Athletics vs New York   Results, Match Player Stats & Records

The Yankees hope to see improvement in both areas Thursday afternoon when they host the Athletics in the decisive game of a three-game series.

After winning seven of their first eight games, the Yankees dropped two of their past three and struggled to bring home baserunners.

In a 7-6 loss to the visiting Miami Marlins on Sunday, New York finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. In a 3-2 defeat to the A's on Wednesday, the Yankees went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, had three of their season-low four hits in the opening inning and struck out a season-high 15 times.

"The story was we didn't score when we had a chance to throw a knockout punch there early," New York manager Aaron Boone said. "Just couldn't break through and they held us down. Just one of those nights where we didn't do enough."

Cody Bellinger hit an RBI single, but Ben Rice struck out four times and the Yankees saw their average with runners in scoring position drop to .227 (22-for-97) with 34 strikeouts.

The Yankees also saw their bottom three hitters go 1-for-10, and that includes Ryan McMahon, who is 2-for-26 (.077) after going hitless in his first career start at shortstop. Overall, New York's seven through nine hitters are 16-for-111 (.144) so far.

"It's (11) games in," Boone said about McMahon. "He's scuffling right now, but the reality is the last three games, he's been on base four times, too, with walks and hits and big at-bats. We want him to improve to who he's been in his career and he's off to a slow start right now, but a number of our guys are as well."

The A's are trying to claim their first series victory at Yankee Stadium since 2016 after Brent Rooker hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning off David Bednar on Wednesday.

Rooker has seven of his eight RBIs in the past three games. His fly ball scored Nick Kurtz, who is 6-for-16 in his past four games.

Rooker's RBI occurred on a night when the A's saw their bullpen combine to allow no hits and two walks while striking out eight in four shutout innings. One game earlier, the Athletics' Mark Leiter Jr. allowed a go-ahead three-run homer to Amed Rosario in the eighth inning as the Yankees pulled out a 5-3 win.

"(Tuesday) was a tough loss," second baseman Jeff McNeil said on the Athletics' postgame show after producing an RBI single among his two hits. "It says a lot about these guys to bounce back and get the W. The bullpen was huge."

The Yankees have not had a starter allow more than three runs so far, and Ryan Weathers (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will attempt to continue the trend and get deeper into his outing on Thursday.

Weathers lasted 3 2/3 innings when he allowed three runs on six hits in a no-decision against the Marlins before the Yankees earned a 9-7 win on Saturday.

In the left-hander's only previous start against the A's, he allowed three runs on five hits in six innings and took the loss for the Marlins on May 3, 2024.

After getting five innings apiece from veterans Aaron Civale and Luis Severino in the series, the A's will start Jeffrey Springs (1-0, 2.38 ERA) in the finale. Springs has allowed two runs or fewer in 18 of 32 starts since joining the A's last season. He earned a win on Friday against the Houston Astros by allowing one run on two hits in six innings.

Springs is 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 11 career appearances (three starts) against the Yankees, but he hasn't faced them since 2022.

--Field Level Media