Dodgers-Yankees clash among this week's 5 series to watch

Aaron Judge. Shohei Ohtani. Juan Soto. Mookie Betts. Need we go on?

It's hard to ask for more star power than this weekend's series between the Dodgers and Yankees in the Bronx is bound to deliver. The National League West-leading Dodgers will visit the American League East-leading Yanks for three nationally televised games this week: Friday on Apple TV+, Saturday on FOX and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

The clash between West Coast and East Coast powers is at the forefront of this week's five series to watch.

Orioles at Blue Jays
4 games (Monday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: The two AL East rivals have split their two games so far this season, with the Blue Jays winning on May 13 at Camden Yards and the O’s winning on May 15. The middle game of that series was rained out and will be made up on July 29.

Storyline: Can the Blue Jays turn things around? Even after sweeping the White Sox and winning a weekend series against the Pirates, Toronto ended the week tied with Tampa Bay at the bottom of the AL East. The Blue Jays’ .686 OPS (tied for 18th in MLB) and 4.17 team ERA (20th) have both been below average so far, leading to a disappointing start for a talented club. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier with a four-game home set against the Orioles, who are looking to keep pace with the Yankees in the East.

Watch out for: Orioles second baseman Jordan Westburg, who picked up right where he left off with a home run Saturday after missing two games to a right hand injury. The former top prospect is hitting .407 with a 1.170 OPS since May 24 and owns an .865 OPS on the season, living up to the high expectations Baltimore had for him. Westburg’s emergence has given the O’s another big bat in a lineup paced by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, and he won’t be an easy out in this four-game series.

Brewers at Phillies
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: The Brewers and Phillies have yet to meet in 2024, but Milwaukee won four of its six games against Philadelphia last season, taking two of three both on the road and at home.

Storyline: Rhys Hoskins’ homecoming. In Philadelphia, Hoskins was last seen hitting postseason home runs in bunches, smashing an instantly iconic three-run shot off Spencer Strider in the 2022 National League Division Series and homering twice in a comeback win in NLCS Game 4. But Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL in Spring Training, and the Phillies chose not to re-sign him with Bryce Harper moving to first base. Even as a Brewer, Hoskins -- recently reinstated from the injured list after a hamstring strain -- should get a warm welcome at Citizens Bank Park.

Watch out for: Kyle Schwarber in June. The Phillies slugger is already heating up, posting a .297 average and .871 OPS in May. But Schwarber had just three homers all month -- and that might change significantly in June. Schwarber’s career .936 OPS in June is his highest in any month, as is his home run total (55). After 93 combined homers across the past two seasons, Schwarber has only 11 through 57 games in 2024. For a hitter as streaky as Schwarber (and one with as much power), that can change in a hurry -- so the Brewers better be careful.

Royals at Guardians
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: The two AL Central foes will match up for the first time in 2024 after Cleveland went 7-6 against Kansas City last season. The two didn’t play their first series of 2023 until June 27.

Storyline: Can the Royals challenge for the division? That question would have seemed a little far-fetched six months ago, after Kansas City finished with the second-worst record in MLB at 56-106. But K.C. signed just about everybody in the offseason, adding starter Seth Lugo (9-1, 1.72 ERA) and several other free agents. Kansas City has cooled down a bit, losing three straight games before Sunday's comeback, walk-off win over the Padres, but the Royals are within four games of the AL Central lead. They could cut into Cleveland’s advantage this week at Progressive Field -- particularly if they can manage a sweep. But that won’t come easy against a red-hot Guardians club.

Watch out for: Guardians utilityman David Fry, who has been perhaps the surprise hitter of the 2024 MLB season. Playing all over the field -- 14 games in left field, 13 at catcher, eight at first base and three at third base -- Fry has been one of the big reasons Cleveland owns the second-best record in the AL. The 28-year-old owns a .355/.493/.636 slash line -- an astounding 1.129 OPS. With eight homers and four steals as well, Fry has been the Guardians’ most valuable player NOT named José Ramírez.

Dodgers at Yankees
3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: The Yankees took two of three games at Dodger Stadium from June 2-4, 2023, in their first matchup since August 2019.

Storyline: How long will Judge’s hot streak last? The Yankees slugger capped a historic May with two homers on Friday in San Francisco, becoming the first player in the franchise’s storied history with 14 homers and 12 doubles in a month. He started off his June the same way with a 464-foot homer off Logan Webb on Saturday at Oracle Park. Judge, who injured his toe crashing into the right-field wall last June 3 at Dodger Stadium, will certainly hope for better health this time around against L.A.

Watch out for: Yankees starter Luis Gil. The 25-year-old rookie -- with just seven Major League starts under his belt before this season -- has been New York’s best starter so far with a 1.99 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings. Gil is lined up to start Tuesday against the Twins at Yankee Stadium and then again in Sunday night’s series finale against the Dodgers. The right-hander has helped the Yanks weather Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury, and with Clarke Schmidt on the IL with a right lat strain, Gil should stick in the rotation even after Cole returns.

Giants at Rangers
3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: The reigning champion Rangers came out on top in a best-of-three series last August in San Francisco, winning the first two games against the Giants.

Storyline: Is either of these teams turning a corner? Both the Rangers and Giants have hovered around .500 for most of the season, but each has shown some signs of picking things up. The Giants stacked three straight series wins, including one over the MLB-best Phillies, before being swept by the Yankees over the weekend. The Rangers, meanwhile, won five of their six games last week and sit in second place in a disappointing AL West. The Giants head to Arizona before coming to Arlington, while the Rangers host the Tigers first, but this three-game weekend set should help the winner out quite a bit.

Watch out for: Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. At the end of April, Seager owned a paltry .236/.319/.311 slash line. Then he went on a tear reminiscent of his stellar 2023. Seager hit .287 with 11 home runs and a .660 slugging percentage in May, crushing eight homers in an eight-game span from May 19 until Wednesday. Seager’s 15-game hitting streak is the longest active streak in MLB. Seager’s slow start seems distant now, and he’s been as hot as any hitter in the Majors.