A's hope to carry momentum into Game 2 vs. Yankees

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics are headed in opposite directions.

The Yankees lead the American League East by two games over Boston, while the A's have sole possession of the cellar in the AL West.

But, when the A's and Yankees opened a four-game series on Thursday night at Oakland Coliseum, Khris Davis hit a two-run, walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting Oakland to an 8-7 victory.

Davis, who leads the A's with 17 home runs, said he hopes momentum from Oakland's walk-off win carries over to the second game Friday night.

"Just a win like that gives us some momentum for tomorrow and maybe for the whole series," Davis said.

The Yankees are 38-26, but they've lost three straight -- the first two on the road against the Los Angeles Angels -- and could be without two of their top hitters on Friday.

Catcher Gary Sanchez left the game Thursday night in the top of the ninth inning after stealing a base and hurting his groin. Center fielder Aaron Hicks left in the bottom of the ninth with tightness in his Achilles tendon.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he doesn't expect Sanchez or Hicks to miss more than a game or two. But, after losing three straight games, Girardi knows this would be a bad time to lose either player.

Sanchez went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI and walked twice against the A's. He's batting .297, and Hicks is batting .306.

"He's swinging the bat extremely well," Girardi said of Sanchez. "He's a dangerous hitter right now. Obviously it's not a good time for him to miss any time, so hopefully it's not much."

Yankees right-hander Luis Severino will make his 13th start of the season in a matchup against A's left-hander Sean Manaea.

Manaea is 5-0 with a 1.97 ERA and .193 opponent batting average during his career-best five-game winning streak. The second win during Manaea's streak came at Yankee Stadium on May 26, when he blanked the Yankees for seven innings on four hits, with eight strikeouts and one walk, in a 4-1 win.

Manaea is 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees.

Manaea, who is 3-0 at the Coliseum this season, is coming off a 7-2 victory on the road against Tampa Bay on Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader. He held the Rays to two runs on six hits over seven innings while striking out five and walking two.

Severino is 3-0 with a 1.90 ERA over his past seven starts, and he pitched a seven-inning gem in his last outing on Saturday. He allowed one run and two hits and struck out eight in a 16-3 victory against Baltimore. The Yankees gave Severino a 6-0 lead in the first inning.

"When you go out there and you've got six runs in one inning, you just have to make pitches and throw strikes," Severino said. "You just want to go there and attack and throw your good pitches."

Severino got a no-decision in his only career start against Oakland on April 21 at Yankee Stadium last season. He allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings in a 7-3 loss.

The A's shook up their 25-man roster and their coaching staff before Thursday's game. Longtime pitching coach Curt Young was fired and replaced by bullpen coach Scott Emerson.

Third baseman Matt Chapman was called up from Triple-A Nashville, and veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe was designated for assignment as the A's, who trail first-place Houston by 16 1/2 games, continued to get younger and prepare for the future.

Chapman went 0-for-3 with two walks and scored a run in his major league debut and will likely be in the lineup again Friday.