The Toronto Blue Jays will look to keep stacking series wins on Sunday in the Bronx.
José Soriano takes the mound at Yankee Stadium as he aims to help the Blue Jays secure a seventh consecutive series dating to July 28, excluding a makeup game against the Chicago Cubs.
First pitch flies at 1:35 p.m. ET / 10:35 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
The August surge has propelled Toronto up the standings and into the wild-card race. It sits half a game back of the Texas Rangers for the final spot entering play on Sunday. The Blue Jays' FanGraphs playoff odds are 22.2 per cent.
They most recently held off the Yankees in a 4-3 win on Saturday, as Dylan Cease took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returned from the seven-day concussion injured list with two hits.
Acquired at the trade deadline for shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, Soriano's Blue Jays tenure has started strong. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 2.76 ERA with nine strikeouts and five walks over 16.1 innings in three starts.
However, Soriano's most recent start was his worst yet as a Blue Jay — he allowed three earned runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings against the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
He'll look to rebound against the Yankees' left-handed-hitting heavy lineup opposite Carlos Rodon, making his second since returning from a seven-week stint on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation.
The veteran lefty threw 66 pitches over four innings of one-run ball in his return on Tuesday, striking out four and walking two. Rodon has a 3.22 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 28 walks over 50.1 innings this season.
Meanwhile, Guerrero hit two singles in five at-bats in his return from the IL on Saturday.
It was Guerrero's first placement on the IL in his major-league career. The 27-year-old first baseman has missed a career-high 15 games this season after being absent for just 18 total over the previous five years.
Home-run power has continued to elude Guerrero, who has only seven long balls through 116 games after averaging 32.5 over the last five seasons. He is one of two qualified MLB players yet to hit a home run in his home ballpark. The other, Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson, has zero career home runs.
But Guerrero Jr. has always hit well at Yankee Stadium, bashing 16 homers and logging a .976 OPS over 53 career games in the Bronx.
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