With so many playoff matchups in recent years, the Houston Astros and New York Yankees have become bitter rivals as they open a regular-season series from Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night with the Yanks as short favorites on the MLB odds in a national TV game.
New York has better numbers than Houston, an important factor that is reflected in the standings of their respective divisions.
MLB Lines Yankees -122, Astros +102 (total 8) What´s the Score? Astros 5, Yankees 4 |
Houston Astros Odds -110
The Astros are one of the most disappointing teams in the majors at 12-22. They had been playing better recently but enter on a two-game skid after a crushing 5-4 home loss to Seattle on Sunday as the Astros fell to 1-9 in one-run games. Crushing as star closer Josh Hader gave up the tie-breaking solo homer by Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh on an 0-2 pitch in the top of the ninth.
Hader, who is not having a good first season in Houston, said he was trying to go up and in and missed. He had thrown sliders on the first two pitches but then a sinker on the third. The southpaw said there was no guarantee a third consecutive slider would have been as effective against Raleigh as the first two pitches of the at-bat were.
“There’s always that second guess that I could have thrown a slider, but I could have hung a slider and he could have hit it out, too,” he said. “Obviously, it’s always easier to second guess once the damage is done. Just didn’t execute my pitch. At the end of the day, execute your pitches, and sometimes they work out for you.”
The Astros haven’t had many leads in the ninth, so Hader has been called upon in games the club has been trailing or tied more than it’s been ahead. He’s been pitching out of his closer role for much of the year but has a 6.14 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP through 14 2/3 innings.
Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker swatted his fourth home run in his last eight games, tagging Bryce Miller for a two-run homer in the sixth frame. During his last eight outings, Tucker has amassed six RBI and eight runs scored while going 7-for-28 (.250) at the plate. In the American League, he ranks tied for third in multi-hit games (13) overall.
Second baseman and future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve has surpassed 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, 200 homers and has now reached 300 stolen bases in his career. He is just the fifth player in MLB history to reach all four milestones, while also having a career batting average in the .300s.
It’s ace righty and three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander (1-0) on the mound Tuesday. Verlander pitched seven innings in a no-decision against the Guardians last Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two. Verlander allowed the leadoff man to reach in four of his seven innings of work but managed to limit the damage to only two runs, both of which came across in the top of the fifth.
The future Hall of Famer struggled to get ahead in the count for much of the contest and has now issued at least three walks in back-to-back starts, though he’s still held opposing teams to two or fewer runs in all three outings to open the campaign. Wednesday also marked Verlander’s first start this season in which he’s gone at least seven innings.
He ranks 12th all-time in MLB history in strikeouts with 3,355, immediately trailing RHP Max Scherzer (3367) on that all-time list, and has a strong chance to move into the top 10 all-time in strikeouts this season, needing to pass only Scherzer and RHP Greg Maddux (3371). Verlander leads all active players with his 258 career wins.
He has a long history against the Yankees, making 27 career regular season starts vs. NYY and another 9 in the postseason. His most memorable might be Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS, a complete game, in which he struck out 13 en route to an Astros 2-1 walkoff win.
In his regular-season career, Verlander is 10-9 with a 3.41 ERA vs. New York — but was 0-2 with a 5.54 ERA in 2023 against the Yanks.
^New York Yankees Odds -125
The Yankees enter on a three-game winning streak, completing a home sweep of Detroit on Sunday with a 5-2 win in eight innings as the game was called due to rain. Completing a 17-day stretch without a break in the schedule, the Yankees (23-13) improved to a season-high 10 games over .500.
“Wins are precious in this league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s really good to shake hands three times into an off day. It does a lot for the soul.”
Juan Soto continued his torrid early start Sunday by going 1-for-4 with three RBI. Soto had a rough go of it against Detroit starter Tarik Skubal, striking out twice against the tough lefty. However, Soto fared much better against southpaw reliever Andrew Chafin, clearing the bases with a seventh inning double to break a 2-2 tie and provide the winning runs for the Yankees. Soto’s average stands at .316 with a .980 OPS, including eight homers, 28 RBI, 23 runs and four steals. The RBI were his first over five games in May.
Aaron Judge went 2-for-3 and launched his seventh home run of the season on Sunday. Judge opened the scoring in the contest, crushing a 399-foot solo shot off of Skubal in the home half of the first inning. He also doubled, drew a walk and struck out in the ballgame. On the season, the 32-year-old superstar is now hitting .220/.350/.439 with seven homers, 20 RBI and two stolen bases.
The Yankees have yet to have the services of infielder and leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu this season due to a broken foot suffered this spring. Boone said Sunday that LeMahieu recently resumed hitting but that the veteran infielder may not be “that close to being ready for rehab [games].” LeMahieu was shut down for a week in late April after he experienced swelling in his foot during a rehab game.
