The Series Ahead: Yankees @ Dodgers

Yankees - Dodgers

Dodger Stadium
(3 Games)

The series that has been previewed for weeks and that has been anxiously awaited ever since the schedule was first released is finally here. Joe Torre vs the Yankees. Well I mean the Yankees vs. the Dodgers. The Torre vs Yankees part of this story has been analyzed over and over again. Simply put it this way: Sure Torre left on bad terms with the Organization and the book did not help with some of his former players. But the guys that matter, the "Core Four" still love him and so do most fans. So this series will feel more like a reunion than a bitter battle for bragging rights.

The Yankees are coming off a series victory, taking two out of three from the Arizona Diamond- backs. However that hardly tells the story. The Yankees looked pathetically awful for a major portion of the three games and that may be putting it lightly. A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez struggled, while the offense not only made terrible base running errors they also left tons of men on base. If not for a later home run Curtis (I am clutch) Granderson and the mastery of Mariano Rivera the Yankees leave Arizona having lost the series. If the Yankees plan on beating the Dodgers this weekend, their pitching needs to shape up and they have to get back to fundamentals.

The Dodgers who have won the NL West each year since Torre arrived are battling for the top spot in 2010. They currently sit in third and are sitting three games behind the San Diego Padres and just one game behind the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers play particularly well at home like most good teams. They own a 23-13 record at Dodger Stadium while playing just 16-20 ball on the road. The Dodgers have not been playing well of late having won just three of their last 10 ball games. The Dodgers are lead by Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, and Manny Ramirez.

How well will Joe Torre, Don Mattingly, and Larry Bowa know their former players? Will this give the Dodgers an edge? While this series will receive plenty of hype, once the first pitch is thrown the Yankees will get down to business. We should see some very sound baseball after the debacle in Arizona which should set us up for a competitive series. My Prediction: Yankees take Series, but not a sweep.

Matchups

Game 1: Tonight @ 10:10 p.m. | TV: YES | Radio: WCBS
LHP CC Sabathia (8-3, 3.68) vs. RHP Vincente Padillia (1-1, 6.67)

Game 2: Saturday @ 7:10 p.m. | TV: FOX | Radio: WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett3 (6-6, 4.83) vs. RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-5, 3.06)

Game 3: Sunday @ 8:00 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Radio: WCBS
LHP Andy Pettitte (9-2, 2.48) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw (7-4, 3.24)

Three Questions

• Can A.J. Burnett figure out what has gone wrong and return to form?
  
• Can Alex Rodriguez build on his solid AB's in Arizona?
  
• Will Manny Ramirez continue to rip the Yankees in a new Uniform?

Injury Report

YANKEES:
- DH/1B Nick Johnson is on the 60-day DL with an inflamed tendon in the wrist. Out until Late July.
- RHP Alfredo Aceves is on the 15-day DL with lower back discomfort. He has been throwing.
- RHP Sergio Mitre is on the 15-day DL
- LF Marcus Thames is on the 15-day DL with a strainged Hamstring
- 3B Alex Rodriguez is day-to-day with a groin/hip flexor issue
- C Jorge Posada is day-to-day battling a fatigued foot. Limited to Catching every other day.

Dodgers:
- C Brad Ausmus is on the 60-day DL with a pinched nerve in his lower back
- RHP Chad Billingsley is on the 15-day DL with a groin injury
- RHP Charlie Haeger is on the 15-day DL with a sprained right big toe
- RHP Carlos Monasterios is on the 15-day DL with a blood blister in middle finger
- RHP Cory Wade is on the 60-day DL having exploratory shoulder surgery

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