(Best E Casino) - The New York Yankees have reached the postseason every year since 1995. However, if they are planning on making their 14th straight postseason appearance they have some work to do and that starts tonight with the first of three games against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium.

Despite a rash of injuries to their starting rotation, pitching has not been the biggest problem for the Yankees. Surprisingly it has been their lineup, which has scored two runs or less 33 times this season.

With basically the same lineup that led the league with 968 runs last season, the Yankees have crossed the plate 436 times this year, good enough for only seventh in the American League.

In an effort to boost that struggling offense, the team signed slugger Richie Sexson, who was recently released by the Seattle Mariners. Sexson was only hitting .218 with 76 strikeouts, but has been impressive against lefties, batting .344 with seven home runs in 71 at-bats.

Mike Mussina was incredible for New York in the first half, posting an 11-6 mark to go along with a 3.61 earned run average. The 39-year-old right-hander, who won 11 games all of last season, was victimized by that lack of support in his last trip to the hill before the break. On July 10 against Pittsburgh Mussina allowed just two runs and nine hits in six innings, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 4-2 loss that night.

Mussina has faced the A's 34 times and is 17-10 against them with a 3.82 ERA.

Oakland was supposed to counter with Joe Blanton, but for the second time this month, the A's dealt a starter, sending the right-hander to Philadelphia for three minor leaguers. Oakland, of course, shipped ace Rich Harden and reliever Chad Gaudin to Chicago back on July 8.

So, the A's will now turn to rookie left-hander Greg Smith, who was acquired from Arizona as part of the Dan Haren deal this past winter. Smith, who is 5-7 this season with a 3.43 ERA, did not get a decision in his team's 3-2 win on July 10 against Seattle, despite tossing six scoreless innings.

Smith has never faced the Yankees.

Despite all the wheeling and dealing Oakland is still in the thick of the AL West race, six games back of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The A's are also just four games behind upstart Tampa Bay for the AL wild card.

New York took two of three in Oakland earlier in the season, but the A's are 11-7 in the series since the start of the 2006 campaign, including wins in six of their last nine trips to the Bronx.