A Players Weekend clash between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees represented one of the most highly anticipated series of the regular season.
Both clubs entered the matchup with the two best records in all of baseball, last having faced each other during the 2016 season — and that’s before factoring in the historic rivalry between the iconic franchises that dates back decades.
In what was billed as a potential preview of the 2019 World Series, the Yankees made the biggest statement. After being swept by the Oakland Athletics in a four-game series, they answered back by taking two of three from the Dodgers, outscoring them, 16-5, in the process.
It was the first time this season in which L.A. was held to five runs in a three-game set. Despite dropping the series, the Dodgers still maintain a pivotal one-game lead over New York for potential home-field advantage should the two teams indeed meet again come October.
After an exciting weekend of baseball at Dodger Stadium, let’s look back at the contests and identify some strengths and weaknesses of each big market powerhouse.
Offense
The Dodgers and Yankees entered the weekend with two of the most feared lineups in all of baseball. Each group currently ranks in the top five in many offensive statistical categories, including runs per game, home runs and wRC+.
With similarly constructed rosters that consist of star power, youth and depth, it should come as no surprise that both teams share similar philosophies on this end.
L.A. and New York are two of the most patient teams in the league, seeing numerous pitches per at-bat while rarely chasing out of the strike zone. Often getting into hitter counts, the clubs make their living by pouncing on opposing pitchers’ mistakes and sending them over the fence.
Despite the identical approaches, it was the Yankees that used this formula to their advantage over the weekend. New York outhomered L.A., 9-2, three of which came courtesy of Aaron Judge, who hit a home run in each contest.
Moreover, the Yankees were able to make MLB history in Sunday’s finale at Dodger Stadium. With DJ LeMahieu’s leadoff home run against Clayton Kershaw in the first inning, it marked the 59th homer of the month for New York, setting a new record.
One area in which both teams struggled was with runners in scoring position. For the series, the Yankees went just 4-for-18 while the Dodgers fared slightly worse with a 2-for-16 showing.
Starting Pitching
While the Dodgers and Yankees have neck-and-neck on offense for the better part of the 2019 season, the same can’t be said for starting pitching.
L.A. has thrived in this area, placing in the top three in most categories, while also seeing the likes of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler and Kershaw represent them in the 2019 All-Star Game.
The Yankees’ starting corps, without the services of ace Luis Severino, hasn’t been quite as successful by comparison. For the season, the unit ranks 19th in ERA (4.82), 25th in FIP (4.98) and 29th in home runs per nine (1.9).
More worrisome for New York has been the group’s collective performance since the start of the second half. The Yankees’ starting pitchers have compiled a 6.10 ERA over the last two months of play, which is good for 28th in all of baseball — ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (6.28) and Baltimore Orioles (6.73).
Despite their woes of late, the Yankees’ starting staff rose to the occasion against the Dodgers’ formidable lineup over the weekend. A combination of James Paxton, CC Sabathia and Domingo Germán allowed just four runs in 16.2 innings pitched — good for a superb 2.16 ERA.
The Dodgers’ starting pitchers, on the contrary, were less than solid. Ryu endured what was arguably his worst start of the season, allowing seven runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings in Friday’s opener — ultimately being tabbed with his first home loss of the year.
Tony Gonsolin was a bright spot, yielding just four baserunners and one run in five innings of work on Saturday. The performance helped the Dodgers pull out their only win of the series.
Kershaw’s outing in Sunday’s finale was more of a mixed bag: On one hand, he recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts without issuing a walk, but additionally surrendered three home runs for a second consecutive start.
Bullpen
While the Dodgers entered the weekend with a clear advantage over the Yankees in terms of starting pitching, one of New York’s greatest strengths this season has been their deep bullpen.
The Yankees proved that again, as the group, led by closer Aroldis Chapman, accumulated 9.1 scoreless innings against a team that has shown a knack for late-game comebacks this season.
L.A.’s bullpen, having garnered better results as of late, allowed four runs in 10.1 frames — good for a 3.48 ERA. All wasn’t smooth sailing, however, as Kenley Jansen nearly blew another save on Saturday before working out of the jam unscathed.
A bright spot was Joe Kelly, who has continued his dominance since turning a corner in June. He tossed 1.2 shutout frames on Saturday, tallying two strikeouts for his efforts.
Despite the Yankees’ edge over the Dodgers when it comes to relief pitching, the two teams aren’t as separated as some might presume. Entering the weekend, L.A.’s unit sported a lower ERA than New York.
Wasn’t expecting to discover this, but the #Dodgers bullpen has a 4.02 ERA this season, which is actually better than the Yankees bullpen that everyone hypes up so much (4.10).
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) August 23, 2019
If this past weekend was any indication, a potential 2019 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees could bring about a showdown for the ages.
Whether they meet again in two months remains to be seen, but at the very least, baseball fans everywhere were treated to a fun matchup between two evenly matched powerhouses.
