The New York Yankees are heading into their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend with a strong winning streak. They won 1-0 against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, marking their 16th win in the last 20 games. Clarke Schmidt pitched six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Angels, who lost their fifth straight game.
Despite injuries to key pitchers like Gerrit Cole, who is out for the season, and two others on the injured list, the Yankees have maintained strong pitching. Their rotation has the best earned run average (ERA) in the major leagues at 2.54 over the last 40 games. They have held opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts.
Earlier in the week, left-handers Ryan Yarbrough and Carlos Rodon pitched well in victories over the Angels. Schmidt added to the strong pitching performance with six innings of shutout ball on Wednesday. Reliever Mark Leiter Jr. noted that the starting pitchers have given the team a good chance to win each game by mixing different styles.
The Dodgers are leading the National League West with a 34-22 record but face their own injury issues. Their key starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki, along with important relievers, are on the injured list. Despite this, the Dodgers’ lineup remains strong with stars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. These players have won five MVP awards combined and remain key offensive threats.
The series will feature two of the best players in baseball, Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. Judge leads the American League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and hits. He is tied for third in home runs and ranks fourth in runs batted in. Ohtani leads the major leagues in home runs and runs scored, and he is known for his rare ability to both pitch and hit. He is expected to return to pitching later this season after recovering from surgery.
Freddie Freeman was the World Series MVP last year, hitting four home runs, including a walk-off grand slam. He also helped the Dodgers overcome a big deficit in the final game of the series. The Dodgers limited Ohtani’s hitting during the World Series, but he played with a shoulder injury that required surgery after the season.
The Yankees have added veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who did not play in last year’s World Series against the Dodgers. Goldschmidt is batting well this season and has a strong career record against the Dodgers. His presence adds experience and power to the Yankees lineup.
