The Yanks entered Friday night fresh off a sweep of mortal enemy Boston, getting this road trip off to a heck of a start. They turned to Will Warren, coming off one of the finest outings of his career, to keep the momentum going. But the Astros offense is different than Kansas City’s. Yordan Alvarez is terrifying, veterans Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve can still rake, and Christian Walker has rediscovered his stroke at the plate.
So, it was fair to wonder if Warren would have similar success. He was more than up to the challenge, pitching deep into the game for a second consecutive start. Meanwhile, facing Houston pitching can fix what ails you, apparently. Jazz Chisholm Jr, Ryan McMahon, and José Caballero all entered Friday’s game scuffling at the plate. All three went yard. Ben Rice, who struggled against Boston, did so as well, and the Yankees won, 12-4. You love to see it.
The only thing that really went wrong tonight was losing Giancarlo Stanton to “right lower leg tightness” while running the bases. Hopefully we see the big slugger back sooner rather than later.
I mentioned in the preview for today’s game that Astros’ starter Lance McCullers, Jr. has struggled with command this season. That immediately reared up as he gave free passes to Trent Grishm and Aaron Judge. One Cody Bellinger single later and the bases were full of Yankees before you had time to grab a beverage and get to your seat.
McCullers induced a tailor-made double play ball from Rice but Altuve threw the ball away. A run scored and the bases remained loaded. McCullers then made a nice defensive play on a 111.8-mph comebacker off Stanton’s bat, throwing home. With Big G running, the Astros easily turned the 1-2-3 double play and it looked like he might escape with minimal damage. Thankfully, Jazz Chisholm is heating up and came through. His single scored two more, making it 3-0 Yankees before McCullers escaped the frame.
Another Yankee who’s been struggling kept the pressure on Houston in the second when McMahon took McCullers yard to the opposite field. A 336-foot fly ball, Daikin Park is the only stadium in the majors where it would have been a home run. But it still counts in the run column.
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The top of the Astros order went down quietly in the first against Waren. But the middle and bottom of the lineup scraped a run across in the second. An Altuve infield single and a walk put two men on. Warren managed to get two outs but Yainer Diaz singled to right and Judge’s throw was just up the third base line, allowing Altuve to score.
Chisholm continued his resurgence in the fourth. After slapping the tag on Yordan Alvarez on a pickoff play at second to end the home third, Jazz took McCullers deep leading off, extending the Yankee lead to 5-1
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Altuve continued to torment Warren and the Yankees, leading off the home fourth with a double to the deepest part of the park. A Christian Walker single followed, putting runners on the corners with none out and seemingly setting the Astros up for a big inning. To Warren’s credit, he buckled down. Though Altuve scored on a groundout to short, Warren avoided the disaster inning.
The Yankee offense kept on keepin’ on in the sixth. After Ben Rice led off the inning with a double to left center, Stanton singled off the glove of Carlos Correa. The ball trickled into center, Rice scored easily, and the Yankees’ sixth run of the night ended McCullers’. Every Astros fan’s worst nightmare… their bullpen, was now in play.
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With lefties looming, the Astros turned to southpaw Colton Gordon, who immediately walked Jazz then gave up a single off the left field wall to Escarra, celebrating his 31st birthday. But it was not all good news. Stanton looked extremely slow lumbering into third and left the game, replaced by pinch-runner Randall Grichuk. After McMahon lined out, Caballero singled and Grisham hit a sacrifice fly, putting two more in the run column, giving the Yanks an 8-2 lead.
Warren finished his night with a clean sixth, whiffing Cam Smith for his sixth punchout of the evening. For as bad as Houston’s pitching has been, this is a team that can hit, led by Alvarez, perhaps the most terrifying hitter in baseball right now. Warren was more than up to the task. I suspect every Yankee fan on the planet would have signed up for six innings of two-run ball from Warren tonight.
Rice continued his strong night in the seventh. He entered tonight 1 for his last 9 with seven strikeouts, including a golden sombrero in Boston. But he followed his double by turning on an inside sweeper from Gordon, who was taking one for the team, and sending it deep into right field for his ninth dinger of the season. Grichuk then doubled and Chisholm drove him in with his third hit and fourth RBI of the night. Chisholm came around to score on a double play and Caballero got in on the action, hitting his second home run of the season. That officially put the Yankee lead in double digits at 12-2 and unofficially moved the game into “laugher” territory.
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Fernando Cruz came in to relieve Warren and had an off night, giving up solo home runs to Diaz and Braden Shewmake, who pinch-hit for Correa, as the Astros began pulling some of their regulars. From there, New York handed the ball to Ryan Yarbrough, who recorded the final six outs with no drama, locking down the Yankees’ seventh consecutive win.
Join us tomorrow night as the Yanks try to win another series and continue their excellent road trip. Portside slinger Ryan Weathers makes the start for New York, while Mike Burrows will start for Houston. First pitch is at 7:10 pm EDT.
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