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New York Yankees Finish Off Series Sweep of Oakland Athletics

By Kenneth Teape

May 22, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Yankees were able to sweep their four-game series with the Oakland Athletics Sunday afternoon, winning their fifth consecutive game in the process.

The New York Yankees took care of business on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Oakland Athletics 5-4 to take home the four-game series sweep. The victory pushed the Yankees winning streak to five games, as they received some timely hitting and pitching in what was a back-and-forth game.

It was the cleanest game, but a win is a win for the Yankees, who pushed their record to 21-22 on the season. It was the first four-game series sweep for the Yankees in Oakland since 1979, and it was a total team effort.

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The Yankees saw some rough streaks end today, as Michael Pineda picked up his first victory since April 6th, his first start of the season. Mark Teixeira also snapped his 0-for-19 streak at the plate with an RBI single in the sixth inning that tied the game up at three. It was the first RBI for Teixeira since May 1st as well.

While Pineda wasn’t dominant on the mound, he did enough to put the Yankees in position to pick up a win and had a gutsy performance. It has been a struggle for him this season, as he had allowed 11 runs in his last two starts.

Today was the first time in four starts that he didn’t allow a home run, which was a big help in him sticking around long enough to get a victory on his ledger. Pineda went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out six.

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Pineda did his job going six innings, as the Yankees dominant trio out of the bullpen was then called upon to close the deal. Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman each pitched clean innings, but Andrew Miller found a little trouble as his defense let him down.

The first two hitters of the inning, Billy Burns and Stephen Vogt, reached on errors by Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro. Miller would work his way around the errors, as he didn’t allow a hit and did not surrender the lead despite the early troubles.

The long ball was helpful for the Yankees at the plate, as Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury each went deep for solo home runs. Carlos Beltran added yet another double, giving him five in the series as he went 9-for-18 in the four-game series with eight RBI and a home run as well.

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The Yankees are ecstatic to see that, and are hopeful the momentum can be carried cross-country when they return home for a series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Nathan Eovaldi will be toeing the rubber for the Yankees, and will be opposed by R.A. Dickey of the Blue Jays.

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