Yankees Get Burnt To A Crisp

The first rule of Baseball Club is that you DO discuss Baseball Club. The second rule is you don't give up home runs to Coco Crisp. The Yankees didn't abide by the latter and it cost them dearly in a 6-4 loss to the Oakland A's Wednesday night.

Crisp had already hit a solo home run off starter CC Sabathia when he unloaded a 3-run monster off of Rafael Soriano in the 10th inning to snap a 3-3 tie. Crisp entered the game with just three home runs in 469 plate appearances this season, but looked like the second coming of Babe Ruth (if Babe Ruth had a piercing in the side of his neck) in the Bronx.

The Yankees failed big time with runners in scoring position for the second straight night, had a rare bad night from the bullpen, and have allowed 12 runs in 19 innings of the series thus far to the normally anemic hitting A's. Despite the Yankees' failure in the clutch, thanks to a Nick Swisher home run and a Derek Jeter RBI single, they still maintained a 2-1 lead entering the 8th inning. But Kurt Suzuki led off the frame with a single, moved to second on a sac bunt, and scored the tying run on a Scott Sizemore double. That would be the last batter Sabathia would face. 8th inning man David Robertson came on and walked Jemile Weeks and then gave up a go ahead single to Crisp.

The lead was short lived as Mark Teixeira evened things up in the bottom of the inning with his 35th home run of the season, off of reliever Grant Balfour. Soriano who has been so good since coming off the DL, gave up back to back one out singles in the 10th before striking out Weeks. That brought up Crisp, who hit a no doubt about it shot to right to put a damper on the Yankees' night.

Swisher his his second home run of the game with two out in the 10th off of Andrew Bailey, but the A's closer picked up the save when he struck out Andruw Jones for the game's final out.

Notes

The Yankees were reportedly awarded a claim on Cubs' first baseman Carlos Pena, but Chicago is not expected to move him. GM Brian Cashman would not comment on the situation.

The A's won a series with the Yankees for the first time since 2007.

The Yankees had owned Trevor Cahill prior to last night. The right-hander was 0-4, 13.50 ERA in his previous starts. But the Yankees, who were 2-20 with RISP Tuesday night, were 1-8 last night. The worst failure came in the 7th inning when the Eduardo Nunez doubled and Francisco Cervelli followed with a bunt single. Reliever Brian Fuentes retired Brett Gardner on a pop up, Derek Jeter on a line out, and Curtis Granderson on a fly ball.