After the Yankees’ first offday in two weeks, they return home for a brief homestand against the Blue Jays. who have faded from a hot start and sit third in the AL East with a five-game losing streak.
With a rested bullpen, Carlos Carrasco will make his fifth start of the year. Carrasco has struggled in his brief time in pinstripes, with the 38-year-old posting a 6.53 ERA (62 ERA+) and 5.73 FIP. After a good outing in the Bronx against the Royals, Carrasco faded fast in his last start against the Rays, surrendering four hits and three runs in the fourth before being pulled following a leadoff double in the fifth.
As you might expect, Carrasco drops off drastically after the first time through the order, going from allowing a .138/.278/.207 slash to a .258/.324/.770 in the second time through. When your opponents are slugging better than Aaron Judge, that’s not good.
Carrasco’s top two offerings are still getting crushed, as both his slider and four-seam fastball have a jarring wOBA against of over .500. His sinker and changeup have performed well, but when opponents are crushing your most common pitches, it doesn’t show as much.
Berríos has been inconsistent since being acquired by the Blue Jays at the 2021 Trade Deadline. While the prospects they dealt to Minnesota aren’t making them regret the move, he hasn’t quite lived up to the ace billing that was bestowed upon him (nor the seven-year, $131 million extension). After a flat-out bad 2022, Berríos settled into a pair of rock-solid years, posting a 3.63 ERA while making 64 starts over the past two seasons.
He’s off to a rocky start in 2025, as he’s struggled for the most part, aside from seven innings of one-run ball at Fenway a few weeks ago. A 5.05 ERA (80 ERA+), 5.43 FIP, and a career-low 7.5 K/9 are not great, nor is his 13.1-percent barrel rate or 25th-percentile whiff rate. In his career, Berríos is 4-8 with a 5.22 ERA in 14 career starts against the Yankees, with those struggles not getting any better since coming to the AL East.
Berríos has been the exact opposite of Carrasco, with his top two pitches being above-average but everything else getting crushed. His fastball and cutter, specifically, have been food for opponents. That’s great news for the Yankees and especially Ben Rice, who is hitting .421 with a .947 SLG% against fastballs.
Rice will not be leading off for the Yankees, as he’ll move behind Judge to try and solve the lineup protection issue. Fresh off paternity leave, Trent Grisham will lead off for the second time this season, as Bellinger slides to the five-hole beneath Paul Goldschmidt. As Berríos is a righty, Oswaldo Cabrera will bat ninth and play at third.
Toronto will have Bo Bichette leading off with Yankee killers Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander behind them. While everyone on the Blue Jays has underperformed (except a blisteringly hot George Springer), they could still pose threats for Carrasco. The lighter-hitting Addison Barger is in the lineup for rookie Alan Roden, batting seventh.
How to watch:
Location: Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm EDT
TV Broadcast: YES Network, SN1, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Radio Broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | SN590, SN App (TOR)
Online Steam: MLB.tv, Gotham Sports App
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