Athletics at Yankees
After playing 10 of their first 13 contests at home, the Oakland Athletics will test their mettle with a 10-game road trip against three teams expected to be postseason contenders. Winners of two in a row overall, the Athletics begin a three-game series versus the New York Yankees on Tuesday before three tilts in Toronto and a four-game set against Detroit to conclude the trek.
Billy Burns used his considerable speed to his advantage with a triple before scoring the go-ahead run in a 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Sunday. The 26-year-old leadoff hitter has scored four runs in his last four outings and is 12-for-32 (.375) with six runs scored in seven career meetings with New York. Speaking of the Yankees, an inability to convert with runners in scoring position has been their undoing of late - including a woeful 1-for-35 stretch in their three-game series versus Seattle over the weekend. Alex Rodriguez snapped an 0-for-19 stretch with a two-run homer as New York ended a four-game skid with a 4-3 victory on Sunday.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Eric Surkamp (0-1, 4.00) vs. Yankees RH Michael Pineda (1-1, 6.55)
Surkamp has yet to complete a five-inning stint this season, falling short by two outs in his debut on April 8 and one out five nights later in his encounter versus the Los Angeles Angels. The 28-year-old has allowed just two runs in each outing, but his four walks led to his undoing against the Angels. Surkamp, who will be making his 10th start and 46th appearance, has yet to face the Yankees in his career.
After permitting three homers in his season-opening start, Pineda kept the ball in the park in his last outing but allowed three runs and as many walks in six innings to take the loss against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. The free passes are a bit discouraging for the 27-year-old, who yielded just 28 walks in 40 starts with the Yankees from 2014-15. While pitching for Seattle in 2011, Pineda limited the Athletics to a .185 batting average and permitted just four runs and struck out 19 over 18 innings en route to posting a 2-1 mark with a 2.00 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Oakland has won 13 of its last 19 meetings with New York.
2. New York LF Brett Gardner is 7-for-12 with one homer, two RBIs and two runs scored in his last three games.
3. Athletics INF Eric Sogard is expected to have surgery on his ailing left knee and will likely miss at least the rest of the first half of the season, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.