The Yankees (74-44) had won five straight and 12 of 13 going into the finale of their four-game set in Seattle on Sunday, but their bullpen crumbled in a 10-3 loss.

Still, thanks to a 36-12 record since June 24, they hold a 7 1/2-game lead on second-place Boston, with Burnett (10-5, 3.71 ERA) playing a key role over that span.

The Yankees have won eight of Burnett’s last nine starts, with the right-hander compiling a 2.91 ERA in those games. Despite allowing three total runs in his last two outings, he’ll be looking for his first win since July 27 after receiving sparse run support lately.

The Yankees haven’t played at Oakland since taking two of three June 10-12, 2008. They’ve won eight of nine against the A’s at Yankee Stadium since that series. (excerpts from Yahoo!)

POD: New York-205.0 @ Oakland (4.1K units)* L

*4.1K units wins 2K units