Athletics Versus Yankees Weekend Preview
The A's return to Sutter Health Park this weekend looking to bounce back from a less-than-stellar series against the Mariners. Oakland played hard all game, getting ahead late in each, but could not close the door, showing a growing necessity to close games against upper-level competition. That chore is only made more difficult now that the AL East-leading Yankees come to town for a three-game series complete with storylines, star power, and playoff intensity.
New York rolls in at 21-16 with a stunning +51 run differential, second only to the San Francisco Giants. They lost superstar Juan Soto during the off-season, but they have seen their offense be the best in baseball, with the best league ranking in home runs, OBP, slugging, and OPS. Aaron Judge has paced the way with another MVP-type season, and Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt have emerged as key contributors. Although Jazz Chisholm and Cody Bellinger have been slow to get going, their upside remains too risky to overlook.
On the mound, injuries have tested New York's depth. Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil are out on the shelf, but the rotation has been solid because of ace-level effort from Max Fried (1.05 ERA) and recharged Carlos Rodon (2.96 ERA). The A's don't see Fried this weekend but get Rodon in Saturday's spotlight matchup. The remainder of the New York bullpen, including Will Warren and, at least potentially, Clarke Schmidt, has also struggled to develop consistency, opening the door for the A's offense to pounce.
Friday's opening matchup features Osvaldo Bido (4.71 ERA), attempting to set the ship right after a horrible series of starts, against Warren (5.65 ERA), who has been moved into the rotation due to injury but remains to find a rhythm. Saturday night's game must be the thrill of the set. JP Sears, Oakland's top consistently performing starter with a sub-3.00 ERA, is scheduled to square off against Rodon, who's allowed two earned runs during his previous four appearances.
Sunday tops the series against Luis Severino (3.62 ERA) and the club he played with for eight years. Severino has been solid in his inaugural season with the A's but requires a bounce-back outing following a tumultuous previous start. The Yankees have not yet announced their starter, but Clarke Schmidt is the likely option despite his struggling early-season outings.
With both teams capable of scoring runs in bunches and looking to get early-season momentum, this weekend's series is set for fireworks. Expect high-scoring offense, chippy games, and an electric atmosphere as the Yankees bring their stable of stars to Oakland.