Yankees 4, Athletics 5: Oakland Ends New York's Win Streak At Seven

The Oakland Athletics (88-66) avoided being swept by the New York Yankees (88-64) with a 5-4 victory on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Cliff Pennington drove in Josh Donaldson for the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth.

Reliever Jerry Blevins picked up the win for the A's, throwing 1 ⅓ innings in relief of starter A.J. Griffin. It was the fifth win of the season for Blevins.

Hiroki Kuroda took the loss for the Yankees, going to 14-11 on the season after giving up four earned run in 5 ⅔ innings. Kuroda allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out five A's in the loss.

Oakland opened the scoring in the top of the first when a wild pitch by Kuroda allowed Stephen Drew to score. They extended the lead in the second when Pennington hit a two-run home run to right field.

The Yankees answered in the fourth, scoring four runs thanks to a two-run home run from Nick Swisher, an RBI double by Raul Ibanez and an RBI groundout by Eduardo Nunez.

An RBI single by Yoenis Cespedes in the fifth inning tied the score at four.

Derek Jeter was the designated hitter for the Yankees and with a single in the third inning, one of two hits on the day, Jeter extended his hitting streak to 17 games. Swisher and Ibanez were the only other Yankees to collect multiple hits, each with two.

The Yankees go on the road to take on the Minnesota Twins on Monday. The first game of the three-game series is scheduled to begin at 8:10 p.m. ET at Target Field.

For more on the Yankees, head over to Pinstriped Bible, and for all your Oakland coverage, be sure to visit Athletics Nation. For all things baseball, check out Baseball Nation.

Yankees Vs. Athletics Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics will close out a three-game series Sunday at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees (88-63) will try to earn a series sweep and extend their current winning streak to eight games, while the A's (85-66) will try to salvage a victory that will help them keep pace in the AL Wild Card race.

Veteran Hiroki Kuroda (14-10) will take the mound for the Yankees and oppose the A's A.J. Griffin (6-1). Kuroda is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in two career starts against Oakland, while Griffin was previously undefeated before losing Tuesday to the Detroit Tigers when he gave up five runs on eight hits in just 4 2/3 innings of work.

New York outfielder Ichiro Suzuki will look to continue his outstanding hitting in the series. The midseason trade acquisition is 14-for-20 with seven runs and five RBI in his last five contests, including homering twice in as many games.

The game will be broadcast locally on the YES Network and nationally on TBS. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.

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Yankees 10, Athletics 9: New York Win 14-Inning Thriller

Raul Ibanez's late-game heroics Saturday helped the New York Yankees earn a come-from-behind victory, 10-9, over the visiting Oakland Athletics in a 14-inning thriller at Yankee Stadium. Eduardo Nunez collected the walk-off hit for New York, which used a two-run home run from Ibanez to overcome a four-run deficit in the 13th inning.

The victory helped the Yankees (88-63) earn their seventh straight victory and maintain a one-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles (87-64) in the AL East Division standings -- the Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox, 9-6, earlier in the day.

Corey Wade (1-1) earned the win on the mound, as he pitched a scoreless 14th inning and the Yankees rallied to win behind Nunez's hit that led to a fielding error by A's first baseman Brandon Moss. The gaffe allowed Ichiro Suzuki to cross home plate and end a contest that lasted more than five hours.

New York almost dropped into a first-place tie with Baltimore as its bullpen blew up in the top of the 13th inning allowing three home runs. Jonny Gomes, Yoenis Cespedes and Chris Carter all homered in the inning to help the A's earn a 9-5 lead.

Freddy Garcia gave up two of the three home runs in the 13th, including Gomes' two-run shot. After Garcia allowed another homer to Cespedes and was pulled, relief pitcher Justin Thomas surrendered a home run to Carter to cap the inning's scoring and seemingly all but end the Yankees' chances of a win.

New York never gave up, however, as it mounted a rally in the bottom of the 13th loading the basses with no outs off A's reliever Pat Neshek. The Yankees tied the game using a wild pitch from Neshek that scored Ichiro, a sacrifice fly from Nunez that scored Alex Rodriguez and Ibanez's one-out blast to right field.

Yankees reliever Derek Lowe was a small key in the victory as he tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. Lowe came in after Yankee starter Ivan Nova lasted just 2 1/3 innings allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.

Rodriguez went 3-for-6 with three runs scored, while Derek Jeter finished 1-for-7 extending his hitting streak to a season-best 16 games. Ichiro was sensationa;, again, for New York as he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.

For more on the Yankees, head over to Pinstriped Bible, and for all things baseball, check out Baseball Nation.

MLB Standings: Yankees-Orioles Pennant Race Making History

The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles aren't just involved in any old pennant race -- they're involved in an historic one. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Yankees and Orioles have spent the last 19 days within one game of each other in the AL East -- the longest stretch between first and second place teams since 1951.

New York and Baltimore both won on Friday, keeping the Yankees' lead over the O's at one full game. The two teams have won a combined 11 consecutive games as well.

Buck Showalter's Orioles hold a one game lead over the Oakland Athletics for the first wild card spot in the American League. The A's are three and a half games up on the Los Angeles Angels, giving the Orioles a comfortable four and a half game playoff cushion -- and giving the Yankees a five and a half game cushion.

The Rays are still involved in the wild card chase too, just four and a half games back of the A's. Tampa Bay is running out of time, though, with just 11 games left to play.

For more on the Yankees, check out Pinstriped Bible.

