Preview: Yankees @ Dodgers (7/31/13)
It's a pitching showdown, ace vs ace, as Hiroki Kuroda (10-6, 2.51 ERA) takes on Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 1.96 ERA) in LA. Kuroda played his first four Major League seasons with the Dodgers and he returns to Los Angeles to face his former team for the second time this season. When he faced his former team back on June 19, he allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings in the first game of a doubleheader.
Kershaw threw eight innings of one run ball to beat the Reds on Friday, his fifth win in his past six starts. The left hander has struck out at least eight in four of his past five outings. He's 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in five July starts.
In 2008, the Dodgers welcomed a pair of promising new arms to their pitching staff in Kershaw and Kuroda. Five years later, the former teammates are set to go head to head at Dodger Stadium.
Kuroda, who signed with the Yankees after the 2011 season, has flown under the radar while putting together one of his best years with 2.51 ERA, good enough for second in the American League. Kershaw, meanwhile, has been as dominant as ever for the Dodgers, leading the Majors with a 1.96 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and .185 batting average against. The two still have tremndous respect for one another. "He is a really great pitcher, and he's a great person, as well," Kuroda said of Kershaw. "If I had a choice, I would rather not face him." As for having to enter the batter's box against his former teammate, "That's the most I'm worried about."
You can add the Yankee Skipper to the list of people praising Yasiel Puig. "We've had some real exciting young players kind of burst on the scene lately," Girardi said. "There's one here on the other side of town. There's one in Washington, D.C. Now you have one here.
Notes on the game.
The Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series 11 times, trailing only the Lakers/Celtics in the NBA for the most title matchups in major professional sports.
Hitters on the current Yankees roster are batting a combined .410 against Kershaw. Left fielder Alfonso Soriano is hitting .364 with two homers in 11 at bats, and catcher Chris Stewart is 5-9 with a home run.
The Dodgers haven't lost a series since the Pirates took two of three from them in Pittsburgh back on June 14-16.
First pitch is at 10:10 PM (EST) on Yes.