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Astros Countdown: Top Five Wild Card Hitters to Watch
By Colin Gay
Brett Gardner
The New York Yankees have done this before. Now, with the trades for Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Sonny Gray, this team is going all in for a playoff run.
Three games behind the Boston Red Sox for the lead in the AL East, the Yankees, in the middle of a two-game winning streak, could very well pass them and avoid a first round matchup with the Astros.
That would work out well for the Yankees. In 2015, the Astros, led by Dallas Keuchel, won 5-0 in the Wild Card game against Masahiro Tanaka. Veteran outfielder Brett Gardner struggled in that game, going 0-4 with three strikeouts in the loss.
Like Moustakas, he seems to have picked it up against the Astros since then. In 30 at bats this season, he is hitting .400 with a 1.141 OPS. He has two home runs against Tony Sipp and James Hoyt and has driven in eight RBIs.
Gardner has developed a bit more power this season. He is currently at a career high in home runs (19), slugging percentage (.454) and is currently on pace to pass his career high in RBIs, with 49 in only 403 at bats.
Next: Astros: Jose Altuve and the AL MVP Race
Gardner could be a power threat at the top of a deep offensive lineup that the Astros could face.
***Stats provided by Baseball Reference and MLB.com**