Alex Rodriguez not in Yankees’ starting lineup vs. Red Sox on Friday

By Bill BaerMay 1, 2015, 6:55 PM EDT
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Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez, currently sitting on 659 career home runs, will have to wait one more day to continue his pursuit of tying Willie Mays for fourth on baseball’s all-time home run leaderboard. He is not in Friday’s starting lineup against the Red Sox. Via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

Rodriguez last homered on April 26 against the Mets, but he has been in a rut at the plate spanning nearly two weeks. Since April 18, he’s batting .135/.319/.270 with one home run, two RBI, and a an 11/10 K/BB ratio in 47 plate appearances.

Justin Masterson is on the hill for the Red Sox on Friday night opposing CC Sabathia of the Yankees. Red Sox lefty Wade Miley opposes Nathan Eovaldi of the Yankees on Saturday afternoon.

Clayton Kershaw to make Opening Day start for Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw Opening Day
Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
By Bill BaerJul 7, 2020, 7:00 PM EDT
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed it in March and he confirmed it again on Tuesday: Clayton Kershaw will start on Opening Day, Jorge Castillo of The Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers are one of four teams that will open the 60-game regular season schedule on July 23; everyone else begins play on the 24th. With a 10 PM ET start, the Dodgers will host the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

Johnny Cueto will likely pitch opposite Kershaw for the Giants. Cueto was named the Giants’ Opening Day starter on March 11, before the league shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Manager Gabe Kapler hasn’t yet officially named an Opening Day starter for the makeshift season.

Kershaw, 32, made the Opening Day start eight consecutive times for the Dodgers from 2011-18. Hyun-Jin Ryu, now a Blue Jay, pitched on Opening Day last season for the Dodgers. Last year, Kershaw logged 178 1/3 innings over 28 starts and one relief appearance, his highest innings total since 2015. He went 16-5 with a 3.03 ERA, 189 strikeouts, and 41 walks.