Athletics at Yankees
The New York Yankees suddenly have a losing streak to deal with - their first since early April - and will try to avoid their first three-game slide of the year when they continue a weekend series with the visiting Oakland Athletics on Saturday. The Athletics pounded out 14 hits - four home runs - to roll to a 10-5 win in the series opener Friday night, snapping their own three-game losing streak in the process.
Oakland has claimed five straight against the Yankees dating to last season and now takes aim at a series win against a team that had won 17 of 18 games - including eight in a row - before a loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Aaron Judge homered and recorded four RBIs to lead the way for New York while Didi Gregorius went 0-for-4 to extend his hitless stretch to 28 at-bats. Jed Lowrie homered among three hits for the A's to raise his average to .344 on the year and to .306 in 28 career games at Yankee Stadium. New York right-hander Domingo German sparkled through six no-hit innings in his first career start his last time out and will seek an encore performance Saturday opposite Oakland righty Andrew Triggs.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS California (Oakland), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Andrew Triggs (3-1, 4.41 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Domingo German (0-1, 2.66)
Triggs is coming off his best start of the season after yielding a run and two hits in seven innings of a win against Baltimore on Sunday. He struck out a career high-tying nine and did not walk a batter for the first time this season. The 29-year-old was charged with six runs but only one of them was earned in six innings in his only prior start at Yankee Stadium last season.
German struck out nine and walked two in his outstanding start against Cleveland on Sunday, giving him 10 scoreless innings over his last two appearances overall. The Dominican Republic native has 27 strikeouts and 14 hits allowed in 20 1/3 innings on the year. German tossed four scoreless frames in relief while fanning six at Oakland last June 17.
WALK-OFFS
1. Lowrie (34 RBIs), A's LF Khris Davis (32), Judge (32) and Gregorius (31) finished Friday's game ranked 2-5 in the AL in that category.
2. Oakland CF Dustin Fowler, who was traded from the Yankees last season for right-hander Sonny Gray, recorded his first career hit in Friday's win.
3. New York 2B Gleyber Torres has three home runs and 10 RBIs over his last eight games.