Dodgers open second half against the New York Yankees

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees speaks with Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Ge

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What is the story about?

The Dodgers finally enjoy some good scheduling on the East Coast. Last season Dodger fans will remember that the team was in New York on back-to-back weekends but flying home for a series in between. This time, the All-Star Game was in Philly, with the team then starting a nine-game stretch of New York, Philly, and New York.

The Dodgers are starting their second half in the Bronx, where they will start with a three-game set against the Yankees. The team has not been back to Yankee Stadium since they closed

out their 2024 World Series there, winning Game 5 to take the championship.

The Bronx Bombers started out hot to start the season, but now find themselves second in their division, sitting at 54-42, 3.0 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

The two teams went into the All-Star break in different fashions. The Dodgers lost five of their final seven games, and the Yankees pulled themselves out of a June swoon to win their final four games.

Roki Sasaki finds himself kicking off the second half on the mound, looking to get back to his form at the beginning of the season. Sasaki has been worse on the road this season, with his strikeout rate falling and his walk rate increasing along with his ERA. The Yankees have a very lefty heavy lineup that will not include Aaron Judge.

The Yankees will counter with Garrit Cole who is 3-4 on the season with a 4.04 ERA. Cole was also involved in the last games these two teams played in Yankee Stadium, so he will be looking to prove something – revenge against the Dodgers, showing he’s better than this season has shown thus far. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have seen him relatively well, but not so much for the rest of the team.

Old friend Cody Bellinger was the starting centerfielder for the AL squad, as was first baseman Ben Rice who was hot to end the first half.

The biggest thing to watch for perhaps is the air quality at the time of these games. Wildfire smoke from Canada has worked its way into the U.S. and is causing issues all through the Midwest and East Coast. It could affect how long pitchers are able to last on the mound in addition to other issues with players.