It’s 25-year-old righty Luis Gil (2-1) on the mound Tuesday. Gil picked up the win last Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 6.1 scoreless innings against Baltimore. Gil rebounded from his first bad start of the season, completing six innings for the first time in 2024. Gil has allowed three or fewer hits in all but one start this season, but he has allowed 20 walks in 31 innings, leading to an overall ERA of 3.19.
Among pitchers with at least 100 batters faced this season, Gil ranks fourth in the majors in K/9.0IP (11.61), sixth in H/9.0IP (4.94) and opponents’ BA (.159), and ninth in opponents’ SLG (.262). He has struck out at least six batters in 10 of his first 13 career starts, trailing only Masahiro Tanaka (11) for the most such games in a pitcher’s first 13 career games in franchise history.
The Yankees are 14-0 when leading after six innings this year and 18-0 when leading after seven innings. Closer Clay Holmes has not allowed an earned run in 16 appearances this season. Those 16.1 innings pitched are the most among MLB relievers who have not allowed an earned run this season. Holmes’ season-opening 16-game streak without allowing an earned run is the sixth-longest in franchise history.
^MyBookie | MLB Series Odds to Win
Astros at Yankees Info
When: Tuesday, 7:05 PM ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Pitchers (away/home): Justin Verlander/Luis Gil
TV: TBS
Stream/gameday audio: TBS app
Injuries to Consider
Houston Astros
Date | Player | Position | Status |
May 6 | Luis Garcia | SP | 60-Day-IL |
May 6 | Penn Murfee | RP | 60-Day-IL |
May 6 | Jose Urquidy | SP | 15-Day-IL |
New York Yankees
Date | Player | Position | Status |
May 5 | DJ LeMahieu | 3B | 10-Day-IL |
May 5 | Tanner Myatt | RP | Day-To-Day |
May 5 | Brenny Escanio | SS | Day-To-Day |
MLB First Five Innings Line MLB Player Props World Series Odds to Win |
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2023 Astros vs Yankees ALCS Game 4
Two of the best MLB franchises in recent history are battling in game four of the ALCS. The Houston Astros and New York Yankees will be playing at the historic Yankee Stadium.
Yankee Stadium has so much history, and we are going to see some more come Sunday. Grab a snack, watch some football and then watch the biggest game of the season for both teams. Check out our preview for Game 4 of the ALCS so you can plan your bets against the MLB Odds.
ALCS Game Four Betting Analysis for Astros vs Yankees Series
Stay Focused
It can be very easy if you are the Houston Astros to lose focus due to everything going on around them. They have been the best team in the AL all season and have dominated the postseason.
With high expectations and the series lead, they need to stay the course. Houston can celebrate when it is all over, but they have a job to do.
Houston has a decision to make here in game four. They have only thrown three starting pitchers that far and that is going to change on Sunday.
Justin Verlander will only be on four days of rest, so he would likely not bounce back that soon, especially with a series lead. You should expect Cristian Javier to take the mound. He has only pitched twice in the entire month of October and threw just 1.1 innings in the postseason allowing a home run.
During the regular season, he was 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 194 strikeouts.
The confidence of this team is high, but they are finally heading to Yankee Stadium, where anything can happen. During the regular season, the Astros were 51-30 on the road but an impressive 46-35 against the spread.
Playing on the road has not hurt the Astros, but this is only their third game away from Minute Maid Park in the playoffs.
All Eyes on Nestor
When you are down in the series, the best situation is to be playing at home. Yankee Stadium will be sold out on Sunday in what should be a wild atmosphere.
It is crazy to think that Gerritt Cole is not the guy in New York, but that is because of a man named Nestor Cortez. The LHP is one of the most exciting pitchers to watch in baseball with his Queto-like moves to the plate. Cortez was 12-4 in the regular season with a 2.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 163 strikeouts.
New York was very bad against the spread in the regular season, even at home. The good news is that the moneyline has strongly favored the Bronx Bombers at home with a 59-25 record.
They are virtually unbeatable, and the atmosphere is going to be something like the Astros have not seen in 2022.
Betting Tips for Game Four
If you are not excited about game three, what is wrong with you? These are the two best teams in the AL, and MyBookie has some great options for you to bet on for the Houston Astros vs. the New York Yankees.
The Yankees have such a big chip on their shoulder, and it seems like the Astros are in a zone they cannot get out of. We should have an awesome pitching matchup, but nerves may be on display in a sold out Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Stay away from the spread, especially for the Yankees, but expect an unforgettable game between two pitchers who command the strike zone and do not walk hitters.
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