New York @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2015 ) Toronto 0, NY Yankees 5

The Toronto Blue Jays went out and got David Price prior to the trade deadline for times like this, when the former Cy Young Award winner is needed to help lock up the division. The Blue Jays will send Price to the mound on Monday, when they welcome the New York Yankees to town for the opener of a three-game American League East showdown.

Toronto is looking to bounce back after dropping the final two contests of a three-game series to last-place Boston over the weekend, squandering leads in both setbacks. The 4-3 loss on Sunday proved more costly when the Yankees exploded late across town at the New York Mets and earned an 11-2 win to pull within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Blue Jays. New York wasted an opportunity to take over the division lead when it lost three of four at home to the Blue Jays from Sept. 11-13 but did take two of three in Toronto last month. The Yankees will counter Price with Adam Warren, who is expected to remain in the rotation over the final two weeks of the regular season.

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, YES (New York), RSN, TVA (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Adam Warren (6-6, 3.33 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH David Price (16-5, 2.42)

Warren returned to the rotation on Tuesday and allowed two runs and six hits in four innings without factoring in the decision at Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old is 5-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 starts this season. Warren always has been tough on Toronto but still is looking for his first win against the division rival, going 0-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 14 games (one start).

Price leads the AL in ERA and has yet to allow more than three runs in nine starts since joining the Blue Jays. The Vanderbilt product scattered one run and six hits over seven innings while striking out nine at Atlanta on Wednesday to add to his Cy Young Award resume. Price already is making his fourth start against New York since joining Toronto as he went 2-0 while yielding a total of five runs in 19 1/3 frames over the first three.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Blue Jays are 13-27 in one-run games.

2. New York RHP Masahiro Tanaka (hamstring) will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday and is expected to be replaced by Ivan Nova.

3. Toronto 3B and MVP candidate Josh Donaldson is 4-for-28 in his last seven games.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 6, Yankees 2