Houston Astros Visit New York Yankees — Series Preview

On Thursday night, the Houston Astros will play the first game of a four-game series against the New York Yankees.

This is the first series in which the Yankees have played the Astros this season. Following this set, the two will play another three times from September 1 through September 3.

The last time Houston played New York’s American League franchise was last season’s ALCS, which the Astros took in four straight games. Of particular note was the performances of a few key players, namely Jeremy Peña, Chas McCormick, Ryan Pressly, and Framber Valdez. Peña won the ALCS MVP Award, going six-for-17 with two doubles, two homers, and four RBI. Chas was three-for-13 with three walks, two home runs and three RBI. Pressly saved three games over 3 ¹⁄₃ hitless innings, striking out six. Valdez gave up four hits in his start, allowing two unearned runs and striking out nine over six frames.

Recent days have seen the Astros enjoy a bit of good fortune. Their just concluded nine-game homestand would see them win six, including all three against the Cleveland Guardians. In the middle game, Framber Valdez faced the minimum in Houston’s 16th no-hitter. Valdez allowed one walk and struck out seven, requiring 93 pitches to turn the trick.

After the series against the Yankees, the Astros will conclude their road trip with a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees started their seven-game homestand with three against the Tampa Bay Rays. After the Rays won the first two, New York salvaged some face with a 7-2 win in the finale.

All-Time Head-to-Head

Houston owns an all-time 30-38 regular season record when playing the Bombers, a .441 winning percentage that remains their worst against any team. That’s despite last season, when Houston won five-of-seven. The postseason is a different story. The two have played four times in the last seven postseasons, with the Astros victorious every time. Their 13-5 playoff record means that all-inclusively, each team has won 43 games in total throughout their history.

Gametimes and probable starting pitchers (subject to change)

Thursday at 6:15 PM CT — Cristian Javier (7-2, 4.33) vs. Clarke Schmidt (7-6, 4.39)
Friday at 6:05 PM CT — Hunter Brown (7-7, 4.12) vs. Luis Severino (2-5, 7.49)
Saturday at 12:05 PM CT — Justin Verlander (6-5, 3.15) vs. Jhony Brito (4-5, 4.56)
Sunday at 12:35 PM CT — J.P. France (7-3 2.85) vs. Carlos Rodón (1.4, 6.29)

Who’s Hot? (highest WPA vs. Guardians)
Framber Valdez +54%
Yordan Alvarez +37.2%
Chas McCormick +35%
Ryan Pressly +22.7%
Jose Altuve +18%

Who’s Not? (lowest WPA vs. Guardians)
Martin Maldonado -8.6%
Jake Meyers -9.5%
Mauricio Dubon -9.9%
Jose Abréu -13.9%
Corey Julks -21.3%

I want the Astros to win. I want the Yankees to lose. I’m not really sure which I want more, but it’s too close to call. Either way, go Astros!