The New York Yankees had a 13-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.
On Sunday, the teams will wrap up their three-game series in the Bay Area, with the winner claiming an important series victory to close out their final series of August. And with playoff implications for both teams, this Sunday Night Baseball matchup is the one to watch on Sunday’s schedule.
Yankees Aim to Keep Distance From Oakland
After winning 13 straight games, the New York Yankees have worked their way to the top of the American League Wild Card standings. But a loss to the Athletics on Saturday has them up by just 2 games over the Boston Red Sox for the top Wild Card spot and 5.5 games ahead of the A’s for the second spot.
On Sunday, the Yankees will look to get back into the win column to keep some distance between both teams.
Saturday’s loss to the Athletics marked the end of an eight-game streak in which the Yankees had scored five or more runs. If New York is going to start a new streak on Sunday, they will need more from Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo.
Aaron Judge picked up three hits ahead of Stanton and Gallo in the lineup, but Stanton and Gallo combined to go 0-8 and failed to make A’s pitchers pay for letting Judge on base.
This season, the Yankees have been more than the sum of their parts. New York hasn’t been a top-five team in any of the major statistical categories related to hitting or pitching. But with an invigorated lineup, the Yankees could prove themselves as legitimate contenders if they pick up wins in games like this one.
Athletics Look For Second Straight Win
The Oakland Athletics were mired in a six-game losing streak before breaking through to beat the Yankees on Saturday. Now that they have experienced victory once again, the A’s will look to enjoy that feeling for a second straight day.
More importantly, they will aim to pull a little closer to the leaders in the AL Wild Card race, as they enter the day 3.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot.
For Oakland, an improvement in pitching was what got them out of the loss column for the first time in a week. The A’s had allowed five or more runs in each of their previous four games prior to Saturday’s victory.
If Oakland can keep the Yankees’ bats from heating up on Sunday, they could steal this series and a huge momentum boost for the rest of the season.
New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics Pick
While the A’s did a nice job of neutralizing the Yankee bats on Saturday, that trend is not likely to continue on Sunday.
The duo of Stanton and Gallo are unlikely to go 0-8 again in this rubber match, while the Yankees have their own pitching issues to deal with in their bullpen. For this critical contest, the over is the best bet, as we should see at least 10 runs scored.
Pick: Over 9 Runs
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