The Yankees just went 6-1 on an incredibly difficult road trip to start the season. Marcus Stroman looked great last time out just as he was last year before falling injured. The Blue Jays offense, meanwhile, is hitting .176 and has scored two or fewer runs in five of their seven games. They still haven't been home, either. There's some juice here, but it's hard to see the better team, Yankees, not winning this game with a bit extra adrenaline for the home opener.

Volpe eat up Kikuchi last year. I expect him to feast today. This lefty doesn't fool him and Kikuchi has looked washed since spring training and maybe rushed to come back too soon last year. Volpe will be looking to put on a show this Opening Day after crushing the ball on road trip. Addition of Soto lengthens lineup and puts him in position to drive in runs. Looking locked in second year and love this matchup for him.

Despite two difficult series against the Astros and Diamondbacks on the road, the Yankees are 6-1 to begin the season. Their lineup is much improved with Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo in the fold, and their bullpen has been terrific. Starting Friday will be Marcus Stroman, who allowed three unearned runs over six innings versus the Astros in his first start. He could thrive against a Blue Jays lineup that has only scored 22 runs over their first seven games. This is a great opportunity for the Yankees to win their first home game of the season.

Home opener for the Yankees on Friday afternoon. Former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman was terrific in his Yankees debut last weekend, while Toronto's Yusei Kikuchi was knocked around a bit by Tampa Bay. The Jays are not hitting at all yet as they were no-hit Monday in Houston and then held to one hit Wednesday. I'm starting to think Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not going to live up to the hype. And Bo Bichette might not be 100% healthy and already has missed a couple games. The wind is blowing out hard so in theory that should benefit Stroman, a ground-ball pitcher, much more than Kikuchi.

Wind is blowing out for the Yankee Stadium opener, which should mean plenty of runs. New York's Torres has been leading off for the injured DJ LeMahieu and is 9-for-22 career with a double and homer off Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi.