Here are five things to look for if the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers will play a three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting Friday…
Preview of the World Series?
The Yankees have the best record in the American League and look like a team that can represent the league in the World Series. Although the Dodgers don’t have the best record in the National League, they are expected to compete to make the World Series after their offseason spending and their stacked lineup.
This weekend could be a preview of what fans can expect when these two teams face off in October. How can Yankees pitchers navigate a lineup with three legitimate MVP candidates? Will the Yankees lineup be able to hit some of the Dodgers’ impressive arms?
Yes, neither team’s selections have been finalized yet – we have a trade deadline to meet first – but these three games will be good barometers of how each team stacks up against each other. And the atmosphere in Yankees Stadium should be electric.
Yamamoto’s Bronx debut
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the most coveted pitcher on the market last season. And while there were other teams vying for his services, it was up to the Dodgers and Yankees, and ultimately the Japanese superstar opted to join Los Angeles after agreeing to a 12-year deal worth $325 million.
While the Yankees’ rotation could potentially be better with Yamamoto, they have done just fine without him this season.
That said, Yamamoto will make his Bronx debut on Friday. He’ll probably get some cheers from the Bronx after choosing the Dodgers or the Yankees, but game-wise, this is an intriguing matchup. After a rough start to the season, the 25-year-old has settled in well, posting a 6-2 record and a 3.32 ERA.
Over his last seven starts, he is 5-1 with a 1.12 WHIP, 46 strikeouts in 43 innings, while giving up just 13 runs.
Can Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the rest of the Yankees lineup gives Yamamoto a rude welcome on Friday?
Quite a task for Cody Poteet
On the other side of Friday’s game, the Yankees will send Cody Poteet to the mound. Poteet is in the rotation due to Clarke Schmidt’s injury and has pitched well for the Yankees this season, but he faces his toughest task against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers enter Friday ranked fourth in team batting average (.255) and fourth in home runs (79), so they’re a different kind of team than Poteet’s last two opponents.
In his first start – April 13 against the Guardians – Poteet pitched six innings of one-run ball. He had a similar outing on June 1 against the Giants when he gave up two runs on three hits in five innings of work.
While impressive, these teams are in the middle of the pack in average and home runs, so we’ll see if Poteet can navigate a lineup that includes Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani And Freddie Vrijman.
Can the Yankees offense continue if Soto misses time?
Speaking of offensive numbers, the Yankees are rolling right now. Heading into the three-game series, they rank third in team average (.256) and first in home runs (92). A big part of that is due to Judge and Soto mashing the ball.
Judge leads MLB with 21 home runs and is second with 54 RBI, while Soto is third with a .318 batting average. However, the lineup will face two pitchers against whom they have no history.
Unfortunately, Soto left Thursday’s game with forearm discomfort and could miss time. If he does, how will this lineup respond? Without Soto that means more time for it Trent Grisham who hasn’t hit since being traded to the Yankees. But he did drive in three points in Thursday’s win.
The Dodgers pitchers are also a wild card in this weekend’s game.
This will be the first time anyone on the Yankees has seen Yamamoto and Gavin StoneSaturday’s starter, only has Grisham, Soto and Alex Verdugo in their career. They are a combined 3-for-8 against him.
As for Sunday’s appetizer, Tyler Glasnow, he dealt with much of the Yankee lineup while with the Tampa Bay Rays. However, there hasn’t been much success against him.
The righty is 2-for-18 and Soto is 1-for-3. Giancarlo Stanton, however, is 4-for-15 with three home runs against him. The right-handed slugger could be the key to winning this series when it comes to Sunday’s game.
The dominance of Luis Gil
Luis Gil may be the Yankees’ best pitcher right now. With 8-1 and an ERA of 1.82, the 26-year-old rookie is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. He is scheduled to start Sunday’s game opposite Glasnow.
If Gil can continue his dominance against this impressive Dodgers team, any doubts about his skills will be put to rest. Most of Los Angeles’ lineup doesn’t have history with Gil, which could work in the Yankees’ favor, but he’ll still have to be careful.
His last start — June 4 against the Twins — Gil pitched six shutout innings and gave up just one hit. In the month of May, he allowed three runs in 38.2 innings. Gil is about to solidify his spot in this rotation, even if it does Gerrit Kool and Schmidt return. A quality start on Sunday will also make a major contribution to this.
