This will be the first meeting between the two 2024 World Series participants. Los Angeles won both games at home then took the crown in five games.
New York is 35-20 on the season, tied for the second-best record in MLB, and 17-11 on the road. Los Angeles is 34-22 and 19-8 at home. New York sits atop the American League East while Los Angeles is first in the National League West.
The Yankees are finishing up a nine-game road trip in which they’ve lost only one game so far. Over the last 20 game, New York has lost only four games. Its last losing streak was May 3-5. The Dodgers just finished a six-game road trip. They are now home for seven games against both New York teams. Over the last 12 games, Los Angeles is 5-7.
Max Fried is scheduled to pitch for New York while Tony Gonsolin should get the nod for Los Angeles.
Yankees at Dodgers prediction, preview
Max Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees in December. He’s been worth every penny so far. Through 70 innings, his ERA is 1.29. Sure, the BABIP is .246 while the strand rate is 83.3%, but the FIP is still 2.57, a career-low. In addition, he’s allowed only three home runs, which is no small feat in Yankee Stadium. Righties are slashing .207/.246/.275 against him. Lefties? Forget about it, as they are slashing a miniscule .143/.260/.270. On the road, Fried has allowed a .200/.246/.287 slash with a .239 wOBA.
Through 11 starts, Fried hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any contest. He’s allowed two earned runs only three times and tossed a bagel four times!
Against left-handed pitching, the Dodgers have struck out at the eighth-lowest rate while having the third-best ISO. The wOBA is fourth-best.
Tony Gonsolin has started five games and pitched a total of 25 innings. The 25.9% strikeout rate is robust, but the 11.1% walk rate is no bueno. His 4.68 ERA is somewhat validated by the 4.47 FIP. He’s allowed four home runs.
Seven of the 13 earned runs and three of the four home runs have been allowed at Dodger Stadium. He’s struggled against left-handed batters as well.
Gonsolin has pitched more than five innings only once and, in each of the last two games, he’s allowed four earned runs in each.
The Yankees have struck out at the seventh-highest rate against right-handed pitching while being second in ISO. They are also third in wOBA.
As for bullpens, New York has the fourth-lowest FIP while Los Angeles has the 14th-lowest.
Yankees at Dodgers pick, best bet
Fried has been lights out this season and I think there’s a good chance he stymies the Dodgers offense. The Yankees bullpen is also one of the best in MLB. New York has been in good form recently and will likely have an extra amount of juice after last season’s defeat to the Dodgers in the World Series. On the flip side, the Dodgers are scuffling. The bullpen imploded so bad on Wednesday that the Dodgers went out and traded for struggling reliever Alexis Diaz! I kid with tongue in cheek, but I also kid seriously. Gonsolin has struggled and has been susceptible to the long ball, which is music to the ears of the Bronx Bombers, who lead MLB with 88 home runs.
