The best two teams in baseball are meeting at Yankee Stadium on Friday night, and neither one is at full strength. The Los Angeles Dodgers roll into the Bronx as the National League’s best record holder at 61-36, sitting atop the NL West, while the New York Yankees are right there with them at 54-42 and in first place in the AL East. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET, and this is exactly the kind of interleague showdown that reminds everyone why these two franchises carry so much history.
Both clubs arrive banged up in ways that matter. The Yankees are without Aaron Judge, who has been out since late May with a stress fracture in his rib and isn’t expected back until August. Giancarlo Stanton remains sidelined with a calf strain that’s lingered for months, and starters Carlos Rodón and Max Fried have both spent time on the injured list this summer. The Dodgers have their own list — catcher Will Smith is out until late July with neck inflammation, Blake Snell is only just beginning a rehab assignment from elbow surgery, and Tyler Glasnow and Edwin Díaz remain on the shelf. Despite all of it, both teams keep winning, which says plenty about the depth on each roster.
A Pick’em Line for Baseball’s Best Teams
Sportsbooks can’t seem to separate these two clubs, and the moneyline reflects it. Lines have moved back and forth between the Dodgers and Yankees as slight favorites depending on the book, with most numbers landing in the -105 to -115 range on either side — about as close to a true coin flip as the sport offers. The total sits at 9 runs, with the over drawing slightly more support given both lineups’ power and the ballpark’s short porch in right field. DraftKings promo code offers are worth checking before placing anything on a game this tightly priced, since even a half-point of value matters in a matchup this even.
| Friday, July 17 at 7:06 PM | Spread | Money | Total |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 
-1.5 (138) | 
-112 |
O 9 (-114) |
| New York Yankees |
+1.5 (-176) | 
+100 |
U 9 (-106) |
Sasaki’s Road Struggles Meet Cole’s Track Record Against LA
The pitching matchup tilts this game toward New York on paper. Roki Sasaki takes the ball for the Dodgers carrying a 5.33 ERA and 1.36 WHIP through 16 starts, numbers that get considerably worse away from Dodger Stadium — his road ERA sits at 6.25 compared to 4.60 at home. Sasaki has flashed swing-and-miss stuff with 80 strikeouts in 81 innings, but he’s allowed 19 home runs this season and has been genuinely hittable in his last several outings, giving up 19 earned runs across four starts before settling down with six solid innings against Colorado on July 8.
Gerrit Cole, by contrast, gets a favorable history lesson to lean on. Across his career, Cole has faced the current Dodgers roster 153 times and held them to a .225 average and a .282 wOBA, numbers that suggest he knows how to navigate this lineup even with Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Kyle Tucker in it. Cole is 3-4 with a 4.04 ERA this season, not his sharpest form, but a 1.20 WHIP and pitching at home in front of a crowd that will be loud for this one gives him an edge Sasaki won’t have.
New York also comes in with momentum. The Yankees have been finding their footing behind a rotation anchored by All-Star right-hander Cam Schlittler, who leads all of Major League Baseball with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP through 20 starts this season. Schlittler tossed eight strong innings in a recent series-opening win over Tampa Bay, and while he’s not pitching Friday, his emergence has stabilized a staff that’s dealt with its own share of injuries. Jose Caballero has been a spark plug in that stretch too, homering twice and driving in four runs in that same win over the Rays.
On the Dodgers’ side, the lineup remains the sport’s most dangerous even without Will Smith behind the plate. Ohtani continues to DH through minor knee and biceps issues, Betts is a game-time decision watch after a wrist tweak, and Kyle Tucker has been managing a back issue, but this is still a group capable of putting up crooked numbers against any pitching staff, banged up or not. If MLB odds continue drifting toward the Dodgers as first pitch approaches, it likely reflects that lineup depth more than anything happening on the mound.
Prediction and Best Bet
This game sets up as one of the closer coin-flip matchups on the schedule, but Cole’s track record against this specific Dodgers roster combined with Sasaki’s road struggles points toward the Yankees getting the slight nod at home. Expect a competitive, high-scoring affair that leans toward the over given both bullpens’ recent volatility.
- Prediction: New York Yankees 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 5
- Best Bet: Yankees on the moneyline
With the pitching matchup favoring Cole’s command against this specific lineup and the crowd advantage at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees’ moneyline offers a sensible lean in a game where the total run environment could get away from both starters. Bettors looking at Bet365 review options or shopping for the best number should expect this line to move as the first pitch approaches, given how evenly the market has priced it so far.
