Young strikes late; Velasquez strong in loss
New York Yankees outfielder Chris Young gave his team a one-run lead with a three-run shot during the top of the seventh inning as the Bronx Bombers handed the Houston Astros the 3-2 loss.
Starting pitcher Vincent Velasquez (0-0, 3.72 ERA) had himself a quality outing on the mound, holding the Yankees to only two earned runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts prior to receiving a standing ovation after working 6 1/3 frames. The man who would be responsible for blowing the save and lead, Will Harris, was handed the loss in the decision.
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Houston grabbed the lead during the home half of the third inning on another great at-bat by rookie Carlos Correa who lined an RBI single out to center field to score catcher Hank Conger. Yankees catcher Brian McCann was unable to field the relay throw which allowed Correa to advance to second base, putting himself in scoring position with two outs in the inning.
Correa led off the sixth inning with a strikeout, but All-Star hopeful Jose Altuve kept things going with an infield hit to third baseman Chase Headley. After Luis Valbuena struck out, Altuve took off for second after, swiping his 21st stolen base of the season with designated hitter Evan Gattis standing on the on-deck circle.
Gattis extended Houston’s lead to 2-0 on an RBI single to Brett Gardner, a pop-up that scored Altuve from second. Outfielder Colby Rasmus worked himself a walk shortly after Gattis recorded yet another RBI, but first baseman Chris Carter was unable to add to the lead, flying out to Gardner to retire the side.
With the Astros trailing the Yankees by one run in the ninth inning, Rasmus started things off by grounding out to first baseman Mark Teixeira for the first out of the inning. All they needed was one run to tie things up, and power-hitting Carter stepped foot in the batter’s box looking to even the odds with a late blast.
Instead of taking Dellin Betances deep, Carter struck out swinging on the fifth pitch of the at-bat to become the second out of the inning. Betances picked up his fifth save of the year after getting Preston Tucker to pop out to second baseman Stephen Drew, evening the series at 1-1.