For the final time in the regular season, Derek Jeter returns to the scene of one of the greatest defensive plays in the history of the MLB Playoffs - as the Oakland Athletics host the New York Yankees for a three-game series starting on Friday.
The Yankees are trying to figure out their identity on the fly this season, battling injuries and a host of slumps while still remaining withing striking distance (3.5 GB) of the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays.
After salvaging one game of their three-game set with the second-place Los Angeles Angels, the A's come into this weekend's series with an AL-best 40 wins - along with an MLB-leading run differential of +130.
Snapshot:
Home: Oakland Athletics (40-26, 17-12 home)
Away: New York Yankees (34-31, 21-15 away)
Key Stat:
The Yankees need to find a way to clone Masahiro Tanaka. The team is 11-2 when he starts and 23-29 when someone else toes the rubber.
Yankees Outlook:
In order for the Yankees to climb their way out of the middle of the American League pack and establish themselves as a top playoff contender, they will have to find a way to heat up the bats in clutch-hitting situations.
Per Michael Brown of Pinstripe Alley, "coming into Wednesday's matchup with the Mariners, in 608 plate appearances the Yankees were hitting .254/.320/.348 (.669 OPS), 30 points lower than the team's overall OPS."
Stringing together key hits with runners in scoring position could be the difference between contending and prepping for 2015 come September.
A's Outlook:
Despite losing two out of three to the second-place Angels in Anaheim, the A's take a good amount of positives (and a 3.5 game division lead) back to the O.co Coliseum for this weekend's series with New York.
The biggest positive may be left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who is starting to find his stroke at the plate in June. The Cuban five-tool phenom is 15-for-45 this month with an .881 OPS.
He also launched two of the greatest throws you will ever see on a baseball diamond in back-to-back contests against the Angels, vaulting him into the national consciousness in the span of 48 hours.
What to Watch For:
The Oakland A's will miss Masahiro Tanaka (10-1, 2.02) this time around, which is most likely just fine with the Green and Gold.
Tanaka gave up just one run in six innings in a 2-1 victory over the A's on June 5th - providing the Bombers their only victory of that three-game set in the Bronx.
Keep an eye, however, on Saturday's pitching matchup. A resurgent Hiroki Kuroda (3 ER in 13.2 innings his last two starts) takes the mound for the Yankees against dark horse Cy Young candidate Scott Kazmir (7-2, 2.20).
What They're Saying About the Yankees:
Ryan Dempster: Tanaka good enough to keep Yankees afloat (New York Post)
Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals' left fielder...for now (Federal Baseball)
What They're Saying About the A's:
Drew Pomeranz: More than just a flash in the pan (Athletics Nation)
Dad always a huge influence on Doolittle (Official Site of the A's)
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