Dodgers Will Take Series Opener Over Yankees

Dodgers vs. Yankees, 7:05 ET

Could it be that we have a World Series preview taking place in early June? Realistically, the chances are rather slim. It is hard enough to get one team through the MLB playoffs, even if they are the best team in their respective league. Getting both of them to the final series of the year is even more difficult. Baseball playoffs tend to be similar to hockey were the hottest goalie wins the series. Usually, the hottest team wins the series in baseball, and a lot of times, one of those teams is a Wild Card squad playing their best baseball and sneaking in. Neither the Dodgers nor the Yankees should have to worry about sneaking into the playoffs this season, and they face each other tonight in New York.

The Dodgers come into this game after dropping a series to the Pirates, and are now looking to rebound against one of the best teams in the game. Did they overlook Pittsburgh, or was it just a rough spot to start a road trip as they had to travel across the country to play the games. I always think it is easier to go West to East, but I’m not a professional athlete, so who knows. The Dodgers have no reason to panic, they are still over 10 games over .500 and have a winning road record as well. They are one of the best hitting teams in baseball with an average of around .255 and are in the top-5 of runs scored for the season. None of this should be overly surprising when you have two annual MVP candidates in the lineup and your third best player is a former MVP in Freddie Freeman. Today the ball turns to one of the two huge offseason acquisions they picked up, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. For the season, he’s been decent, but I won’t say that he has overperformed. From the hype it seemed like he would step in and be an Ace or Cy Young favorite. So far, he has a solid 3.32 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He could just be figuring things out as well. What is a bit frustrating is he seems to be a bit inconsistent with some games him turning in stellar, quality starts, and others he looks like he is having a hard time getting through five innings. 

Apr 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The clear best team in baseball this season is the New York Yankees. I’ve talked about this every time I write about them, but I think this is a more surprising club this year than the failure of last year. I was shocked about them losing last year, don’t get me wrong, but this year is a bigger surprise because they lost Gerrit Cole at the beginning of the year and a questionable pitching staff seemed like it was doomed to be the downfall of the club. That wasn’t the case as their team ERA is a stellar 2.79. Juan Soto in a contract year is exactly what you’d expect him to be. Aaron Judge is looking like an MVP. My good friend, BeatinTheBookie on Twitter, asked if Judge and Soto are the best 1-2 combination in baseball. I responded with them or the players they face today (Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani). Whichever you prefer really, all four players are likely to be finalists in MVP voting this season. Taking the ball for the Yankees is Cody Poteet. Poteet has only made two starts for the Yankees, one in April, and one last week. Both have been good outings with him going 11 innings and allowing three total earned runs, including two homers. 

Sorry to say it, but I have to go with the more known entity here and take the Dodgers. It is not a direct fade of Poteet, but I do think the Dodgers have a better shot to win with their starter than the Yankees do. You really can’t go wrong with either team’s offense, so maybe it would make more sense to play the over, but I prefer to back Yamamoto here against the Yankees. 

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