Leaving the Bronx last weekend with their AL East lead cut to two games, the Toronto Blue Jays arrived home to Rogers Centre for another critical series against the always-tough Houston Astros.

But thanks to some late-game dramatics and Kevin Gausman’s dominance, Toronto bounced back from its series loss to the New York Yankees by taking two of three from Houston. The wins not only vaulted the Blue Jays back into the No. 1 seed in the American League, but also allowed them to gain a game on the Yankees in the division race.

Those Yankees will continue their stretch against AL contenders as they head to Fenway Park to kick off a key three-game set against the Boston Red Sox. The longtime rivals enter Friday’s opener separated by just half a game in the standings, meaning the outcome could

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