I’ll admit it. I’m a major baseball nerd and the following stat makes me giddy. Tonight’s contest between the Yankees and the Blue Jays will feature a pitching matchup between Cam Schlittler and Max Scherzer. It will be Schittler’s second-career start at the MLB level. For Scherzer? It’ll be his 463rd.
You can’t get two pitchers with a more varied level of experience in the majors. You also can’t get a tilt between two teams that’s been more one-sided the past month, as Toronto took its fifth straight from New York on Monday night, thanks primarily to a fantastic performance from Kevin Gausman. In fact, with one more victory, the Blue Jays can clinch the season series with the Yankees and the all-important tie-breaker.
Can Toronto win again? Let’s preview this huge AL East matchup with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Yankees vs. Blue Jays prediction, preview
Overall, Max Scherzer hasn’t looked amazing in his brief and injury-plagued tenure with the Blue Jays, though he is on the heels of his best outing of the season. Prior to the All-Star break, Scherzer took the mound at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento and recorded his first quality start of 2025, pitching six innings and allowing three earned runs against the Athletics. The game ended on a somewhat sour note for Scherzer, who allowed a pair of home runs in his sixth and final frame, yet the veteran RHP also notched a season-high in strikeouts (8) and average fastball velocity (94.0). There was a lot to like and, in theory, the 42-year-old should benefit from the extended rest of having not pitched in an MLB game since July 11. It’s good timing, too. I’m not overstating things when I say that Toronto will need length from Scherzer tonight if they want to win this contest.
Despite getting seven excellent innings from the aforementioned Gausman on Monday, the Blue Jays still used all three of their highest leverage relievers in the 4-1 victory. That means that Jeff Hoffman and Brendon Little have worked three of the last four days, while Yariel Rodriguez has pitched in the team’s last two games. You’d assume that makes all three off limits for this evening’s affair, leaving John Schneider with the likes of Braydon Fisher, Chad Green and Tommy Nance to turn to in the late innings of a close script. That’s not ideal!
Conversely, that’s the one positive New York fans can draw from last night’s loss. Devin Williams got a break. As did Luke Weaver and Tim Hill, as JT Brubaker tossed a pair of scoreless innings in mop-up duty. The Yankees will likely need to lean on their bullpen again on Tuesday, with Schittler still somewhat of an unknown commodity and having dealt with a bit of an arm issue over the past two weeks. There was a lot to like about the RHP’s debut versus the Mariners, with Schittler picking up the win after throwing 5.1 innings back on July 9. Schittler did surrender a pair of home runs in that contest, yet he also averaged 98.0 mph with his fastball and struck out seven. Say what you will about the 24-year-old prospect, but he’s certainly got a live arm.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees pick, best bet
Best Bet: Max Scherzer Over 15.5 Outs Recorded (+130)
Scherzer threw a season-high 91 pitches in his last start and he’s working on 10 days of rest. This prop is worth the risk.
Strong Lean: Yankees ML (+100)
The Jays have to lose at Rogers Centre eventually, right? With the state of Toronto’s bullpen, I’ll give the slight edge to the Yankees this evening.