Andy Pettitte & R.A. Dickey: The Older The Better

Yankees Vs. Athletics Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

The New York Yankees will go for their seventh straight win on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The Oakland A's are in the middle of a crucial road trip as they desperately try to hold on to a Wild Card spot. But CC Sabathia shut them down in the opener on Friday night, and Russell Martin blasted a walk-off homer to seal a Yankee win in the 10th.

New York will now turn to Ivan Nova to keep the winning streak alive. Nova has struggled over the past two months but he is coming off a win over the Rays where he gave up just two runs in six innings. He has a 3.29 ERA in two starts against the A's this season.

The A's will counter with Travis Blackley, who has bounced back-and-forth from the rotation and the bullpen this season. Saturday will be his 13th start of the year, and his first in the month of September. The Aussie journeyman has a 3.65 ERA in 98.2 innings this season and has not made an appearance against the Yankees.

The Orioles continue to match the pace of the Yankees in the AL East, with a win on Friday night keeping them one game back. The A's also need every game as they battle with the O's in the Wild Card and try to hold off the charging Angels.

First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET and YES will have the broadcast.

For more on the Yankees, head over to Pinstriped Bible, and for all things baseball, check out Baseball Nation.

Yankees 2, Athletics 1: CC Sabathia Dominant, Russell Martin Slams Walk-Off Winner

The New York Yankees opened their weekend series with the Oakland A's on Friday night with a walk-off extra innings 2-1 win. Russell Martin stepped into the box to lead off the 10th and ripped an 0-1, 93-mph fastball eight rows deep into the left-field seats. The blast picked up closer Rafael Soriano, who wasted perhaps CC Sabathia's best start of the season.

Sabthia took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. It was broken up by Stephen Drew, who led off the sixth by taking a pitch back up the middle and dropping it in front of Curtis Granderson. The Yankee ace got into a bit of a jam in his final inning, the eighth, but he induced a flyout to left to end the threat. The A's loaded the bases with a couple soft hits, but Sabathia dug in and preserved the one-run lead.

CC was fantastic all evening, confounding the A's for 11 strikeouts in eight shutout innings. He had the fastball hitting in the mid-90s and the breaking ball diving out of the zone as the A's consistently swung over the top of it. Sabathia has had an inconsistent second half to the season and also dealt with an injury speed bump. He entered the game coming off three consecutive losses but with less than two weeks to play, the big lefty looked to be in his ace form on Friday night.

Sabathia's efforts, however, were blown in the ninth when closer Rafael Soriano grooved one to pinch hitter Brandon Moss. Soriano got away with one on the pitch prior to the homer, but Moss made him pay a moment later when he absolutely crushed one high into the night and deep into the right-field seats. It was Soriano's fourth blown save of the year, and it was no-doubter as soon as it left the bat.

But Martin would pick up his closer in the Yankees first extra-innings at-bat. It was New York's sixth straight win and their ninth in the last 10 games. The Orioles and Rays also picked up wins to keep pace in the AL East. Baltimore's 4-2 win at Fenway keeps them just one game back of the Yanks.

For more on the Yankees, head over to Pinstriped Bible, and for all things baseball, check out Baseball Nation.

Yankees Vs. Athletics Lineups: CC Sabathia On the Mound In Game 1

The New York Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound for the first game of an important three-game series with the Oakland Athletics. The two teams are vying for playoff spots, with the Yankees clinging to a narrow lead in the AL East and the A's fighting for a Wild Card berth.

Oakland counters with right-hander Jarrod Parker. He is 11-8 with a 3.51 ERA this season. Parker beat the Yankees back on July 21, going eight innings and giving up just one run on five hits. He was solid in his last start, in a game that helped the Yankees, as he went seven innings, allowing two runs in a win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Sabathia last faced the A's on July 22, getting a no-decision after pitching seven innings and allowing three runs.

Full lineups for both teams:

Yankees

1. Derek Jeter DH

2. Nick Swisher RF

3. Robinson Cano 2B

4. Alex Rodriguez 3B

5. Curtis Granderson CF

6. Russell Martin C

7. Eric Chavez 1B

8. Ichiro Suzuki LF

9. Eduardo Nunez SS

Athletics

1. Collin Cowgill CF

2. Jonny Gomes DH

3. Josh Reddick RF

4. Yoenis Cespedes LF

5. Chris Carter 1B

6. Josh Donaldson 3B

7. Derek Norris C

8. Stephen Drew SS

9. Adam Rosales 2B

MLB Standings: Yankees Cling To One-Game AL East Lead

The New York Yankees, fresh off of sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays, enter the weekend hanging on to a one-game lead in the AL East division over the Baltimore Orioles.

With 13 games of their season left to play, the Yankees, winners of five in a row and eight of their last 10 overall, welcome the Oakland Athletics into Yankee Stadium this weekend for a series with plenty of postseason intrigue for both sides.

Baltimore is currently on a four-game winning streak of their own and has refused to go away quietly all season long. They've won seven of their last 10 overall to stay within striking distance of New York, and will head to Fenway Park this weekend for a series against the Boston Red Sox.

To show how close the two teams are, the Orioles and Yankees have finished their regular season series against one another, finishing with nine wins apiece.

Complete division and Wild Card standings can be viewed here.

For more on the Yankees, head over to Pinstriped Bible, and for all things baseball, check out Baseball Nation.

Yankees Vs. Athletics Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

The New York Yankees host the Oakland Athletics in a three-game series with major playoff implications beginning on Friday night.