NEW YORK — Omaha’s loss Saturday night will be a big win for anyone who likes watching two of the best pitchers in baseball face off against one another.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to make a surprising return to the major league rotation Saturday night Bears Elite Jerseys , when the Dodgers visit the New York Mets in the middle game of a three-game series at Citi Field.

The Dodgers won the opener 5-2 on Friday night when Cody Bellinger’s sixth-inning grand slam snapped a scoreless pitcher’s duel between Los Angeles left-hander Alex Wood and Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler.

There will likely be more zeroes on the board Saturday when Kershaw (1-4, 2.76 ERA) may not even be the best pitcher to take the Citi Field mound. The Hall of Fame-bound southpaw, who hasn’t pitched this month because of a lower back strain, will be opposed by the hottest pitcher in baseball, Mets ace Jacob deGrom (5-2, 1.51 ERA).

The Mets finally provided deGrom some run support in his most recent start on Monday when he picked up a long-awaited win after allowing two runs (one earned) in eight innings of a 12-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

DeGrom lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.51 in the win. Since 2000, only Randy Johnson (1.47 ERA in 2000) has produced a lower ERA through 15 starts.

DeGrom has a 0.90 ERA in his last 11 starts, during which he has only gone 3-2 while the Mets have gone 3-8. New York scored 16 runs while deGrom was on the mound in his 10 starts before Monday.

“I watched (Corey) Kluber have about a 1.40 ERA for like 12 or 13 starts at the end of one season to win a Cy Young,” said Mets manager Mickey Callaway, who was the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians when Kluber locked up the American League Cy Young Award by posting a 1.42 ERA in his final 12 starts last season.

“But this is pretty special. You don’t see this often.”

Nor do matchups like Kershaw-deGrom happen very often. The clash Saturday night will mark their first regular-season matchup and the second time they’ve opposed one another.

DeGrom picked up the win in the decisive Game 5 of the 2015 National League Division Series when he tossed seven scoreless innings in the Mets’ 3-1 win over the Dodgers and Kershaw, who pitched on three days’ rest and took the loss after giving up all three runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Kershaw was originally scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Oklahoma City against Omaha, but with an uncertain weather forecast in Nebraska, the Dodgers decided to take their chances by having him pitch for the big league team in New York, where scattered thunderstorms are expected.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted the famously competitive Kershaw did his share of talking his way out of the rehab start.

“He did play a little weatherman, so with weather.com and Clayton, we were pretty abreast with the weather in Omaha Bengals Elite Jerseys ,” Roberts said with a grin Friday afternoon.

Roberts said the Dodgers will proceed carefully with Kershaw, who has made as many trips to the disabled list as to a big league mound since May. Kershaw was sidelined from May 2 through May 30 because of biceps tendinitis.

Kershaw was activated May 31, when he didn’t factor into the decision after pitching through a tight back while allowing one run in five innings of the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Los Angeles placed Kershaw back on the disabled list the next day.

“We don’t know how much he’s going to pitch,” Roberts said. “I don’t want to put a limit on him. Obviously, there is a limitation with Clayton, and I’ll make that decision.”

Both pitchers will have a unique, opponent-specific streak on the line Saturday

DeGrom is 0-3 with a 3.26 ERA in six career regular-season starts against the Dodgers. He has beaten every other team he has faced more than once.

Kershaw is 8-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 12 regular-season starts against the Mets. He is undefeated against eight other teams but has beaten only one of those squads, the Atlanta Braves, more than twice.

Roughly 20 seconds into his introductory news conference as coach of the New York Giants, Pat Shurmur ran into his problem.

The lights went out in the auditorium where he was speaking.

Like everyone else in the packed room, the former offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings laughed, and then handled the situation without missing a beat.

”And we’re off,” Shurmur quipped. ”We have to keep adjusting. Anyway, I was going to tell a joke, so I’ll stop.”

Speaking and answering questions for more than 25 minutes after being introduced by co-owner John Mara, Shurmur was poised Browns Elite Jerseys , funny and open, thanking his mother in Michigan for teaching him to be competitive, compassionate and not allowing anyone to tell him you can’t do something.

Shurmur faces a major task in taking over a team that went 3-13 after making the playoffs in 2016. The injury-ravaged Giants slipped so quickly that Ben McAdoo was fired in early December after less than two years on the job.

”There’s a lot of work to be done,” Shurmur said. ”There are changes that need to be made.”

One thing that seemingly won’t change is the Giants’ starting quarterback. Shurmur is looking forward to working with Eli Manning and he believes the 37-year-old two-time Super Bowl winner still has years ahead of him.

The 52-year-old agrees with new general manager Dave Gettleman that winning starts up front, and he is determined to build a good offensive line to go along with a talented defensive line.

”There are basic truths and basic facts that don’t change and you have to do,” Gettleman said. ”You have to run the ball, you have to stop the run, and you have to rush the passer. Pat and I completely agree on that. The other thing is that big men allow you to compete.”

As the Giants struggled last season, there were rifts in the locker room. Three players were suspended for a week for conduct detrimental to the organization.

Shurmur wants to get to know his players, particularly superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr., joking it makes sense to throw him the ball. He added everyone will start with a clean sheet.

This will be Shurmur’s second head coaching job, and he says he is a lot more knowledgeable now than when he ran the Cleveland Browns in 2011-12.

”Those who do know me know I have zero tolerance for people who don’t compete,” Shurmur said. ”I have zero tolerance for those who do not give effort and I have zero tolerance for people who don’t show or lack respect.”

Shurmur has already started assembling his staff. Former Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher will be his defensive coordinator.

The status of the offensive coordinator is uncertain. Shurmur intends to call his own plays on an offense that will have a West Coast influence, but also one that seeks to run the ball.

”We’re going to do what we can to get better each day,” Shurmur said. ”How fast that happens? I’m as impatient as the next fan, but we’re going to try to get better each day.

”As I mentioned we have a lot of really good players on this team. We’re going to get some new ones and we’re going to try to put together a team that can go out next year and win games.”

The Giants Cowboys Elite Jerseys , who have made the playoffs only once since 2011, interviewed five other coaching candidates, including interim coach and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Shurmur was the clear choice, the co-owners said.

”After the season like we had, we needed someone who was ”an adult,” who is professional and who has a certain demeanor to walk in there and start to straighten things out,” Mara said. ”I think he had all the qualities. Time will tell.”

Co-owner Steve Tisch believes the Giants will be patient in the rebuilding process, but he thinks Shurmur will hit the ground running. He was impressed with the way the new coach walked through the building Thursday and introduced himself to everyone.

”The evidence is there this is a mature, responsible, passionate leader,” Tisch said. ”I can’t wait for the players to meet him and him to put a new staff together. It’s a new day and it’s very exciting.”

Mara, who has taken part in his share of coaching searches, said Shurmur had as good an interview as he has experienced. Tisch added he felt an almost instant chemistry talking with him.

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