Yankees 0, Athletics 3: Chavez outduels Warren as Yankees lose series

Adam Warren took the hill today for the Yankees, looking to outduel Jesse Chavez to ensure a split in New York's first series against the AL-worst Oakland A's.  This series has not gone the Yankees' way (then again, most recent series haven't gone their way), and to come out of Oakland with anything less than a split would be quite disappointing for a Yankees team trying to hold on to their slim division lead.

Unfortunately, the Yankees' bats continue to prove lifeless, and they simply could not get anything going against Chavez today in Oakland.  Chavez struggled a bit in the beginning of the game, falling behind most of the hitters he faced in the first couple innings, and the Yankees managed four hits in the first two innings.  Due to a bit of bad luck, though, and a lack of timely hitting, the Yankees were unable to push one across, and what would be their best chance against Chavez passed them by.

Adam Warren matched Chavez pitch for pitch over the most of the afternoon, blanking the A's through five.  He got burned for making just one mistake, leaving a fastball up and in to the A's best hitter Stephen Vogt in the sixth.  Vogt turned on it and just lifted it over the right field fence, continuing his hot start to a season which has seen him hit .322/.415/.596 for a 180 wRC+.  Vogt has been absolutely ridiculous this season, and of course it would be him to bury the Yankees today.

The A's added another run in the eighth.  Esmil Rogers relieved Warren, and, predictably, the A's hit him hard.  Rogers gave up a single to Billy Burns (who had three hits today) and another to Ben Zobrist before giving way to Jacob Lindgren.  With one out, Lindgren got Vogt to fly out to center, but it was just deep enough to score Burns from third.

With the Yankees' backs against the wall, they had the heart of their lineup at the plate: Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran.  The Yankees brought the tying run to the plate in the form of pinch-hitter Brian McCann, who came up with one out after a Rodriguez single and a Beltran walk.  Looking to tie the game with one swing of the bat, McCann took a huge rip at an 0-2 changeup and just swung right through it, striking out and leaving the Yankees hopes hanging on the bat of Garrett Jones.  But all Jones could do was pop up to first to end the game.

On the bright side, Yankees rookie Ramon Flores did notch his first major league hit today, singling to left to lead off the second inning.  Flores has been quite impressive in the field since he was called up, and it was nice to see him finally find some success at the plate, especially after hitting .292/.389/.425 in Triple-A so far this season.  Hopefully he can pick it up at the plate, as he will be seeing some more time in the field with Jacoby Ellsbury and Slade Heathcott on the DL.

Tomorrow, the Yankees take on the Seattle Mariners, as Michael Pineda faces one of the best pitchers in the league: Felix Hernandez.