Scherzer Will Spoil Schlittler's Road Debut

Yankees vs. Blue Jays, 7:07 ET

It was a crap day yesterday on the diamond. I don't think I was too far off on my looks or anything, but I lost both plays. I've explained this before, but some plays are significantly worse looks than others. I still liked the angles I took on both games yesterday. I lost the play on the Tigers, as they were unable to beat Paul Skenes and the Pirates. Still, betting on one of the best teams in baseball, and against one of the worst at the price I got is not a bad look. Today we have a different scenario as two of the best teams take each other on tonight as the Yankees play the Blue Jays.

The Yankees come into the game just 10 games over .500 and currently sit in second place of the AL East. This is a team that led the division for a good portion of the season. The Yankees aren't without their flaws, but the team does have a lot of good things going for them. Pitching was going to be a concern basically from the start of the season, but they have navigated the path very well to this point. When you lose your Ace before the season it can be devastating, but the team has a 3.88 ERA and a 1.22 collective WHIP. They still are looking for some pitching help due to other injuries and issues, though. They are hopeful today's starter, Cam Schlittler, can help the team. He has only made one start this season, going 5.1 innings and allowing four hits, three earned runs, on two homers, and seven strikeouts. That was a start before the All-Star Break and he was at home. It is a different beast making a road start, and this will be the first of his career. 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 03: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a single against the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium on July 03, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

If you've read my articles for the past two years, you know there are some teams that I like more than others for whatever reason. Even if I am not necessarily a fan of that team, I tend to like certain teams more than others. One of those teams is the Blue Jays. For whatever reason, I've thought they should be better than their results indicated over the past few years. This year they are finally clicking and are currently sitting in first place in the division. That doesn't mean they will win the division, or that they will make the playoffs. However, they are playing better baseball this season than they have in a few years. They have a pitching staff they can count on and a good offense. One guy on the staff who could make a great impact on this playoff push is Max Scherzer, and he takes the ball tonight. While Schlittler is at the beginning of his career, Scherzer is closer to the end. It seems like he still has some gas in the tank. He has made four starts since an early season injury. In those games, he has gone 20 innings and allowed 10 earned runs. Not the dominating numbers we are familiar with, but he is still keeping them in games. One of the games was against the Yankees, where he allowed two earned runs over five innings. 

I always like to think about the better teams and the better pitchers. I think the better team is a bit harder to interpret. The Blue Jays are better in terms of their record, but I'm not overly confident that they are significantly better than New York. The pitching is where I think they do have an edge. I'm going to take the Blue Jays to beat the Yankees here as I have more faith in Scherzer than I do Schlittler making his road debut. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024