Series Preview: Series 29 vs. Astros
Photo Via: Frank Franklin II — Associated PressIt is the last series before the All-Star Break and it will likely be an intense one. The Yankees sleepwalked through most of the first half, and now it is coming to an end with the club on the outside looking in at the Postseason picture. If anything can get this team turned around, it would have to be a sweep in Houston, but that just does not seem likely. The Astros have been rolling and are 22-8 in their last 30 games. In contrast, the Yankees are 13-17 in that same stretch.
Yankees Record: 44-42
Astros Record: 54-34
Season Series: 2-1 (Yankees leading)
Lifetime Record: 34-24 (Yankees leading)
Game 1
Friday, July 9 — 8:10 pm — YES Network, MLB Network
Probable Pitchers: Nestor Cortes Jr. - LHP (NYY) vs. Jake Odorizzi - RHP (HOU)
Game Notes: With Michael King out, Nestor Cortes Jr. hops into the rotation for his second start of the season. Cortes has been great this season, but this will be his first true test. He delivers the ball with all sorts of arm angles and timing mechanisms, which has been effective thus far. He has a 1.29 ERA and 29 strikeouts this season.
Jake Odorizzi has been very reliable for the Astros since joining the team a few weeks into the season. He is 3-3 with a 3.70 ERA and is using his fastball at a higher rate (60% this season, 42% last season). He has a splitter for a put-away pitch as well.
Game 2
Saturday, July 10 — 7:15 pm — FOX
Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole - RHP (NYY) vs. Zack Greinke - RHP (HOU)
Game Notes: Make no mistake about it, Gerrit Cole has been atrocious in his last few starts. This start against his former team will surely get a lot of attention. He needs to bring it. His ERA has inflated to 2.91 on the season after his lights-out April/May.
Also taking the mound is Zack Greinke. You probably have seen him pitch countless times. In typical Greinke fashion, he has an 8-2 record and a 3.64 ERA using a fastball, changeup, slow curve, and slider mix.
Game 3
Sunday, July 11 — 2:10 pm — WPIX 11, TBS
Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon - RHP (NYY) vs. Framber Valdez - LHP (HOU)
Game Notes: Jameson Taillon had his best start of the season in Seattle last series. It would be enormous for the Yanks if that becomes a trend. His season ERA is 5.05 and his record is 4-4. In one start here, he can obtain a winning record and dip his ERA below 5. That would be huge going into the All-Star Break.
Framber Valdez, by contrast, is on the heels of his worst start of the season (6 runs, 5 earned against the A’s). However, that is his only real blip on the season, where he has a 2.86 ERA and a 5-1 record.
Sluggers to Watch
Last series against Houston, Aaron Judge tried to do too much. He chased pitches out of the zone. He was not seeing the ball well. The results were ugly. I expect that to change this time around. Judge is a student of the game and is ready to adjust to how he was pitched last time around. Over his last 12 games, Judge is hitting .319 with 5 homers and only 6 strikeouts. When he puts the ball in play, good things happen. He is 3 for 10 with a homer against Odorizzi, so a home run on Friday night to get the weekend started would be great.
D.J. LeMahieu needs to have a big series. The Crawford Boxes make for a short left field. Right field is not deep either. With the big outfield in center, LeMahieu should be focusing on driving the ball over the infielders and letting the field dimensions do the rest. Since June 8th, LeMahieu is hitting .303 with 4 homers in 121 plate appearances.
Jose Altuve is hitting .300 with a .954 OPS at Minute Main Park this season (as opposed to .265 with a .783 OPS on the road). He, too, takes advantage of the field dimensions, especially by pulling the ball as often as he can. Since June 1st, the little guy has 12 homers, despite a .252 batting average.
Yordan Álvarez rocked Gerrit Cole earlier this season for two bombs at Yankee Stadium. He is a fantastic all-around hitter. On the year he has 16 homers and a .304 average. Since June 13th, he is hitting .319 with a .430 OBP, 8 homers, and a 1.097 OPS. Remarkably, he is also hitting .304 against lefties AND righties this year. There is no good way to pitch to him.
Injury Report
1B Luke Voit was hit by a pitch on his right hand on Thursday. He is not in Friday’s lineup, although Aaron Boone says he is “good to go.”
LF Miguel Andújar had an MRI and an x-ray on his wrist/hand and it is unknown whether he will be able to play or have to go on the injured list, as results are still pending.
RHP Luis Severino strained his groin (grade 2) while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He is now doing sprints and playing light catch and could return in late July or early August.
RHP Michael King (finger contusion), RHP Darren O’Day (strained hamstring), OF Clint Frazier (vertigo), RHP Clarke Schmidt (elbow strain), RHP Corey Kluber (right shoulder strain), and CF Aaron Hicks (wrist surgery - out for season) are all out for the series.
RHP Michael King was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 5th, so he cannot return for this series.
RHP Darren O’Day was said to have significantly strained his hamstring and is expected to miss much more than the minimum 10-day stay on the injured list.
OF Clint Frazier’s return date is unknown at this time. He underwent a series of tests to try to identify the issue.
Schmidt recently threw all of his pitches in a bullpen session, but has not progressed to a rehab assignment yet. That could occur this week.
Kluber recently threw from 60 feet, but has not progressed to the point of mound work. He is expected to return in late August or early September.
LHP Zack Britton (strained hamstring) is on the 10-day injured list and is eligible to return during this series, which is to be determined.
Astros SS Carlos Correa and LHP Brooks Raley are on the injured list for health and safety protocols, so it is unknown whether either will return for this series.
The Astros have the following players on the 10-day injured list who will not play this series:
3B Alex Bregman (strained quad)
INF Aledmys Díaz (fractured hand)
RHP José Urquidy (shoulder discomfort)
The Astros have the following players on the 60-day injured list who will not play in this series:
RHP Justin Verlander (Tommy John surgery)
RHP Pedro Báez (shoulder discomfort)
LHP Kent Emanuel (elbow surgery)
RHP Josh James (hip surgery)
RHP Austin Pruitt (elbow surgery - hairline fracture)