Day two of the Official Derek Jeter Farewell to Oakland Tour gets underway today, featuring a baseball game between the New York Yankees (35-31) and your American League-leading Oakland Athletics (40-27).
The Yankees offer Hiroki Kuroda (4-4, 4.12, 13 starts) on the bump against the Athletics. In his June 3 start against the A's at Yankee Stadium, Kuroda allowed just one run, two hits, and one walk over 6⅔ innings but earned no decision in the game won by the A's with three runs in the 10th inning.
Scott Kazmir (7-2, 2.20, 13 starts) will try to continue a performance worthy of high consideration in the Cy Young and All-Star Game considerations. Kazmir currently stands fifth in the Neyer/James Cy Young Predictor entering today. He is riding four consecutive quality starts, and is five for his last six. His sole non-quality start in that stretch was his second-inning ejection by Jerry Layne on May 17 against Cleveland. Kazmir has otherwise tossed just one other game under six innings (five against Texas on April 29).
Good news for Scott Kazmir as Mark Teixeira is a late scratch tonight according to the Oakland Athletics Radio Network's Vince Cotroneo. Tex is 11-for-20 with eight walks against Kazmir lifetime, though only two home runs. Ichiro Suzuki also has done better than .300 against Kazmir, he is 10-for-30 but has never walked. Tonight's revised Yankees lineup:
REVISED #Yankees lineup: Gardner LF, Jeter SS, Ellsbury CF, Soriano DH, McCann 1B, Solarte 2B, Ichiro RF, Murphy C, Johnson 3B, Kuroda P
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 15, 2014
Andy Parrino starts at shortstop with Eric Sogard at second base and Jed Lowrie at designated hitter. Parrino was supposed to start just this evening anyway to give Lowrie a half-day off at designated hitter, he was only in yesterday's game due to Punto suffering from excessive grit.
There are two left-handed catchers tonight: Stephen Vogt is in right field and John Jaso is behind the plate.
Diaz is it? Diaz?
Streak information courtesy tonight's Oakland Athletics game notes.
- Last night only counted for one loss: 40-27 is the best record after 67 games for the Athletics in the last 24 years, and matches where the A's were at this point last year. The A's 47 consecutive days in first place in the AL West is the longest stretch of consecutive days since the finals 65 days of 2006.
- Dingerz where art thou? After 16 consecutive games with a home run for 27 total, the A's have hit just one in their last four games.
- This is why, until last night, I haven't been to a Yankees game in seven years: Last night's defeat ended a seven-game home win streak against the Yankees. The four runs allowed by the A's bullpen last night ended a twenty-inning bullpen scoreless streak against the Yankees.
- Bullpen goodies: Sean Doolittle's 19⅓ innings scoreless streak is the longest active streak in the American League; Luke Gregerson has a 10-inning scoreless streak. Fernando Abad is one of two qualified relievers that have not allowed an inherited runner to score this season.
- If we say it out loud maybe it busts the slumps: Josh Donaldson is sitting on an 0-for-27 streak, the longest hitless streak of his career. John Jaso is 0-for his last 17, one short of his career longest hitless streak. Brandon Moss is 1-for-18 since hitting a grand slam against Baltimore last Sunday. Andy Parrino is hitless on the year, as the Yankees fan behind me pointed out with great disdain yesterday when he saw the .000 on the statistics Lite-Brite (0-for-3). Nick Punto is 0-for-8 as a pinch hitter.
- Kittenface wheels: Craig Gentry is on a streak of 24 consecutive stolen bases without a caught stealing dating back to August 14 of last year. Look for a pinch-hitting or pinch-running assignment for him tonight.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05. Let's go Oakland!