New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays: Jordan Montgomery vs. Ross Stripling

The AL East isn’t settled yet, but the Yankees were able to take a big bite out of Tampa’s chances of winning the division this week, sweeping them in the Bronx to push them 12 games back. If they can add a sweep of the Blue Jays to the mix, Toronto’s chances of winning the East drastic go down.

Jordan Montgomery gets the ball in tonight’s series opener, coming off a dominant performance against the Cubs last week. The lefty threw seven shutout innings, allowing just five baserunners while the Yankees finally put up some runs for him. Overall, he heads into the night with a 2.70 ERA and 3.45 FIP, and in his one start against the Jays so far in 2022, he worked five innings, allowing a pair of earned runs in an eventual 3-2 Yankees win.

Opposing Monty will be Ross Stripling, also in the middle of a fine season that doesn’t really get talked about. The 32-year-old right-hander sports a 3.14 ERA and 2.97 FIP, not to mention a renewed ability to keep the ball in the park, having given up just three home runs all season. For what it’s worth, Gleyber Torres has been responsible for one of them.

We’ll also get our first look at one of the best prospects in all of baseball, catcher Gabriel Moreno, ranked No. 4 in the game by MLB. He’s gotten off to a solid start in his career, with a 107 wRC+ albeit in just 16 PAs. Widely acclaimed for his arm and framing abilities, he’s also as athletic a catcher as you’re likely to see, with a well-above-average 28 ft./second sprint speed.

While we wait for first pitch, enjoy Nestor Cortes exuding pure joy on a recent mic’d-up session:

How to watch

Location: Rogers Centre — Toronto, ON

First pitch: 7:07 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, SNET, MLB Network (out-of-market)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1380, FAN590

Online stream: MLB.tv

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