Weekend MLB betting preview: Yankees at Dodgers

The American East-leading Yankees (83-46) continue their West Coast road trip with a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers (85-44), kingpins of the National League West, starting Friday night. Here's what bettors should expect throughout this weekend series.

Friday, 10:10 p.m. ET

MLB free play: Dodgers moneyline

Friday's series opener features a starting-pitching mismatch, as James Paxton (9-6, 4.53 ERA) faces NL Cy Young frontrunner Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-3, 1.64 ERA).

Paxton owns a 5.12 ERA and .312 opponent batting average in nine starts on the road this season. Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy could be a difference-maker in this one. He is one of those rare left-handed batters who actually does better against southpaw pitchers (.276 average compared to .250 against righties). His home run per at-bat ratio is about the same from both sides of the plate, and Muncy already has 33 homers this year.

Ryu is 9-0 with a 0.81 ERA and .189 batting average against in 11 starts at home this year. Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu is just 2-for-16 lifetime against the Dodgers' ace.

Saturday, 4:05 p.m. ET, FS1

The bullpens will almost certainly come into play in Saturday afternoon's matchup, which gives the home team a leg up.

CC Sabathia (5-7, 5.01 ERA) is scheduled to start for New York, and he sports a 7.77 ERA in his last five outings. The veteran left-hander has averaged just 5.19 innings per start in 2019. Sabathia is backed by a bullpen that owns a 5.33 ERA over the last 30 days, eighth-worst in the majors in that span.

Tony Gonsolin (1-1, 3.00 ERA) has gone beyond the fourth inning just once in his first four starts for Los Angeles. However, his relievers are capable of picking up the slack. The Dodgers' bullpen is seventh in baseball by ERA (3.84) over the last 30 days.

Sunday, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Sunday finale will feature a starting pitching matchup fit for prime time, as New York's Domingo German (16-3, 4.15 ERA) squares off with L.A.'s Clayton Kershaw (13-2, 2.71 ERA). Yankee fans should be worried about potentially getting swept by the Dodgers in this one.

German owns a 5.82 ERA in 12 starts on the road this season. He hasw served up 18 home runs in 65 innings on the road, compared to just nine in 56 1/3 innings pitched at home this year. German will have to beware of Dodgers right fielder Cody Bellinger and third baseman Justin Turner, who have combined for 11 home runs over their team's last 15 games.

Kershaw is a brilliant 6-0 with a 1.84 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. Opponents are batting just .179 against him in that span. Several Bombers batters have fared poorly against Kershaw in the past, including left fielder Brett Gardener (0-for-6) and shortstop Didi Gregorius (1-for-7). Right fielder Aaron Judge's recent slump (.735 OPS in August) won't help the Yankees' cause.