New York @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 23, 2016 ) NY Yankees 0, Toronto 9

The Toronto Blue Jays fell out of first place in the American League East by losing six of its first seven games in September, including a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays remain in control in the wild-card race and can snuff out the playoff hopes of the visiting New York Yankees when they continue their four-game series Saturday afternoon.

Toronto flexed its muscles in the opener of its seven-game homestand Friday by sending the Yankees to their ninth loss in 12 games with a 9-0 mauling in the series opener. Troy Tulowitzki drove in four runs and Josh Donaldson hit his 36th homer as the Blue Jays maintained a one-game lead over Detroit for the top wild card and stayed within 5 1/2 of division-leading Boston. New York appears to be running out of steam, managing only three hits - two by rookie sensation Gary Sanchez - to drop four games behind the Tigers for the second wild card. Veteran CC Sabathia, who has lost all three starts against Toronto this season, will try to keep alive the Yankees' fading hopes when he opposes Marcus Stroman.

TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, WPIX (New York), Sportsnet (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (8-12, 4.19 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (9-9, 4.50)

Sabathia saw his winless drought reach five starts when he allowed four runs and eight hits over five innings in a loss at Boston last time out. Sabathia permitted a total of eight runs in his previous five outings, but the Yankees were shut out twice during his dry spell. Sabathia absorbed a pair of hard-luck losses to Toronto in late May, giving up two runs in each, but he was pounded for seven runs in six innings on Aug. 17.

Stroman is in a tailspin of his own, losing his last four starts and notching only one victory over his last 10 outings. The 25-year-old has received a total of five runs of offensive support during the four-game skid, including a 2-0 loss to the Yankees on Sept. 7. Stroman, who has yielded more than three earned runs only once in his last nine turns, is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in seven career starts against New York.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays 2B Devon Travis has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games, recording multiple hits in 10 of them.

1. Sanchez needs one home run to become the sixth player in franchise history to reach 20 as a rookie.

3. Tulowitzki's four RBIs on Friday doubled his total from his previous 10 games combined.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 5, Yankees 4