Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees Series Preview

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Jun 24, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Houston Astros third baseman

Luis Valbuena

(18) and Los Angeles Angels first baseman

Albert Pujols

(5) talk during a break in the fourth inning of the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off a series where the Houston Astros lost two of three games to the Los Angeles Angels, the Astros matchup another playoff contender for four games. The New York Yankees are playing well this season with the return of Alex Rodriguez and players staying healthy. The Yankees have a better overall offense with a higher batting average and closing in on the Astros MLB home run lead. The AL West is starting to get a heartbeat again, and this is a time the Astros need to bear down a start winning again.

Angels Series Recaps

Before we look ahead to the Yankees series, let’s look at the Angels series through the nightly recaps found below.

Houston Astros rally in the eighth, Angels fight back to win

Carlos Correa nearly hits for cycle in 13-3 win over the Angels

Astros lose series finale on walk-off hit in L.A.

The Teams

Home Team: Houston Astros (42-32 Record, 1st in AL West)

Home Record: 23-14 scored 153 runs and allowed 135 runs at home.

Last ten games: 6-4

Road Team: New York Yankees (42-32 Record, 1st in AL West)

Road Record: 19-19 scored 158 runs and allowed 162 runs at home.

Last ten games: 5-5

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Houston Astros Player News

Luis Valbuena is hitting .235/ 9 hr/ 17 RBI in June, and 13 of his 19 homers have been hit at home.
After a hot April hitting .367/ 2 hr/ 16 RBI/ 9 sb, Jose Altuve has dropped down to hitting .231 in May and .246 in June.
George Springer is hitting .363/ 5 hr/ 9 RBI in June.
Chad Qualls is 0-2/ 8.44 ERA/ two strikeouts in 5.2 innings in June, which has made him the Astros goat right now.

Let’s get some inside knowledge on the New York Yankees from @YanksGoYardFS writer Ricky Keeler. I joined his podcast last night, which can be found here Yankees-Astros Preview Podcast featuring Eric Huysman. I asked him some questions about the Yankees, let’s see what he had to say.

Next: The Rickinator on the Yankees

The Rickinator on the Yankees

Jun 23, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter

Alex Rodriguez

(13) reacts to an inside pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of an inter-league baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

CTH: What has been the biggest key to the Yankees resurgence this year?

Keeler: The biggest key to the Yankees resurgence has been the two guys in the middle of the lineup. Alex Rodriguez has 15 home runs, which has easily exceeded my expectations for him. Plus, Mark Teixeira has stayed relatively healthy and hit 18 home runs of his own. At times, they have carried the offense along with the spark that Jacoby Ellsbury (when healthy) and Brett Gardner have given the team in the 1-2 spots in the lineup.

Plus, the back end of the bullpen was something Brian Cashman addressed this winter when they beat out the Astros in signing Andrew Miller. While Miller is on the DL right now, Dellin Betances, outside of Tuesday night, has been excellent for New York as a closer or setup man.

CTH: How is the post-Jeter era going at shortstop?

Keeler: The Yankees went out and acquired Didi Gregorius in an offseason trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was well-known that Gregorius’ offense was a work in progress, and it has been (.236, 4 HR, 16 RBI’s). However, he has struggled defensively at times, which was viewed to be the strength of his game. It’s tough to replace Jeter and there weren’t many expectations for Gregorius. But it’s been somewhat of a disappointment between Gregorius and Stephen Drew‘s .190 batting average (even though he has 11 home runs).

CTH: Do you have any potential star shortstops in the minors?

Keeler: This guy is a few years away from being in the big leagues, but one name to keep an eye on is 20-year-old Jorge Mateo. Mateo, who is at low-A Charleston right now, is hitting .275 with two home runs and 26 RBI’s. But, the best part of his game is his speed. He has 50 stolen bases in 62 games and he has a .331 on-base percentage.

CTH: What is the status of your starting rotation? Is Pineda always hot-and-cold?

Keeler: Right now, the starting rotation is in a state of flux. With Ivan Nova back in the rotation, the Yankees are going with a six-man rotation at least one-time thru, which in my opinion, is a mistake. Tanaka had a rough start Sunday, but he has, at times, looked like vintage Tanaka this season.

As for Pineda, he was great to start the season, but he has been rusty of late because the Yanks have skipped him in starts and messed with his routine due to watching his innings. He had a surprisingly bad outing against the Phillies, but he never seems to put together two bad starts in a row. Adam Warren has been a nice surprise in his first season in the rotation, but fans feel the Yanks will eventually move him back to the bullpen despite the struggles of C.C. Sabathia and Nathan Eovaldi.

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CTH: Are most fans surprised the Yankees are good again?

Keeler: A lot of people were down on the Yankees going into the season because they needed a lot of things to go right in order to be a 90-win team. It’s been frustrating to watch this team at times because they will go on a four or five game win streak and then they will lose four and five in a row. For example, the Phillies have dominated them in the Bronx this week and that has been disappointing after taking two of three from Detroit over the weekend. This New York team has been good at times, but they need to show some consistency if they want to be a playoff contender.

CTH: Who do Yankees fans see as their biggest competition for AL East?

Keeler: The AL East is a four team race with the Boston Red Sox being the only team I don’t see getting back into the race because of all their issues. For me, the competition is the Tampa Bay Rays. I was down on the Rays coming into the season because of all their injuries, but Kevin Cash has done a good job in his first year as manager. Matt Moore is expected to be back in the rotation next week, which will be huge for them. Chris Archer has carried the rotation and is having a great season. Their offense is still a concern, but Souza Jr. has been a good addition for them. However, if Toronto does trade for Jonathan Papelbon to go with their firepower on offense, they are a serious threat as well.

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