The Yankees begin the second half tied with the Red Sox in the loss column and two behind in the win column. Don’t fret, there’s still plenty of Boston-New York matchups ahead — nine, to be exact.
But first, the Yankees have another AL East foe to handle. The Blue Jays took three of eight games against the Yankees in the first half, and they’re set to begin a four-game series tonight.
On the Hill:
Thursday: Bartolo Colon (6-4, 3.20) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (4-7, 4.57)
Friday: Freddy Garcia (7-6, 3.13) vs. Brandon Morrow (5-4, 4.60)
Saturday: CC Sabathia (13-4, 2.72) vs. Ricky Romero (7-8, 3.09)
Sunday: Phil Hughes (0-2, 10.57) vs. Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 2.99)
Players to Watch:
Mark Teixeira: In his eight seasons prior to this year, Tex has been a second half slugger. He’ll have a tough time topping his first half this season, as he cranked 25 homers. The second half begins tonight.
Jose Bautista: Every time the Yankees face the Blue Jays, there should only be one guy to watch out for. Quite obviously, it’s the major league home run leader, who is lapping the field. He has 31 while the next closest — two Yankees — have 25.
Prediction:
The Yankees will split this series with Garcia and Hughes taking losses.
