After a very successful weekend sweep of the Los Angeles Angels at home, the 35-22 Oakland A’s take their talents to the east coast this week. The A’s have built a 4.5 game lead in the AL West and have the best record in the American League. The team has a major league leading +115 run differential vs. their opponents, more than double their Bay Area counterparts in San Francisco – their closest competitor in all of MLB.

First up for the Athletics are the 30-25 New York Yankees. Aside from the highly impressive Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees pitching staff has struggled this season. The team has been flat all year but still finds itself in second place in the crowded AL East.

This will be the first of two separate three game series against the Yankees to occur within the next two weeks, as the teams will face each other again 6/13 – 6/15 in Oakland.  A’s fans will see a lot of Pinstripes over the next two weeks. This also provides a good litmus test for the team against one of the high powered teams on the east coast, after losing two of three to the Boston Red Sox earlier this season.

Here are the start times (PT) and expected starting pitcher match-up vs. the Yankees. Note that Wednesday’s game is scheduled to have national TV coverage on ESPN2.

Tuesday, 6/3 @ New York, 4:05pm, Scott Kazmir (6-2) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (4-3)

Wednesday, 6/4 @ New York, 4:00pm, Jesse Chavez (4-3) vs. Vidal Nuno (1-2)

Thursday, 6/5 @ New York, 10:05am, Drew Pomeranz (5-2) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (8-1)

Predictions: Tough series to predict with the A’s having to fly across the country after playing Sunday. However, the A’s will have off on Monday while the Yankees will have to play a makeup game against the Seattle Mariners. Given this, the A’s should be able to take two of three to win the series.

Oakland will head down to Baltimore for a weekend series at Camden Yards. The Orioles enter the week at 28-27 having just split a four game series with the Houston Astros this weekend. While Baltimore’s pitching staff is near the bottom of the league across most metrics, they are getting the most out of their offense, and most specifically Nelson Cruz.  Cruz is having a phenomenal half of the season, leading the team with a .314 average and with 20 home runs and 52 RBI’s.

Here are the expected pitching matchups for the weekend series:

Friday, 6/6 @ Baltimore, 4:05pm, Tommy Milone (3-3) vs. Chris Tillman (5-2)

Saturday, 6/7 @ Baltimore, 4:15pm, Sonny Gray (6-1) vs. Wei Yin Chen (6-2)

Sunday, 6/8 @ Baltimore, 10:35am, Scott Kazmir (6-2) vs. Bud Norris (3-5)

Predictions: Fully expect the A’s to at least win the series in Baltimore by taking two of three with a sweep not out of the question. 

Who’s Hot?

Josh Donaldson has turned it on over the past week and a half. He is putting up MVP-caliber numbers on offense while playing spectacular defense at third base. He leads the A’s in BA, HR”s, RBI’s, and OBP and is second behind Brandon Moss in SLG and OPS.

After a slight hiccup in the middle of May, Fernando Abad has been solid over the few weeks, not allowing an earned run since 5/17. Sean Doolittle took over the closer role in May and all he did was respond by not allowing a single earned run the entire month.

Who’s Not?

Jed Lowrie has struggled over the past week hitting under .150, with only one extra base hit and one RBI. While he isn’t necessarily struggling or giving away games, Jesse Chavez has lost his last two decisions and hasn’t gone past six innings pitched in either start. Given this is his first season as a full time starter, it is a trend worth watching as we get to the halfway point of the season.

A’s Roster Movement

The A’s sent minor league RHP Ronald Herrera to the Padres to complete the Kyle Banks trade.

On Sunday the A’s announced that they optioned RP Fernando Rodriquez to the minors and recalled C Stephen Vogt.

Quick injury note – Brandon Moss missed this weekend’s games vs. the Angels but is hoping to be back on Tuesday to face the Yankees.