Zack Greinke Faces Andy Pettitte For Game One of Two vs. the Pinstripes

Zack Greinke (8-3, 3.49) vs. Andy Pettitte (7-8, 4.39)

Lineup:

Crawford LF
Puig RF
Gonzalez 1B
Ramirez SS
A. Ellis C
Ethier CF
Uribe 3B
M. Ellis 2B
Greinke P

The last time the Dodgers faced the Yankees was back on June 19th when the two New York rooted teams met for an usual doubleheader in the Bronx. The Yankees beat the Dodgers 6-4 in game one, and the Dodgers defeated the Yankees 6-0 in game two. While the rain disrupted the series earlier this season, Los Angeles brings sunny weather for the two-game conclusion series at Dodger Stadium. Zack Greinke, the Dodgers second rotation ace, will counter lefty Andy Pettitte in game one. Game two will be epic. Clayton Kershaw will go up against former Dodger Hiroki Kuroda. If you didn’t know by now, I have always been a big fan of Kuroda, and I am still sad that Ned Colletti didn’t resign him.

Veteran Andy Pettitte will take the mound in game one for the Yankees. Photo: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Zack Greinke has been inconsistently good this season (if that makes any sense). The Carlos Quentin incident seemed to disrupt his flow, and while he has pitched brilliantly this season, last time out he struggled. Greinke took the loss to the Reds last Thursday when he allowed 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts and a walk over 7 innings. Greinke has struggled on the road this year, but he has pitched well at home with a 2.56 ERA and a 5-1 record in 8 starts at Dodger Stadium. In his career against the Yankees, the southpaw is 2-4 with a 6.45 against them. He’ll have to watch out for Robinson Cano, Alfonso Soriano, and Lyle Overbay who has hit 2 homeruns and 6 RBIs against Greinke.

Last time out Andy Pettitte got the hard luck loss to the Rangers in Texas after allowing 2 runs on 8 hits with 2 strikeouts and a walk in 6 innings pitched. The Yankees could only muster one run against Texas. Pettitte is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA in his career against the Dodgers. The 41-year old veteran has made 4 starts at Dodger Stadium and is 2-0 with a 4.68 ERA in 25 innings pitched in L.A. Carl Crawford has had the most at-bats against Pettitte, and he is hitting .310 against the left-hander. Crawford has been battling an infection, and it is unclear if he will be feeling better for the Yankees series.

The Dodgers will also see Derek Jeter, who has just recently returned to the New York lineup. He hit a homerun on the very

Zack Greinke has had an up and down season. Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

first pitch he saw upon returning from the disabled list on Sunday. The Yankees will also reactivate Jayson Nix for the series. He’s been out with a hamstring strain.

The Dodgers are the hottest ticket in baseball right now, and our Boys in Blue have won 8 of our last 11 series. They have not lost a series since playing the Bucs at PNC Park back in June. The Dodgers are on an incredible 26-6 run. It tied a Los Angeles Dodgers record for the best 31-game span. The same mark was set back in 1962, 1976, and 1977.

The 7:10 p.m. game will be on KCAL with the wonderful Vin Scully at the microphone. Join us after for our recap thread. We love hearing your thoughts after the game.