The inevitable has happened. The Yankees’ prolonged slide from June into July has finally culminated in one of their rivals catching them in the AL East, as the Blue Jays took their third straight over the Bombers to enter a tie for first place. Technically speaking, the Jays have the tie-breaker thanks to head-to-head record, so for the first time since late April the Yankees are chasing the top instead of looking down at the pack.
They’ll look to avoid the four-game sweep and salvage their lead at least a little later tonight. Before that, we’ve got a full slate ready to go, starting with Peter breaking down Marcus Stroman’s work in his return from the IL in the Sequence of the Week. Andrew has our ever-crucial scoreboard update in the Rivalry Roundup, John looks into the potential for the White Sox to be a trade partner this summer, and Nick Sarnelli rounds out our monthly divisional check-ins with the NL Central. Finally, Josh shares some thoughts on the Rogers monopoly regarding Blue Jays broadcasts and the way that they don’t fit into MLB’s ideal of regional sports network.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 p.m. EST
TV/Streaming: YES Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports, MLB Network (out-of-network, only)
Radio: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280
Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Questions/Prompts:
1. If the Yankees get swept and fall out of first place, how long will it take them to catch back up?
2. What’s your confidence in this team at right now, on a scale of 1-10?