The New York Yankees came out swinging (literally) against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Home runs from Aaron Judge, Austin Wells, Trent Grisham, and Paul Goldschmidt put New York ahead 5-2 headed into the sixth inning.
Then, the ghosts of Game 5 of the World Series showed up. The Dodgers put on a hit parade, sparked by Shohei Ohtani’s second homer of the night, and simply had everything go correctly for them. They took a 6-5 lead and ultimately won 8-5. In turn, Yankees lefty Max Fried took his first loss of the season and saw his ERA balloon to a whopping 1.92.
New York will seek to answer back on Saturday night, when both teams send younger arms to the mound.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Run Line: Yankees -1.5, O/U 9.5
Pitching Matchup: Will Warren (3-2, 4.09 ERA) vs Landon Knack (2-2, 5.22 ERA). It’s been a phenomenal May for Warren, with the rookie righty posting a 2.70 ERA for the month thus far. He was en route to another strong appearance last weekend against Colorado before rain ended his day early. Regardless, his 4.09 ERA is cushioned by a robust 2.70 FIP.
That said, like the Dodgers’ Knack, Warren is still very much learning how to pitch. He can’t be as aggressive with his fastball against the Dodgers’ deep lineup. That means the sweeper and sinker could lead the way, leaving Warren little room for mistakes.
X-Factor: Cody Bellinger. The Yankees would have loved for Bellinger’s hot bat to show up on Friday, but to no avail. The former MVP and Dodgers standout was 0 for 4 with a walk, though all of his outs were through the air and hit fairly hard. Just one hit could have made the difference.
Bellinger has had a strong May, batting .304 for the month, but has gone 0 for his last 11. Even if this is the beginning of a cold spell, the Yankees really need him to produce along with Judge and Goldschmidt in the heart of the order.
Prediction: It’s a tough call with two young arms on the mound, even with Knack’s worse underlying metrics. Look at his Savant page and see for yourself; it’s a LOT of blue. This should be the Yankees’ game to lose.
Thus, if you’re a gambling man and browsing New York sports betting apps, smart money says pick the Dodgers’ run line and the over. Hitting parlays involving Judge, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman could also up your winnings. Sorry, New Yorkers, but Dodger Blue takes this one again tonight in a slugfest. Dodgers 9, Yankees 7
