The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees are squaring off for a rematch of their 2024 World Series epic.
The Dodgers are coming into the series on the heels of getting swept for the first time in 2026 by the Arizona Diamondbacks just before the All-Star break.
The Yankees, on the other hand, are riding a four-game winning streak, but before then, they were riding a bit of a downturn.
Sadly, Aaron Judge will miss the series as the Yankees superstar nurses himself back to health after a fractured rib sidelined him for more than a month.
On the other hand, the Dodgers are rolling out all of their star position players, even Shohei Ohtani, who is battling a left knee issue.
Ohtani will not be pitching, but his power bat will be in the lineup and should remain for all three games.
Pitching Matchups
Friday, Jul 16: Roki Sasaki vs. Gerrit Cole
Sasaki is coming off a solid start against the Colorado Rockies, where he only gave up three runs in six innings of work. He will be tested against a hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium, but at this point, it will be a gauge of where he is.
Cole, on the other hand, is working himself back from a year on the self. He has a 4.04 ERA with 47 strikeouts through nine starts.
The righty is not at his best, but he has shown flashes of his former self.
Saturday, July 17: Emmet Sheehan vs. Ryan Weathers
Sheehan had a good start against the D-Backs, where he gave up two runs in 5.1 innings of work. He was on the bad end of some errors, making his numbers worse than they should have been.
His mechanics will be the key thing to watch.
Weathers has been promising for the Yankees, serving as a 26-year-old lefty who can keep the team in games. He has a 5.35 ERA in his last seven starts, however, and the Dodgers could tag him up.
Sunday, July 18: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Cam Schlitter
This is the blockbuster matchup. Yamamoto had a bad start last time out, allowing six runs in as many innings.
Before that start, he looked stellar and more likely than not, he was hit by the lull of the All-Star break being so close.
Schlitter has been flat-out one of the best pitchers in baseball. He throws three different fastballs, and his stuff is stellar.
If everything goes right, Yamamoto and Schlitter could put on a pitching clinic.
Storyline to watch
How will the Dodgers come out of the break? That is the question on the minds of fans. The Dodgers ended the first half on a whimper, but those periods have not lasted long for this version of LA’s team.
They should play up to the competition against a big team with all the eyes of the baseball world on the matchup. If the Dodgers come out flat, it would be a minor concern, but Dave Roberts tends to get the guys ready for battle.
