The New York Yankees come to Los Angeles for a three-game series starting on Tuesday, and the Dodgers will be throwing their aces, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Andy Pettitte will face Greinke on Tuesday and ex-Dodger Kiroki Kuroda will make his return to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday against Kershaw.
In June the Dodgers split a one-day two-game series in New York back in June. That series was a few days before the Dodgers went on their ridiculous run of 26 wins in 32 games.
Tuesday's starter, Zack Greinke, lost his most recent start on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds. It was his first loss of the season at home (8-1) as he gave up four runs in seven innings with two home runs allowed.
Before Thursday Greinke was on a roll, giving up just one run in his previous three starts. He has been stronger against right-handed batters though this season, and the Yankees come to town with a lineup full of poorly hitting right-handed batters.
Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw is adding on to his Cy Young campaign with a sterling month of July. He has given up just seven runs in five starts with 38 strikeouts, only two walks allowed, and a .158 opponent batting average.
At this point over the last few seasons, it seems as though Kershaw's competition may start to fade, while he only gets stronger. He already leads the National League in ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average while trailing Matt Harvey by eight for the lead in strikeouts.
He will be facing Hiroki Kuroda, who is having the best season of his career by many measurements. He is posting his lowest career ERA and WHIP with his second best strikeouts-per-nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio.Kuroda pitched in Los Angeles for four seasons from 2008 to 2011.
Big plans are being made for the series by the Dodgers organization, including a pre-game ceremony to honor Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on Wednesday. The Dodgers also have a pair of celebrities set to read the starting lineups, Ken Jeong and Samuel L. Jackson, and are keeping the first-pitch throwers secret, but expect big legendary names.
Also of note is the return of Yankees captain, Derek Jeter, who was on the DL all season before his return on Sunday, and Alfonso Soriano whom the Yankees re-acquired from Chicago with a trade last week. The Yankees have struggled lately, losing eight of 12 games, and dropping to 7.5 back in the AL East.
Tickets for the series are still available, but if you are looking for scalpers seats expect to pay well over face-value. The cheapest seats available on the ticket reseller Stub Hub are going for $40.
