Momentum barely exists in baseball, but the Yankees will have some momentum as they travel by bus about 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Dodgers will host the Yankees at Chavez Ravine.
The Yankees’ 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday gave the American League East leaders 16 wins in 20 games, and they have won their last seven series. They are hot and getting healthy. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are injured and struggling. The Yankees have the momentum that exists in this World Series matchup. Do you believe in baseball that pitching determines momentum?
Starting Pitcher Match-Ups Determine Momentum
This is as marquee a matchup as there is in baseball. It is one of the good things about the balanced Major League Baseball schedule. Every team will play every other team. For Friday evening’s momentum-setting game, the pitching matchup in the first game is as good as it gets.
The Yankees will start Max Fried. The Dodgers will start Tony Gonsolin. The Yankees have a definite pitching advantage in this one. Fried is 7-0 with a 1.29 earned run average across 11 starts. The Dodgers will counter with Gonsolin, who is just 2-1 with a 4.68 earned run average. The Friday game will be at 10:10 pm Eastern and will be on Apple TV+. The Yankees have a tremendous amount of momentum coming into this series, and this pitching matchup also favors them.
On Saturday, a game at the much more reasonable hour of 7:10 pm Eastern and on Fox. The Yankees will start Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 earned run average in 11 starts and has been very good in his last four starts. This is the biggest game of his life. The Dodgers will start Landon Knack, who is also a right-handed pitcher. He is 2-2, with a 5.22 earned run average. The Yankees have a slight advantage in this pitching matchup. Coupled with any momentum they have coming into the series and from the first game, they should be in good shape for game two, as well.
On Sunday, Ryan Yarborough is listed as the starting pitcher for the Yankees. He is 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA. He will match up with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is the other best pitcher in baseball. The right-hander is 6-3, with a 1.97 earned run average with 75 big strikeouts. The pitching advantage in game three goes to the Dodgers. Nevertheless, it will be difficult for LA to capture the momentum.
Batting Order Comparison
The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman (who killed the Yankees in the 2024 World Series), who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith at the top of their lineup.
The Yankees have Aaron Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the American League in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227), and hits (81), leading their lineup. But their lineups have plenty of pop with Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and the surprising Trent Grisham and Ben Rice leading a potent cast of characters.
Injuries
The National League West-leading Dodgers have three starting pitchers on the injured list, inhibiting their momentum. They are Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. They also have four important pieces of their bullpen hurt. They are Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, and Kirby Yates. The Yankees’ injuries have been well-documented, but the two biggest, by far, are Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole. Honorable mention goes here to Starting Pitcher Luis Gil.
Conclusion
Momentum in baseball is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher. The Los Angeles Dodgers were winners in the 2024 World Series against the Yankees, but that is old news. Now, the Yankees are rolling and are a hot baseball team. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are injured and struggling. Look for the Yankees to take the first two games of this series, with the Dodgers taking the third game.
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