Yankees vs. Blue Jays (June 18): Manoah, Jays look to even series after Friday rout

Can the New York Yankees be stopped? The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t do a very good job of it yesterday, but they will hope to today with Alek Manoah on the mound.

In yesterday’s 12-3 win at Rogers Centre, the Yankees produced their latest destructive display, scoring 12 runs and tallying 14 hits in winning their eighth straight game.

The Bronx Bombers lead MLB in homers and hit four yesterday to take their total for the season to 105. The biggest blow of the bunch was Anthony Rizzo’s fifth-inning grand slam, which capped an eight-run frame for the Yanks.

It was a pretty rough night for the home team and the home fans, but Manoah has been outstanding against the Yankees twice already this season.

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: New York Yankees (48-16, 19-9 road, 1st in the AL East) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (37-27, 20-13 home, 2nd in the AL East)
• Venue & Location: Rogers Centre (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022
• Game Time: 3:07 p.m. Eastern Time
• TV Broadcast/Streaming Info: YES Network (Yankees), SportsNet (Blue Jays), MLB Extra Innings/MLB.TV (subscription packages)

Yankees vs. Blue Jays Pitching Matchup

• New York Yankees: Jameson Taillon (2022: 12 starts, 7-1, 2.93 ERA)
• Toronto Blue Jays: Alek Manoah (2022: 12 starts, 8-1, 1.67 ERA)

Yankees vs. Blue Jays Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from our other top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks may also be featured in this article.

Moneyline

• New York Yankees +118
• Toronto Blue Jays -138

Over/Under

• OVER 8 (-120)
• UNDER 8 (-102)

Run Line

• New York Yankees +1.5 (-184)
• Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+152)

Can Manoah Continue to Cruise at Home?

As a rookie last season, Manoah made a fast start when the Blue Jays returned to Rogers Centre, going 4-0 with a 2.37 ERA in six starts.

He has only kept that going thus far this season, going 5-0 with a 1.55 ERA in six starts. In those starts, he has allowed just seven runs (all earned), 24 hits, and six walks and struck out 36 in 40.2 innings, and opponents are hitting just .171 against him in Toronto.

All six of Manoah’s home starts have been quality starts, including one against the Yankees on May 3.

In that start, Manoah allowed just one run, three hits, and one walk and struck out seven in six innings. He left with the game tied at 1, but New York scored six in the seventh and two in the ninth to claim a 9-1 win.

To date, that is the only time that the Blue Jays have lost when he has started at Rogers Centre. A dozen starts is a relatively small sample size, but that is nonetheless pretty outstanding.

So, even though the Yankees are coming off of a 12-run performance and have won all five of the road games that Taillon has started this season–including that May 3 matchup in Toronto–the Blue Jays are a worthy favorite in this spot with their most reliable arm on the mound.

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Prediction and Best Bets

Yankees vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Blue Jays to win

Yankees vs. Blue Jays Best Bets: Blue Jays ML (-135 at Bovada Sportsbook & BetMGM)

There’s only so much consideration that can be given to splits, trends, and so forth when the Yankees are the best team in the game right now and are on fire.

But the Blue Jays have done a great job this season of responding to losses, compiling a 19-7 record in games following a loss. Only the two New York teams have posted a higher win percentage than Toronto in that scenario.

Barring a drastic line change, this will be just the fifth time this season that the Yankees will be an underdog this season. Each time has been on the road, and they have won three of four games to this point.

That said, as good as the AL East leaders have been at winning this season, I like Manoah and the Blue Jays to come away with the win in today’s matchup.

While Taillon has been racking up the wins, he hasn’t been unhittable and has allowed seven runs and 16 hits in his last two starts combined. The Yankees scored 10 (at Minnesota) and 18 (vs. the Cubs) runs in those games but run support should be a little harder to come by today against Manoah.

Also, Manoah has recorded seven strikeouts in three of four starts against the Yankees. At BetOnline, you can back Manoah to have 7+ strikeouts at +124 odds.

Other MLB Content Today on Betting News (Saturday, June 18)

• Braves vs. Cubs Prediction and Best Bets for 6/18