The next stop for the New York Yankees on this road trip is Oakland as they seek some vengeance against the Athletics.
The first series against the Oakland Athletics was a disappointing one for the New York Yankees as they got swept in three games in the Bronx the first matchup and they’ll look to embarrass the A’s on their home turf.Unfortunately for the Yanks, Oakland is a tad hotter than they were when they traveled to the East Coast. They have won five of six and have scored six runs or more four times in those six games.
Before they kicked it into a new gear, however, the A’s lost nine of previous 10 leading up to their current hot streak and their starting pitchers sported an ERA of 9.00.
The Yankees are coming off their first series loss since earlier this month to the Baltimore Orioles. They have been on the losing end nine out of their last 10 games on the road.
Prior to the road trip, New York had won seven of their last ten contests (7-3 during their homestand) and averaged 4.8 runs per game.
Perhaps a return to an American League ballpark would do good for these Yankees, who were outscored 19-9 in Phoenix. Here’s a full, in-depth look at everything you need to know prior to first pitch at 10:05 from Oakland.
Pitching Matchups:
Ivan Nova (2-1, 3.70 ERA) vs Kendall Graveman (1-5, 5.84 ERA)
Nova has pitched well in two starts since rejoining the rotation thanks in large part to the usage of his sinker. In the 10.1 innings pitched against the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox, Nova has maintained a 1.74 ERA.
In eight total appearances, he has a 3.70 ERA with a 4.4 K/9 ratio and has made a case to remain in the rotation when CC Sabathia Returns from his groin injury.
Graveman has surrendered at least four earned runs his last four outings and in the past two, he has given up five home runs. The last time he won a ballgame was against these Yankees on April 20th.
In that outing, Graveman struck out eight batters while only surrendering one run in 6.1 innings of work.
CC Sabathia (2-2, 3.81 ERA) vs Sonny Gray (3-4, 5.84 ERA)
Barring any game time decision, Sabathia should get his first start since landing himself a spot on the disabled list with a groin injury.
The big lefty is coming off an outing in which he went seven scoreless frames en route to a victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He has struggled at the Coliseum, however, as he is 4-7 with a 5.44 ERA in 15 starts.
Gray has been shaky in 2016 and is attempting to get on track. The anchor of this A’s pitching staff has yet to record a victory as he owns a 5.84 ERA so far.
In his three career starts against the Yankees, Gray is 1-1 with a 3.43 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 21 innings.
Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 3.51 ERA) vs Sean Manaea (1-1, 7.91)
Last time out against the Chicago White Sox, Tanaka struggled with his splitter but was still able to keep his team in the game. In five innings of work, the righty surrendered four runs on eight hits while striking out seven but walked three hitters.
Manaea is fresh off his first major league win and is seeking to build on the amazing accomplishment. The rookie left-hander allowed one run in 6.2 innings of work but it wasn’t enough to bring his astronomical ERA down to planet Earth.
In his first four games in the show, he has surrendered four home runs and has given up 17 runs in his 19.1 total innings pitched.
Michael Pineda (1-5, 6.60 ERA) vs Jesse Hahn (1-1, 3.38 ERA)
There aren’t many of them here in 2016, but one of Big Mike’s best starts came against the Oakland A’s on April 19th.
In that outing, Pineda struck out seven while only allowing two runs in six innings of work. Since then, his ERA is a 9.38 in five starts.
Hahn returned from a demotion to the minor leagues and dazzled in 6.2 innings by only allowing three runs. He is still shaky, however, as he has allowed 21 hits in 18.2 innings and has surrendered three home runs in three starts.
Key To A Series Win:
Catch The Ball:
In the first two games in the series loss to the D-Backs, the Yankees committed five defensive miscues which led to huge offensive outbursts by the opposition.
In the 12-2 loss on Monday night, Mark Teixeira could not make the catch on a throw by Chad Green which allowed Michael Bourn to reach base. Long story short, the bottom of the fifth became a five-run inning as the Yankees were abused in game one of the series.
The way the pitching has been and the incapability for the offense to explode, every out is a big out. If this team can make all the plays they’re supposed to make and some they’re not, an insane amount of stress will be withdrawn from the starting pitching and slumping offense.
If not? Well, you saw what transpired on Monday night.
Players To Watch:
In 34 games this year, Burns owns a .264 batting average and has stolen nine bases on 11 attempts, but it’s his numbers against the Yankees that make this speedster a player to watch this weekend.
In 10 games against the Boys In Pinstripes, Burns has a slash line of .362/.362/.532 with one home run, one triple, and three doubles along with three stolen bases to go with it.
According to manager Joe Girardi, A-Rod’s best-case scenario to return to the lineup is on Saturday.
The main concern for Girardi is if A-Rod can run at full speed. Today, the 40-year old slugger jogged very lightly in the outfield but did not necessarily give the Yankees any hope at an early return.
The DH was batting .194 on the season but in the seven games prior to his hamstring injury, he owned a .304/.333/.826 slash line with three home runs and seven RBI.
Billy Butler and Josh Reddick:
Butler has a .500 average against tonight’s starter, Ivan Nova, while Reddick owns a .364 (4-for-11) career average that features a home run.
Game Times:
- Thursday, 10:05 PM ET, YES Network
- Friday, 9:35 PM ET, YES Network
- Saturday, 4:05 PM ET, YES Network
- Sunday, 4:05 PM ET, YES Network
Bold Prediction:
A-Rod hits a home run this series and Aroldis Chapman hits 104 MPH at some point this weekend.