The New York Yankees are closing out their three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, but they'll have to do it without their scheduled starter.

Left-hander Ryan Weathers, who gutted through a viral infection to deliver a respectable five-inning, three-run performance against the Orioles last Sunday, has been scratched from Thursday's start. The illness hit him hard after that game. "I just went home and pretty much threw my guts out for several hours," Weathers admitted Wednesday night.

What initially seemed like food poisoning turned into something more serious. "I woke up (Monday) and was running 102 temp," Weathers explained. "I was just pretty much bedroomed for a couple days." He lost nine pounds in two days and couldn't keep anything down, eventually needing an IV on Wednesday to rehydrate.

The timing couldn't have been worse. Weathers, who recently became a father, was quarantined on the second floor of his Connecticut home for two days while his wife and two-week-old son stayed downstairs. "I obviously didn't want to spread it around everybody," he said.

The decision to push his next start back to Monday in Baltimore came down to arm health. Weathers' between-starts throwing routine was completely disrupted by the illness. "We just deemed it's not worth it to risk my arm health," he noted. "Everything's back to normal now. I feel good now."

Stepping in on short notice is reliever Paul Blackburn, who will make a spot start for the series finale. The Yankees will likely hope for at least three innings from the right-hander as they manage their bullpen workload.

Meanwhile, all eyes remain on Aaron Judge, who continues his historic pace at the plate. The slugger's power surge has been a bright spot in a season full of storylines for the Bronx Bombers.

For fans looking to catch the action, Thursday's game has an over/under of 8.5 total runs—a testament to the offensive firepower both lineups bring to the table.