AL WILDCARD CAPSULE: ATHLETICS VS. YANKEES Starting Pitchers

A look at the American League wild-card game between the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees:

Schedule: Wednesday, at New York, 8:08 p.m. EDT (TBS).

Season Series: Split 3-3.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Athletics: LF Nick Martini (.296, 1 HR, 19 RBIs), 3B Matt Chapman (.278, 24,

68, 42 2Bs, 100 runs), 2B Jed Lowrie (.267, 23, 99, 37

2Bs), DH Khris Davis (.247,

48, 123), RF Stephen Piscotty (.267, 27, 88, 41 2Bs),

1B Matt Olson (.247, 29,

84), SS Marcus Semien

(.255, 15, 70), CF Ramon Laureano (.288, 5, 19 in 48 games), C Jonathan Lucroy

(.241, 4, 51).

Yankees: LF Andrew McCutchen (.255, 20, 65 for Pirates and Yankees) or Brett Gardner (.236, 12, 45,

16 SBs), RF Aaron Judge

(.278, 27, 67, 152 Ks in 112 games), SS Didi Gregorius

(.268, 27, 86 in 134 games), DH Giancarlo Stanton

(.266, 38, 100, 211 Ks), CF Aaron Hicks (.248, 27, 79 in 137 games), 3B Miguel Andujar (.297, 27, 92, 47

2Bs), 1B Luke Voit (.322, 15,

36 in 47 games for Cardinals and Yankees; .333, 14,

33 in 39 games with Yankees), C Gary Sanchez

(.186, 18, 53 in 89 games),

2B Gleyber Torres (.271, 24,

77 in 123 games). Athletics: RH Liam Hendriks (0-1, 4.13 ERA overall; 0-1, 2.08 in 8 games as “opener”).

Yankees: RH Luis Severino (19-8, 3.39, 220 Ks) or LH J.A. Happ (17-6, 3.65 for Blue Jays and Yankees; 7-0, 2.69 in 11 starts with Yankees).

RELIEVERS

Athletics: RH Blake Treinen (9-2, 0.78 ERA, 38/43 saves, .158 BA against), RH Jeurys Familia (8-6, 3.13,

18/24 saves with A’s and Mets), RH Fernando Rodney (4-3, 3.36, 25/32 saves with A’s and Twins), RH Lou Trivino (8-3, 2.92, 4 saves), LH Ryan Buchter

(6-0, 2.75), RH Shawn Kelley (2-0, 2.94 with A’s and Nationals), RH Yusmeiro Petit (7-3, 3.00), RH Emilio Pagan (3-1, 4.35), RH J.B. Wendelken (0-0, 0.54 in 13 games), RH Mike Fiers

(12-8, 3.56 with A’s and Tigers) or LH Brett Anderson (4-5, 4.48). Yankees: LH Aroldis Chapman (3-0, 2.45, 32/34 saves, .136 BA against, 93 Ks in 51 1/3 IP), RH Dellin Betances (4-6, 2.70, 4 saves, 115 Ks in 66 2/3 IP), LH Zach Britton (2-0, 3.10,

7/10 saves for Orioles and Yankees), RH David Robertson (8-3, 3.23, 5 saves), RH Chad Green (8-3, 2.50), RH Jonathan Holder (1-3,

3.14), LH Stephen Tarpley

(0-0, 3.00 in 10 games), RH Tommy Kahnle (2-0, 6.56), LH CC Sabathia (9-7, 3.65).

MATCHUPS

This is the fourth postseason meeting between the franchises. Yankees swept Oakland in the 1981 ALCS and won Division Series in five games in

2000 and `01. … Yankees took two of three from A’s at home in May, and Oakland did the same in September. … Series matches two of the top three home run-hitting teams in the majors. Yankees launched a big league-record 267 this year, while A’s finished with 227. Oakland set franchise record with

569 extra-base hits. … Oakland hit 135 homers on the road, third-most all-time. … A’s averaged

5.5 runs per game on the road, best in the majors and almost a run higher than at home. … Lucroy leads the majors with 31 runners thrown out stealing, but Yankees aren’t much of a threat on the bases with only 63 stolen bases. … Laureano leads majors with nine outfield assists since making his debut Aug. 3. … New York skipper Aaron Boone will be managing his first postseason game after replacing Joe Girardi last offseason.

BIG PICTURE

Athletics: Oakland finished last in AL West the past three seasons before breaking through this year under manager Bob Melvin. The A’s (97-65) were just 34-36 on June 15 and 11 games out of a playoff spot before going a major league-best 63-29 the rest of the way. … Oakland is making its ninth playoff appearance this century but has advanced past the Division Series just once, in 2006. The team is 1-13 during that span with a chance to move on, including a 9-8 loss in 12 innings to Kansas City in the 2014 wildcard game. … The 22-win improvement from last year is the third-biggest turnaround in Oakland history. … Oakland is 70-2 when leading after seven innings, with the only losses coming after a playoff berth was clinched. A’s also went a major league-best 31-14 in onerun games. … Following injuries to Sean Manaea, Jharel Cotton and several others, the A’s made do with a patchwork rotation all year. The only starter who began the season with the team and remains on the active roster is Daniel Mengden. Melvin used 15 starters, frequently employing a reliever in an “opener” role down the stretch. None of the team’s five starters to begin the season are expected to be on the wildcard roster. The A’s got 45 wins out of their bullpen, thanks in part to the “opener” strategy. … Davis led the majors in homers and leads all players with 133 over the past three seasons. … A’s were last in the majors in steals (35) and second-to-last in sacrifice bunts (6). … Trivino had a 1.16 ERA over his first 45 games and an 8.20 mark in his final 22. Yankees: Reliant on the home run, the Bronx Bombers wanted the winor-go-home game at Yankee Stadium, where they were 53-28 during the regular season. … New York became the first team to hit 20 or more home runs from all nine slots in the batting order, a big reason behind the Yankees’ 100-62 record, their best since winning the 2009 World Series. Still, they finished eight games behind rival Boston in the AL East. … Several key players are coming off injuries. Judge missed seven weeks with a broken right wrist, returned in mid-September and hit .220 with one homer and six RBIs in 13 games. … Gregorius missed five games in late September after tearing cartilage in his right wrist while sliding across home plate to score the run that clinched a postseason berth. Hicks, who doubled in Gregorius with that run, missed three games during the final week with left hamstring tightness. Chapman did not pitch between Aug. 21 and Sept. 20 because of left knee tendinitis. … Yankees are hosting AL wild-card game for third time in four years. They lost to Houston in 2015 and beat Minnesota last season even though Severino got just one out in the first inning. He left with a 3-0 deficit, but the bullpen came through and the bats responded.