Los Angeles @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 18, 2013 ) LA Dodgers 0, NY Yankees 0
Two of the most storied franchises in baseball lock horns as the New York Yankees host a day-night doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, one day after the opener of their brief two-game interleague series was washed away by rain. Los Angeles is visiting the Yankees for the first time since clinching the 1981 World Series. The set also marks the return to New York of Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who spent his entire 14-year playing career with the Yankees and spent time on the team's coaching staff before joining the Los Angeles staff in 2008.
New York, which placed Mark Teixeira on the disabled list with a right wrist injury, is glad to be starting a nine-game homestand after a disappointing West Coast road trip during which it posted a 4-6 record. The Yankees halted a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, nearly squandering a six-run lead in the ninth inning before Mariano Rivera struck out Albert Pujols with the bases loaded. The Dodgers lost for the third time in four games Sunday, falling to 1-2 on their nine-game road trip with a 6-3 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh as Zack Greinke yielded five runs in five frames.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, KCAL (Los Angeles), WWOR (New York), MLB Network
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-2, 2.85 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Hiroki Kuroda (6-5, 2.78)
Ryu has not lost since falling to the Giants in San Francisco on May 5, going 3-0 with a 1.94 ERA in his last six starts. The 26-year-old South Korean allowed three runs and a season-high 11 hits over six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 12 but came away with a no-decision. Ryu, who has yielded three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 13 outings, never has faced the Yankees.
Kuroda is looking to snap a five-start winless streak as he prepares to face his former team for the first time. The 38-year-old native of Japan settled for a no-decision against the Athletics in Oakland on Thursday despite allowing just two runs and two hits over eight innings. Kuroda has surrendered more than three earned runs only twice in 14 starts this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Yankees and Dodgers have played six games in the regular season - all in Los Angeles.
2. The clubs have met 11 times in the World Series, with New York capturing eight championships.
3. Los Angeles rookie OF Yasiel Puig is hitting .479 (23-for-48) with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 13 major-league games.
PREDICTION: Yankees 4, Dodgers 1