New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics: Series Preview

After a pretty disastrous weekend trip to Philadelphia, the Yankees bounced back with a decent little sweep to start this week. Buffalo had been a house of horrors for the Yankees since the Blue Jays have been playing there since last year, but the Yankees got out of there with a few nerve-wracking wins. Things aren’t getting easier this weekend, however.

Next up for the Yankees are the AL West-leading Athletics, who come into this series with one of the best records in baseball. All three starting pitchers Oakland sends out this weekend have put in good seasons so far, while their offense has been led by an excellent year from Matt Olson.

It’s going to be a tough weekend, so let’s take a look at the matchups we’ll see as the Yankees take on Oakland.

Friday: Jameson Taillon vs. James Kaprielian

Taillon’s most recent start was his most disappointing in a year full of deflating outings. He didn’t even get out of the first inning after giving up four runs on five hits. Prior to that, he had put in a couple starts that were at the very least solid, but that ended against the Phillies.

For the first time, the Yankees will face their former prospect and first-round pick Kaprielian in the series opener. Included in the 2017 Sonny Gray trade, injuries kept the pitcher out for the entirety of the 2017 and 2018 season. He battled through those maladies and made his debut last season and has become a regular in Oakland’s rotation as of late. He’s been very impressive, putting up a 2.51 ERA (3.87 FIP) and a 1.175 WHIP. In his last outing, Kaprielian threw six shutout innings against the Royals.

Saturday: Domingo Germán vs. Chris Bassitt

Germán’s run of good starts came to an end last weekend in Philadelphia. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings. It was a worse start than any of the ones he made during the early part of the season which saw him get sent down for a while.

Bassitt is another A’s pitcher having a solid season, coming in with a 3.43 ERA, and a FIP that suggests he’s been a bit better than that. His last three starts have raised those numbers as bit, as he’s allowed eight runs in 16.2 innings, but hasn’t allowed more than four in a start since September 2019. Despite Bassitt having made his major league debut back in 2014, he’s actually never faced the Yankees before.

Sunday: Jordan Montgomery vs. Sean Manaea

Surprise, it’s another Yankee coming off a less-than-stellar start! The Yankees got the win in Montgomery’s last game, but that was more thanks to the offense. He managed to battle through 5.1 innings, but gave up four runs, five hits, and four walks to the Blue Jays. Prior to that, he had been on a decent little run, allowing just seven total runs in his four previous starts.

In a three-start stretch to start May, Manaea allowed 12 runs in 14.1 innings across three starts. In six games since then, he’s allowed just seven total. Manaea is coming in on a stretch of five straight starts where he’s held opponents to one or fewer runs. In general, he’s been pretty solid against the Yankees in his career, and that was against offenses that were, you know, better.