OAKLAND vs. N.Y. YANKEES

Tonight: New York (Clemens 13-8) at Oakland (Heredia 15-11), 5 p.m., Channel 4

Wednesday: New York (Pettitte 19-9) at Oakland (Appier 15-11), 5:15 p.m., Channel 11

Friday: Oakland (Hudson 20-6) at New York (Hernandez 12-13), 5 p.m., Channel 4

* Saturday: Oakland at New York, TBA

* Sunday: New York at Oakland, 5 p.m., Channel 11

* If necessary All times PDT

NEW YORK AT A GLANCE

Lineup

*--*

Po Player HR RBI Avg. DH C. Knoblauch 5 26 .283 SS Derek Jeter 15 79 .339 RF Paul O’Neill 18 100 .293 CF Bernie Williams 30 121 .307 LF David Justice 41 118 .286 C Jorge Posada 28 86 .287 1B Tino Martinez 16 91 .258 2B Luis Sojo 2 17 .288 3B Scott Brosius 16 64 .230 P Roger Clemens 13-8, 3.70 ERA

*--*

Analysis: The Yankees staggered into the playoffs with seven consecutive losses, their longest skid since an eight-game losing streak in 1995 and their worst finish in franchise history. Yet, there seems to be a feeling around baseball that because they’re the Yankees, because they’ve won three of the last four world championships and 12 consecutive World Series games, and because they elevate their play in October, they’ll be fine. But the fact is, they are vulnerable. Clemens and Andy Pettitte struggled in their last regular-season starts, Orlando Hernandez hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was last season, and David Cone, even though Manager Joe Torre added him to his playoff roster, is hardly a factor. Though Mariano Rivera converted his last 10 save opportunities, he was not bulletproof this season. Still, the Yankees have two of baseball’s best clutch performers in Jeter and Williams, and if O’Neill, Justice, Glenallen Hill and Jose Canseco get hot, they could get on a roll.

* Key reserves: OF Hill (16 HR, 29 RBI, .333), DH Canseco (15, 49, .252), INF Jose Vizcaino (0, 10, .276).

* Team batting: .277 (6th in AL)

* Team pitching: 4.76 ERA (6th)

OAKLAND AT A GLANCE

Lineup

*--*

Po Player HR RBI Avg. CF Terrence Long 18 80 .288 2B Randy Velarde 12 41 .278 1B Jason Giambi 43 137 .333 LF Ben Grieve 27 104 .279 SS Miguel Tejada 30 115 .275 RF Matt Stairs 21 81 .227 3B Eric Chavez 28 86 .277 DH Jeremy Giambi 10 50 .254 C R. Hernandez 14 62 .241 P Gil Heredia 15-11, 4.12 ERA

*--*

Analysis: The A’s may be baseball’s hottest team entering the playoffs, having won 22 of their last 29 games to overtake Seattle and win the West, and no one has been hotter than Jason Giambi, who hit .400 with 13 homers and 32 RBIs in September. After hitting .216 the first five months of the season, Stairs, who has shared the cleanup spot with Olmedo Saenz, hit .297 with 17 RBIs in September. Tejada, Grieve and Chavez have provided considerable power, but the real strength of the A’s and the key to their September surge was pitching. Tim Hudson and Barry Zito combined for a 10-1 record and 1.71 ERA in September, Heredia and Kevin Appier were both 15-game winners, and Jim Mecir solidified the bullpen since his July 28 trade from Tampa Bay, and Jason Isringhausen posted a 1.74 ERA in September. In an effort to provide Giambi withsome more protection in the lineup, Manager Art Howe will move Grieve from the sixth to the fourth spot tonight.

* Key reserves: DH Saenz (9 HR, 33 RBI, .313), OF Adam Piatt (5, 23, .299), OF Ryan Christenson (4, 18, .248)

* Team batting: .270 (10th in AL)

* Team pitching: 4.58 ERA (3rd)

KEYS TO THE SERIES

The Yankees, like every A’s opponent, will be extremely careful with Giambi--there’s a reason he drew 137 walks. So the A’s chances will increase if Long or Velarde or both are on base when Giambi is up. Because the A’s didn’t clinch the division until the final day of the season, they were forced to use their two best pitchers, Hudson and Zito, over the weekend, making them unavailable until Games 3 and 4. That’s a break New York needs to capitalize on in the first two games in Oakland.

* Records: Athletics 91-70, Yankees 87-74

* Head to head: Yankees, 6-3.