The Yankees will Try to Keep Their Winning Momentum Against Astros
The Yankees’ only contest appeared to be history for most of the 1st half of the 2022 season. Could they match with the 1998 Yankees? What about the Mariners of 2001? Will Aaron Judge, who has 33 home runs and counting, be able to catch Roger Maris?
The ghosts they chased gained bodies at some point — specifically, during an 8-7 stretch leading up to the All-Star break. The Yankees are on the top spot but this is still up for grabs because a familiar opponent will not go away.
In other seasons, the Yankees could rest their star players but this year against these Astros, taking a break could mean giving up home-field advantage in an ALCS matchup.
The Astros have a responses for almost every perceived Yankees weakness. Judge may be meeting up with home-run history, but his OPS (.982) still trails Houston’s Yordan Alvarez (MLB-best 1.058).
The Yankees’ lineup has been the team’s biggest mystery this season, but its 3.20 ERA still trails Houston’s AL-best 3.15. There is a Justin Verlander for every Gerrit Cole (9-2, 3.02 ERA) (12-3, 1.89 ERA).
Clay Holmes is having a fantastic season, and the Yankees have dominated. Houston has been led by closer Ryan Pressly, who finished his first half by striking out 27 consecutive batters.
The Yankees have made significant strides in defensive efficiency, however the 2nd place Astros (.722) remain a threat.
The Yankees completed the first half of the season with a losing record against the Astros, who won 3 of 5 matches. They will not face again after Thursday.
The Yankees should not be concerned about their division, which they lead by 13 games. However, their lead over Houston could be eroded further because, according to Tankathon, the Yankees have the 10th-most difficult remaining schedule. The Astros have the seventh-easiest schedule in the more forgiving AL West (.489).
Game One: TBA vs. TBA (1:10 PM ET)
Game Two: TBA vs. TBA (6:40 PM ET)
The Yankees had not announced their starters for the doubleheader as of now, though Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon were strong candidates. Meanwhile, Houston’s Cristian Javier was planned to begin Game 1 and Luis Garcia to start Game 2.
The quick doubleheader, followed by a trip to Baltimore, may not be ideal for the Yankees, who hit their first stumbling block of the season just before the break. They’ll need to recover quickly.
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