Yankees vs. Athletics: CC Sabathia vs. Trevor Cahill

The Yankees head into today’s action with an 86-51 record. They trail Boston by 7.5 games in the AL East race, while leading the Athletics by 4.5 for the top Wild Card berth. The Bombers turn to CC Sabathia (7-5, 3.36 ERA), as they begin a big three-game set in Oakland. The veteran southpaw will be opposed by right-hander Trevor Cahill (5-3, 3.60 ERA).

Sabathia looks to extend his streak of four straight quality starts, in a game with major playoff implications for both teams. CC allowed three runs on just five hits over six strong innings during his last outing on August 29th against the White Sox, when he suffered the tough-luck loss. New York had won eight of his ten previous starts, including the last three. Sabathia has done an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground recently, having not allowed a long-ball in a month.

The 30-year-old Cahill is coming off a pair of horrendous starts, both on the road. On August 29th at Houston, he threw 81 pitches, allowed four runs, and failed to complete four innings. In the start before that at Minnesota, Cahill got hammered for five runs and only lasted five frames. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he has pitched much more effectively at home this season, having produced a gaudy .157/.215/.247 slash line, compared with .301/.387/.446 on the road. Cahill has also been stingy with the long-ball, having allowed just three home runs across 52.2 innings when pitching in the Oakland Coliseum.

How to watch

Location: Oakland Coliseum

First pitch: 4:05 PM EDT

TV channel: YES, ESPN (out-of-market only)

Online streaming: MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (full listings)

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