Two of baseball’s most historic franchises are on a collision course to potentially meet in the World Series for the first time since 1981. One of the earliest rivalries in sports might finally be rejuvenated in what would be the 12th World Series meeting between the New York Yankees (83-46) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (85-44). This Dodger Stadium 3-game series could mean more than just pride and a preview of the World Series. This weekend series could play a role in determining home field advantage as the Dodgers currently possess a 2 game lead over the Yankees for the best record in baseball.
The Dodgers are coming off a 3-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, while the Yankees have lost 4 games in a row and are 5-5 in their last 10. Not so easy when it’s not against Balitmore. The Yankees are just 34-26 on the road. However, they have averaged 6.3 runs/game when away, but they will lose the DH in Los Angeles. Last time these two teams played during the regular season was September 12-14 2016, where the Dodgers took 2 of 3 in Yankee Stadium. 8-2, 0-3, 2-0. The Yankees have changed managers since then by having second year manager Aaron Boone leading the team. Overall the pitching has been average for the Yankees who rank 16th in baseball with a team ERA of 4.53, a starting staff ERA at 19th with a 4.88 ERA, and their bullpen is 8th at a 4.10 ERA, trailing the Dodgers in all categories. The Yankees bullpen is stacked with big names: Aroldis Chapman is the team’s closer with 35 saves/40 chances. Zach Britton has a 2.26 ERA in a setup role. Former Rockies reliever, Adam Ottavino has a 1.64 Era in 59 games. Tommy Kahnle also has a 2.82 ERA, but Dellin Betances hasn’t pitched this season due to injury. For the Dodgers, don’t forget Joe Kelly has seen the Yankees a lot due to of all his years with Boston.
Pitching Probables
Friday Aug. 23 7:10 PST
James Paxton (9-6) 4.53 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 22 starts, 141 K’s       vs
Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-3) 1.64 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 23 starts, 126 K’s
Summary: Paxton has won his last 4 starts, but over the course of the season opponents are batting .268 off the lefty, and he’s allowed 20 HRs to right handed bats, so look for the Dodgers to stack those righties. Paxton throws a 95-96 MPH fastball 60% of the time and mixes in a cutter and curveball as well. Walk-off hero Hernandez has put up a .474 ISO against fastballs in Paxton’s range. Â Ryu is coming off a loss where he surrendered 4 runs to the Braves, but he’s 9-0 with a 0.81 ERA at home. The Yankees have put up big numbers against soft tossing lefties all year long, but Ryu is on a whole different planet. If Ryu can shut down the Yankees then the Cy Young should be a lock for him.
Saturday Aug. 24 1:05 PST
CC Sabathia (5-7) 5.01 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 18 starts, 87 K’s     vs
Tony Gonsolin (1-1) 3.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 3 starts, 15 K’s
Summary: The 39 year-old is likely making his last regular season start at Dodger Stadium where he has a life-time ERA of 1.20 over 15 innings. The formula is pretty simple, if you bat right-handed then you’ll receiver an 88 MPH cut-fastball. If you bat left-handed, then you’ll receiver an 89 MPH sinker. Sabathia mixes in a slider and changeup to try and fool hitters, but he has an ERA of nearly 6 over his last 7 games. Gonsolin gave up 1 run through 4 innings against the Braves, but we hope he can qualify for a decision this time out. This will be quite a test for the rookie, but his splitter might just be the pitch to get him by.
Sunday Aug. 25 4:05 PST
Domingo Germán (16-3) 4.15 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 21 starts, 131 K’s    vs
Clayton Kershaw (13-2) 2.71 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 22 starts, 147 K’s
Summary: Germán is having a break-out season, though over his last 7 starts he has a 5.72 ERA, but the run support has allowed him to go 5-1. During 12 road starts, Germán has established a 5.82 ERA, which is nowhere near his 2.24 ERA at home. He throws a curveball a lot, and a 94 MPH fastball. Kershaw continues to dominate at home, and he just passed Sandy Koufax on the all-time wins list against the Blue Jays. Kershaw has gone 6-0 over his last 7 outings and is 9-0 at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw pitched in limited action 3 years ago against the Yankees, while he was returning from injury. I have no doubt the young Yankees lineup will be sitting on his fastball, so establishing that slider will be key.
The Bats:
Yankees injuries: Encarnacion, Hicks, Voit, Stanton, Andujar
Yankees lead baseball in runs scored with 756 runs (5.8 runs/game). They are second in home runs, while the Dodgers are 3rd. Yankees are 3rd in team batting average at .272. With RISP, Yankees hit .301, which leads MLB.
DJ LaMahieu has had a quiet MVP like season by keeping this team at the top when everyone was hurt with a .331 batting average, 21 HRs, 86 RBIs, batting .402 with runners in scoring position. He and the Dodgers are familiar with one another thanks to all his years in Colorado. The 2017 rookie of the year, Aaron Judge, has been quiet with only 13 Home Runs and 34 RBIs. When Andujar went down, Gio Urshela filled in at 3rd base, and now is batting .336 with 18 Home Runs and 66 RBIs. Gleyber Torres is a powerful hitting infielder that they acquired from the Cubs for Chapman and he’s rewarded them with 31 Home Runs. Gary Sanchez is a Home Run hitting catcher with 28 dingers. Didi Gregorious is back from Tommy John at SS, and Brett Gardner is in the outfield if he’s not too busy destroying the dugout.
Final thoughts and Prediction:
Dodgers have the better staring pitching, while the Yankees have a powerful bullpen, so getting to these starters will be important. I do believe the Yankees have an inflated record by playing Baltimore and Toronto so much. I get the feeling Bellinger will want to have a big series because Judge is in attendance. Chris Taylor is white hot, and I predict he will carry it over in this series. Will Smith will hit another bomb, and Max Muncy will do something that gets everybody talking. Kenley Jansen will get a save opportunity and convert it. This series and home/road splits really favor the Dodgers, and though I could see a sweep go down, I’ll say Dodgers take 2 of 3.
photo credit NBC Los Angeles
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