9:40 pm
August 25

Yankees @ Athletics

Who will WIN this matchup?

New York Yankees (76-48)

@ Oakland Athletics (46-79)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Taillon (NYY): 11-4; 4.00 ERA

Kaprielian (OAK) 3-7; 4.29 ERA

 

Current odds:

New York Yankees: (-217)

Oakland Athletics: (+183)

 

• The starting line-up for the Yankees is as follows:

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• The starting line-up for the Athletics is as follows:

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• Giancarlo Stanton is expected to return as a designated hitter when the New York Yankees open a four-game road series against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night. The series is a rematch of a three-game New York home sweep in late June that ended the same way this one apparently will begin — with Stanton serving as a DH. Stanton hit a three-run homer off Cole Irvin in that most recent meeting on June 29. He also homered as a DH in the series opener off Paul Blackburn two days earlier, the homers being his only hits in six at-bats in the series. The oft-injured 32-year-old has hit .204 with 12 homers in 165 plate appearances as a DH this season, as opposed to .252 with 12 homers in 163 plate appearances in all other capacities.

• Stanton made a two-game rehab stop at Double-A Somerset to demonstrate he is ready to return from left Achilles soreness that has kept him off the major league diamond since July 23. He went 0-for-7 but passed the test, though he was told by New York manager Aaron Boone that he would be eased back into the swing of things this week.

• The Yankees had Wednesday off following a two-game sweep of the rival New York Mets. Counting a home triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, the Yankees have won three in a row, all by 4-2 counts.

• Despite the winning streak, the Stanton-less club has lost 14 of its past 20 games. The Yankees have been held to four runs or less in 13 of their past 14 outings.

• They will see one of their former farmhands — James Kaprielian (3-7, 4.29 ERA) — in the series opener. The Yankees selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of UCLA. The right-hander was acquired by the A’s as a minor-leaguer at the trade deadline in 2017 as part of a package for Sonny Gray.

• Kaprielian, 28, has faced New York twice since, going 1-0 with a 7.59 ERA. Both of those starts occurred last season, including a head-to-head matchup with Jameson Taillon a year ago Friday, when he was roughed up for six runs in five innings, including a homer by Stanton.

• Oakland gave itself a bit of momentum on the eve of the series with a 3-2, 10-inning, walk-off win over Miami on Wednesday. The A’s totaled just six runs while losing two of three to the Marlins. Skye Bolt, who authored the walk-off with a sacrifice fly, insisted he and his young teammates aren’t intimidated by the Yankees.

• The A’s are expected to draw Taillon (11-4, 4.00 ERA) in the series opener. He has never lost to Oakland, going 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in three career starts. Taillon, however, surrendered five runs in 3 2/3 innings in his head-to-head with Kaprielian last August, a game the Yankees won 7-6. Sean Murphy tagged him for a homer in that one.

• Taillon gave up three runs in five innings in a 5-3 home win over the A’s on June 29. All three runs came in the first inning.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
New York Yankees