The Dodgers arrive in Queens with first-place weight on their shoulders, and the Mets get the kind of Friday night test that can jolt a ballpark awake.
Los Angeles opens a three-game series against New York at Citi Field on Friday, July 24, with first pitch listed for 11:10 p.m. ET. The matchup puts the NL West-leading Dodgers against a Mets team sitting fifth in the NL East.
The probable pitching duel gives both clubs a chance to reset the tone early. Roki Sasaki is listed for the Dodgers at 3-5 with a 4.99 ERA, while Sean Manaea is listed for the Mets at 2-5 with a 4.74 ERA.
The Dodgers come in with the louder profile on paper. They are averaging 5.2 runs per game, compared with 4.1 for New York, and hold the edge in batting average, home runs and team ERA.
Still, the matchup has star power on both sides. Shohei Ohtani leads the Dodgers with 22 home runs, while Andy Pages has driven in 68 runs. Freddie Freeman enters as Los Angeles’ batting average leader at .289.
For the Mets, Juan Soto remains the central name on the scoreboard. He leads New York with a .283 average, 21 home runs and 52 RBIs listed among team leaders.
The recent form gives the game extra bite. The Dodgers beat Philadelphia 9-5 on Wednesday after a 2-1 win the night before. The Mets, meanwhile, lost 4-3 at Milwaukee on Wednesday after shutting out the Brewers 4-0 on Tuesday.
Max Muncy and Tommy Edman both enter with fresh production for Los Angeles after contributing in Wednesday’s win over the Phillies. The transfer market is already moving fast in other sports, but in baseball, the pressure is now on the Mets to answer at home against a Dodgers side that keeps piling up runs.
