Blue Jays host Yankees for the series of the season

Aug 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman

(20) gestures with first baseman

(10) after hitting a home run against Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays seemingly cannot be stopped. After sweeping the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees last week, the Blue Jays tripled up with a sweep over the Oakland Athletics, culminating in a 4-2 win on Thursday afternoon. Troy Tulowitzki needs a day off? No problem, with backup shortstop Ryan Goins hitting a three-run blast.

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Now sitting at the top of the American League East far earlier than even the most optimistic fan would have anticipated, the Jays have an opportunity to pull away from the offensively daunting Yankees. Rarely to the Jays meet a club with enough thunder in their bats to rival them at the plate, but this is one of those occasions.

The Yankees have been going in an opposite direction of the Blue Jays over the past two weeks, losing several close games along the way. They’ll send Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka and rookie Luis Severino to the mound at the Rogers Centre as they hope to turn things around. It looks like a sold out weekend in Toronto, and I’ve got a feeling that some TV ratings record may fall over the next three days. Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups!

Next: Game one! Price looks to stay dominant

Aug 8, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting and winning pitcher

(14) pitches in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1:  Friday, August 14th  –  7:07 ET
David Price (11-4, 2.35)  vs.  Ivan Nova (4-4, 3.52)

We get a repeat of the pitching matchup from the Bronx in the series opener, with Blue Jays ace David Price taking on the talented Ivan Nova. Price was dominant in their last meeting, his second outing as a Jay, throwing seven innings of shutout ball while allowing just three hits and striking out seven.

Price has seen his ERA fall to 2.35 since moving to Toronto, which has put him on the fringes of the AL Cy Young discussion. While he’s certainly able to take care of the ERA and WHIP numbers, the Blue Jays bats should feed him some wins even when he’s not locked in. Look for an electric atmosphere with Price chasing Ks, and his most important task will be to avoid the long ball.

Nova counters for the Yankees as he continues to rebuild from his Tommy John surgery. The right-hander did allow four earned runs over 5.1 innings against the Jays last week, but his raw stuff looked encouraging, his curveball especially. Nova has been fairly strong since his return, but if the Jays are able to break into New York’s bullpen early, it could tilt the series in their favor.

Next: Game two: Estrada gets the matinee

Aug 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays fans give pitcher

(36) a standing ovation as he leaves the game against Oakland Athletics in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamiltonl-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3:  Sunday, August 16th  –  1:07 ET
Drew Hutchison (11-2, 5.26)  vs.  Luis Severino (0-1, 2.45)

The Jays seem prepared to roll out Drew Hutchison for the final game of the season against rookie Luis Severino, and that’s still quite the risk. Hutchison has been far and away the weakest link in the Blue Jays chain this season, but did turn a corner in his most recent start against the Oakland Athletics.

Hutchison pitched 7.0 strong innings on August 11th, allowing just two earned runs on four hits. He avoided the hanging slider that has plagued him throughout the season, and instead drove his breaking pitch down into the dirt with great depth. If this can continue, and Hutchison can locate his fastball, there’s potential that he can turn this around. We’ll need to see more than one start, though.

Yankees top pitching prospect Luis Severino will make his third MLB start in the finale, and he’s looked quite strong through his early tests. Severino got the no-decision in his last outing versus the Cleveland Indians, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. The right-hander will hit the mid-90s with his fastball and will lean heavily on a slider later in counts.

Next: Marco Estrada: How he's avoiding the home run

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• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King