Spencer Jones, Yankees strive to continue hot streak vs. Jays

The New York Yankees are on their best winning streak since losing Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib.

New York attempts to earn a sixth straight win and shave another game off its American League East deficit Saturday afternoon when it hosts the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Yankees are on their longest winning streak since taking five straight May 24-29 and are seeking their second six-game winning streak this season. New York opened the series with Friday's 3-1 victory by doing just enough offensively.

Spencer Jones is among the key contributors to the Yankees' surge, which has seen them win nine of 13 to get within three of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

"I think that's what it's about," Jones said of trying to catch the Rays. "That's what you want to do as a player to be on a team that's competing and then to help the team win games in any way possible."

Jones hit a two-run homer and is 10-for-33 (.303) in his past nine games. He homered among three hits in Thursday's 6-1 win at Baltimore and has gone deep in consecutive games for the second time in his brief career.

"The last two nights have been really good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Even when he went through a little bit of a lull there in the last week where he wasn't getting a lot of hits and stuff. He's never felt overmatched or anything and is making some good adjustments."

Toronto had nine hits on Friday but went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Alejandro Kirk heads into Saturday hitting .410 (16-for-39) on a 10-game hitting streak and is expected to be joined in the lineup by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero is expected to be activated off the seven-day concussion list after passing his final tests Friday and appearing in a rehab game Thursday for Single-A Dunedin.

"He felt good," Toronto manager John Schneider said. "These last couple of days, even before he left to play in Clearwater, he was feeling good. He's feeling normal, so that's a good thing."

Toronto used six pitchers in a bullpen game Friday and will start right-hander Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.42 ERA) on Saturday. Cease has four straight no-decisions and a 2.22 ERA in those games.

Cease is facing the Yankees for the second straight time after allowing two runs on two hits in 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision on Sunday. Cease has 34 of his 201 strikeouts in this four-start stretch and fanned 10 on Sunday, marking his ninth double-digit strikeout game this season.

Cease also opposed the Yankees in New York on May 19 when he allowed five runs on four hits in five innings. Cease is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in eight career starts against New York.

New York's Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.56) opposes Cease for the second straight start and is 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in his past five starts. He allowed one run or fewer for the 13th time on Sunday when he held the Blue Jays to one run on six hits in 7 1/3 innings before the Yankees earned the win in the 10th inning.

Weathers also allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings during a no-decision against Toronto on May 18. He is 1-1 with a 5.01 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays.

--Field Level Media