corbin takes the mound for Toronto today.

Will Warren gets the ball for the Yankees today. He's stepping up without Max Fried available. Fried just threw off a mound for the first time since his elbow injury. The Yankees' pitching staff is stacked when healthy. Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón could be unstoppable. Patrick Corbin pitches for Toronto. The Blue Jays' rotation features Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease. Both pitchers throw hard. Both want to keep their team alive. This is a battle between two bullpens trying to shut down damaged lineups. One team will stay in this series.