Yankees vs. Blue Jays prediction: MLB picks, odds, bets for home ...

Bet on Marcus Stroman and the Yankees on Friday. Getty Images

The Yankees look to carry their hot start back into The Bronx for their first AL East litmus test against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. 

New York took the season series 7-6 in 2023 and outscored the Jays 32-29 in their five Grapefruit League meetings. 

Marcus Stroman gets the home-opener honors after a concrete debut for the Bombers last week, yielding zero earned runs through six innings.

He wasn’t exactly effective in the strikeout department, but Stroman still limited batters to a 0 percent barrel rate in 101 pitches. 

Yusei Kikuchi already finds himself in a high-pressure position for the Blue Jays.

After a rebound season where he cleaned up his sloppy contact numbers and gained confidence, Kikuchi was horrendous this spring (16.43 ERA over 7²/₃ innings). 

Yusei Kikuchi #16 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch to the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning inning at Tropicana Field. Getty Images

His season debut wasn’t much more reassuring; the 32-year-old lefty was yanked in the fourth inning after control issues that led to a 3-0 hole. 

When Kikuchi falls behind in the count, he flirts with the strike zone — an apprehensive approach that has never panned out for him historically.

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The Yankees have been the most disciplined team at the plate so far, swinging at a 40.8 percent rate. 

And the Jays’ offense hasn’t been exactly supportive; Toronto has started off on the wrong foot with a poorly ranked 76 wRC+. 

The Yanks have a few bats making some early noise, so rather than taking their expensive moneyline price, count on the run support to cover the run line for a bargain. 

The play: Yankees -1.5 runs (+133, BetRivers Sportsbook).