New York @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Jul 6, 2010 ) NY Yankees 6, Oakland 1
Way back in April, Oakland pitcher Dallas Braden squared off with Alex Rodriguez and yelled at him to “Get off my mound.”
That made the current series in Oakland between the Athletics and New York Yankees a highly anticipated event, particularly after Braden pitched a perfect game on Mother’s Day.
Some of the buzz dissipated after Braden encountered elbow trouble and went on the disabled list, meaning there would be no matchup between Braden and A-Rod in the three-game series that concludes Wednesday night.
But Rodriguez hit two homers on Tuesday against All-Star Trevor Cahill, and Braden became the topic du jour after sharply criticizing the Athletics organization on Monday for selling “Get off my mound” T-shirts against his wishes.
While Rodriguez’s two-homer night led to the Yankees’ second straight victory in the series, Braden told the assembled media one day earlier that he fought the T-shirt idea and that the players’ union also disapproved.
Regardless, the Athletics went ahead with their plan and are selling the unlicensed shirts for $25 each. Management obviously felt the shirts would be a big hit after the April controversy.
Braden yelled at Rodriguez after a foul ball in which Rodriguez elected to return to first base by running across the mound, drawing Braden’s ire. Oakland won the game with Braden getting the victory.
There is one more chance for a Braden vs. A-Rod clash later this season. The Yankees host Oakland in a four-game series from Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
So it was ironic that Rodriguez delivered the big blows Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with five RBIs in New York’s 6-1 win. It was the 55th multiple-homer game of Rodriguez’s career.
Rodriguez hit a grand slam homer in the third inning off Cahill and a solo shot in the sixth.
The homers raise Rodriguez’s career total to 597. The grand slam was the 21st of his career, tying Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers for second on the career list. Yankees legend Lou Gehrig leads with 23 grand slams.
A.J. Burnett will be on the mound today as the Yankees go for the sweep. Burnett was splendid in his first July start after having an atrocious month of June.
The right-hander blanked Toronto on four hits over 6 2/3 innings in a July 2 game that the Yankees lost, a pleasing sign after Burnett went 0-5 with an 11.35 earned-run average in June.
Burnett gave up 29 runs, 35 hits and 17 walks in 23 innings during his rocky month.
Overall, Burnett is 6-7 with a 4.90 ERA. He has a 2-3 career mark and 4.00 ERA in seven starts against the Athletics.
Gio Gonzalez starts for Oakland. He struggled against the Yankees earlier this season, giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings during a losing effort.
However, Gonzalez (7-5, 3.50 ERA) has pitched terrific ball over his last three starts despite only one win to show for it.
He has allowed just one earned run and 13 hits in his last 19 2/3 innings, including 6 2/3 scoreless innings of five-hit ball against Cleveland in his most recent outing.