New York has scored 114 more runs than its opponents on the year to move to the top of the pack in the American League East, while the A’s are in last in the A.L. West and have been outscored by 77 runs.
Oakland has one of the worst records in the major leagues but has played well at home on the year and would love to pick up a couple wins in front of its fans. The A’s pitching has been poor this season and that could be bad news against a group of New York hitters who have been knocking the cover off the ball the entire season.
This series will be contested from Thursday, June 15 through Sunday, June 18, 2017 at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. The Friday game will be televised on MLB Network.
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Pitching Matchups
The Yankees will begin the series by sending Jordan Montgomery to the hill. He is 4-4 on the season with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Montgomery has only allowed four earned runs in his past four starters to really decrease his ERA, but still possesses only average stuff. The Athletics will counter with the more talented Sonny Gray, who is 2-2 on the year with a 4.37 ERA. He is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning but faces a tough task against New York.
On Friday, the Yankees will start Luis Severino. He is 5-2 with a 2.75 ERA this season and has one of the hardest fastballs in the game, which he has used to dominate hitters. The Athletics will send out Sean Manaea, who is 6-3 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Manaea has elite strikeout numbers, which should help him continue to succeed.
The Saturday matchup will feature the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka against the Athletics’ Jesse Hahn. Tanaka has a record of 5-6 with an ugly 6.07 ERA on the season. He has been a top-tier pitcher during his career but has struggled all season and is hoping to turn it around. Hahn is 2-4 this season with a 3.56 ERA. While his strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t that great, Hahn has been a reliable hurler throughout his career.
In the series finale, New York has an opening, since left-hander C.C. Sabathia is expected to go on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. Oakland is scheduled to send out Jharel Cotton, who is 3-7 with a 5.52 ERA and has given up 10 homers in his past six starts. This game could be an offensive battle since neither team figures to use an upper-tier starter.
Triple Crown Watch
Aaron Judge’s unbelievable early-season success continues. He is batting .338 on the season with 22 homers and 49 RBIs with an on-base percentage of .443 and a 1.146 OPS. While the Triple Crown -- leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs -- is antiquated, it would still be a pretty impressive accomplishment.
Judge is currently one percentage point behind of Avisail Garcia for the batting crown, three home runs ahead of Logan Morrison and within three RBIs of Nelson Cruz. Judge figures to remain in the hunt for the top home run and RBI numbers, although leading the major leagues in average could be a hard task for such a power hitter.
Even if his batting average drops, there’s no question Judge has already ascended to one of the most feared hitters in the game as a rookie.
Poor Pitching And Little Defensive Help
It’s been a double-whammy for Oakland’s attempts at run prevention. The Athletics have the fourth-worst team ERA in the American League with a 4.74 mark. Oakland has allowed a batting average against of .252, which isn’t horrible, but the hits have either been for extra bases or in key situations.
Even when the pitching is doing its job, the defense has been bad in key situations. The Athletics have allowed 55 unearned runs on the season, which is more than any other team in the league. Oakland wasn’t really expected to contend for a playoff spot this season anyway, but the troubles on the mound and on defense have torpedoed any shot.
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