Series Preview: Athletics @ Yankees

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

After not taking advantage of a series that should have been won by the Yankees, they now welcome the Athletics to the Bronx. The Yankees have yet to really get going and they definitely have their work cut out for them with the A’s in town. There has been a lot of bad news for the Yankees lately but on the bright side, it’s possible for Carlos Beltran to return Thursday which would be a huge  boost for their line-up.

                                          Probable Pitching Match-ups

       Athletics                                             @                                         Yankees

   Scott Kazmir             Tuesday, June 3rd:  7:05 pm EST            Hiroki Kuroda

   Jesse Chavez           Wednesday, June 4th: 7:05 pm EST            Vidal Nuno

Drew Pomeranz          Thursday, June 5th: 1:05 pm EST          Masahiro Tanaka

Who’s Hot? Josh Donaldson is one of the hottest players in baseball right now. The only player better right now might be Edwin Encarnacion. In just hist last seven games, Donaldson is hitting over .350 with five homers and eleven RBI. Coco Crisp is hitting over .300 in the span with just two RBI and a couple of doubles.

For the Yankees, How about Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury being the ones on fire. Jeter is hitting over .350 in his last five games while Ellsbury on the other hand is hitting over .300 with six RBI to his credit.

Who’s Not? Derek Norris has been in a funk of late.The catcher’s average is hovering around .100. However, he does also have a home run and five RBI but it hardly makes up for the average. Jed Lowrie has also seen better days. The shortstop’s average is around .150 but he only has one RBI.

                                                      *What To Watch For*

Hiroki Kuroda looks to get things moving in the right direction as he starts the first game of the series with the Athletics. Kuroda, this year, has been mediocre at best. John Jaso hits the 39-year old well going four for ten (.400). Everyone else on the team has combined to go 11 for 66 which translates to a .167 average. Kuroda can really build off this start.

Vidal Nuno, who was very prone to the long ball his last start, pitches the second game of the series. This will mark the first time Nuno pitches against the A’s. He needs to keep the ball in the park if he wants to give the Yankees a chance to win. Tanaka makes the final start of the series and just like Nuno, this will be the first time he faces the A’s. The Japanese superstar will look to take another step to show everyone he is the real deal.