The Lead

Kirk and Bieber Push Jays Past Yankees Again

Alejandro Kirk hit a homer and a tiebreaking double as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 3-1 on Friday, with Shane Bieber winning for the fourth time in six starts and Louis Varland converting his 27th save in 28 chances. The bullpen conversion rate is the more durable story here: a closer who has blown one save all year turns a one-run lead into a formality, and that kind of certainty is worth more in September than any single box score in August.

The complication is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who left the game after a collision with Yankees rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. at third base in the sixth inning. No severity has been confirmed, but any absence from the middle of that lineup changes the calculus on a roster already leaning on Kirk for thump. Watch the lineup card before first pitch today for the answer.

The Rest of the Slate

FedEx St. Jude Championship

Scottie Scheffler opened with five straight birdies and closed a 9-under 61 to take a three-shot lead, with Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im tied for second at 8 under. A round that low this early in a FedEx Cup playoff event tends to settle a tournament rather than open one up.

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy

IndyCar scrapped Friday's practice and qualifying at Markham after the promoter failed to finish the track, pushing the entire first-day schedule into Saturday. Compressing a full day of sessions into one window raises the odds of a rushed, lower-quality grid for Sunday's race.

FedEx St. Jude Championship

Mississauga's Sudarshan Yellamaraju shot a 5-under 65 to sit tied for ninth at TPC Southwind, the top Canadian in the field. A weekend inside the top ten at a playoff event is the kind of finish that starts changing how his name gets said on broadcasts.

The Number

Scottie Scheffler's second-round score at TPC Southwind A 9-under round with five straight opening birdies is not a hot streak, it is a player operating with no visible weakness in his game right now. Three-shot leads at this level rarely survive a poor round, but Scheffler's have this season, and that is the pattern worth tracking into Saturday's back nine.

What's On Tonight

            1:00 PM ET · FedEx St. Jude Championship, Round 3 · TSN
3:07 PM ET · Blue Jays vs Yankees · Sportsnet
7:00 PM ET · Toronto FC vs New England Revolution · TSN
          

Top Dog — Betting Angle

The pick: Toronto FC to beat New England Revolution. A home return to BMO Field after more than three months away is exactly the kind of occasion that tends to produce a motivated result.

“A bullpen with one blown save all year makes every other problem look smaller”