Blue Jays leave AL East door open after series loss to Yankees

The New York Yankees took two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx this weekend. Here are our takeaways from the AL's closest divisional race:

Blue Jays give Yankees life

The Blue Jays entered the series with a chance to extend a three-game division lead to six, which would've effectively put the race to bed.

However, winning the AL East was never going to be that easy, and Toronto watched its lead in the division shrink to two games by the end of the weekend.

The Blue Jays set themselves up nicely by taking Friday's Game 1, but their offense struggled over the final two contests, going 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position in back-to-back losses.

The Yankees have looked lost at times this season, but they've been playing well lately, winning 11 of their last 14 games and rattling off four straight series victories, including wins over the Houston Astros and Blue Jays. The surge has put New York within two contests of the division lead for the first time since July 13.

Toronto, playing Sunday without Bo Bichette due to a shin injury, will be especially frustrated with the loss in the finale. The club outhit the Yankees 8-3 but went 2-for-12 with RISP and failed to score with runners at second and third with no outs in the third inning.

The Blue Jays opened the series with 70.8% odds to win the division, courtesy FanGraphs. The number jumped to 81.9% after Friday's win before dipping to 66.9% following the series loss.

The silver lining for Toronto is that it still has control over its own destiny and holds the tiebreaker over New York after winning the season series. The Yankees' next six contests come against the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, two teams they've struggled against with a combined 3-10 record. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, head home for a pair of three-game series against the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles.

Toronto has MLB's 12th-hardest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon, while the Yankees have the fifth-easiest schedule. It feels like this race will come down to the final weekend.

Toronto holds an 8.5-game lead in clinching a playoff spot, but the top priority should be winning the division and securing a first-round bye to the ALDS. Avoiding the wild-card round and locking down home-field advantage - where the Blue Jays have thrived with a 45-24 record - could be crucial to making a deep playoff run.

Both bullpens looked pretty good

So much talk heading into the series surrounded each team's struggling bullpen, but both relief corps pitched well over the weekend.

Blue Jays relievers Ryan Borucki, Braydon Fisher, Jeff Hoffman, Brendon Little, and Yariel Rodriguez combined to throw 7 1/3 shutout innings, striking out 10 and walking two. Louie Varland was the team's only reliever to allow a run during the series. Even with the series loss, Toronto will feel a lot better coming down the stretch if its beleaguered bullpen can pitch better.

All of the Yankees' high-leverage arms also pitched well in the series. Devin Williams, David Bednar, Luke Weaver, and Fernando Cruz combined to throw four shutout innings with five strikeouts. Bednar picked up a pair of saves while allowing just one baserunner over 2 1/3 innings. He's been excellent since coming over at the deadline, giving the Yankees a proven closer who's capable of throwing multiple innings.

Guerrero loves New York

A trip to the Bronx always seems like the remedy to get Vladimir Guerrero Jr. going. Toronto's first baseman entered the series in a 6-for-34 rut with no extra-base hits but proceeded to go 8-for-13 with two home runs, two walks, and one strikeout against New York.

Guerrero boasts an impressive track record at Yankee Stadium, entering Sunday with a .299/.364/.627 slash line in 46 career games. His 16 home runs are the most at any visiting stadium he's played at.

The Blue Jays need Guerrero to be at his best if they want to lock down their first division title since 2015. September's historically been Guerrero's worst month by OPS for his career, so it's encouraging to see him post a 1.527 OPS over his first six games of the month.

Judge's elbow remains a concern

Aaron Judge returned to the outfield Friday for the first time since July 27 after suffering a right flexor strain, and it's clear his throwing remains limited. Judge was immediately tested in the first inning and opted to make a soft lob to second base rather than attempt a throw home.

Both Judge and manager Aaron Boone downplayed any limitations, but the Yankees are certainly being cautious. Judge said his elbow doesn't bother him when he swings, but it's important he doesn't risk further injury by launching a throw. Still, it puts Boone in a difficult spot. He needs both Stanton and Judge in the lineup.

Stanton deserves credit for his willingness to play right field when Judge couldn't, but he ranks as one of the worst defensive players in the game. Although Judge's throwing may be limited, he can still cover more ground than Stanton and is clearly the superior defender, even if his arm isn't at full strength.

Judge returned to DH on Saturday, with Cody Bellinger in right field. While it hurt to start Stanton on the bench, having Bellinger in right field helped prevent the game-tying run in the sixth inning.

Judge was back in right field Sunday, looking better on an early throw to second base before opting against a throw to home later in the contest. The Blue Jays aggressively challenged Judge's arm throughout the series, and that'll likely be something other teams try to exploit moving forward.

Yankees' keen eye leads to big swing

Credit to the Yankees for picking up on Max Scherzer tipping his changeup in Sunday's series finale - a key insight that led to a three-run home run from Ben Rice in the first inning.

While standing on first base, Bellinger noticed Scherzer was tipping his grip. Bellinger relayed that information to Judge at second base, who informed Rice at the plate by stretching out his arms.

Rice's home run eventually came on a 95-mph fastball, but the ability to rule out the changeup helped him during the 10-pitch at-bat.

Scherzer admitted following the game that he's had problems this season with tipping his changeup and said that he and the team are actively trying to tweak his glove positioning. The right-hander added that he thought he had corrected the issue.

Any slight advantage can help in September when the games are so tight and there's little margin for error. Credit to the Yankees players for legally picking up on it.

Gausman looks like playoff Game 1 starter

The Blue Jays can feel confident handing Kevin Gausman the ball for Game 1 of any playoff series. He held the Yankees to one run - a solo homer to Stanton - and four hits over eight innings in the series opener.

Gausman's latest start continued a string of dominance for the right-hander, who owns a 2.61 ERA over his last 13 appearances. He's been especially impressive lately against some really good competition, allowing four runs in 22 innings against the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Yankees over the last month.

Whether it's in the ALDS or wild-card round, Gausman should be the first to get the ball when Toronto opens its playoffs.

Quick hits

• Baserunners have stolen 22 straight bases off Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk.
• Anthony Volpe's 19 errors rank second in MLB behind Elly De La Cruz.
• The Yankees' 6-7-8-9 hitters combined to go 2-for-32 (.062) with 14 strikeouts in the series.
• Toronto outhit New York (24-12) in the series.
• Max Fried owns a 1.67 ERA over his last four starts after surrendering a season-high seven runs Aug. 16 in St. Louis.
• Judge went 2-for-8 with four walks and no RBIs in the three games.
• The series marked Toronto's first against an AL East opponent since July 28-30. The Blue Jays are 20-19 against the division, while the Yankees are 19-23.