Two Yankees home runs were not enough to overcome Marcus StromanThe team’s early struggles came in a 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday night in the Bronx.
Here are the conclusions…
-Stroman had trouble getting that 1-2-3 entry and she started in the first. Jordan Alvarez took Stroman deep with two outs before a Jeremy Pena walk and Jon Singleton Without a doubt, the third-deck hit into right field gave the Astros a 3-0 lead after one. Alvarez and Singleton’s homers came off the bat at 116.8 and 115.4 mph, respectively.
Stroman would allow a lot of traffic on the bases after the first inning, but did a good job of not letting Houston put up any more runs. He would give up a Pena run in the fifth, but a good heads-up from third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera doubled the Astros shortstop at first base after a high flyball into the pitcher’s mound.
The first-year Yankee didn’t have his best start, but he threw 5.2 innings (95 pitches/59 strikes), giving up four runs on nine hits, two walks while striking out five batters.
–Antonio Volpe got the Yanks on the board in the third. After a leadoff single by Cabrera, the shortstop sent a 93 mph fastball from Ronel Blanco just above the right field wall. The home run had an xBA of .050 and would have been a long ball into just four parks.
-Volpe’s home run was all the offense the Yankees got against Blanco. The right-hander threw a career-high 107 pitches in 5.2 innings. He only gave up two runs on four hits, four walks while striking out five batters.
However, Aaron Judge would make it to the Astros’ bullpen. In the eighth inning, the captain launched a 473-foot blast to left center field to put the Yankees up one run. The round tripper is tied for the sixth longest home run in Yankee Stadium history.
Judge now has six home runs in his last 15 games.
-In the ninth, Gleyber Torres started with a single and moved to second place on a Jon Berti – pinch to Austin Wells – force exit. José Trevino hit Cabrera, but he went flying, which left Volpe to represent the winning streak. The young shortstop, however, struck out nine pitches to end the game.
Volpe finished 2-for-5, Cabrera was 2-for-3. Juan Soto finished 0-for-2 with two walks.
Game MVP: Astros pitching
There wasn’t one hitter or pitcher that stood out in this game, but Houston’s collective pitching effort should be commended. They held the Yankees, who had scored 19 runs in the first two games, to just three runs (on two home runs) on six hits.
After Blanco, the combination of Bryan Abreu, Ryan Pressly It is Josh Hader got the final 10 strikeouts, giving up just one run on two hits and a walk.
Highlights
What is the next
The Yankees hit the road and head to Tampa for the first of three games against the Rays. The first performance is scheduled for 6:50 pm on Friday.
Clark Schmidt (3-1, 3.50 ERA) will be on the mound against Taj Bradleymaking his season debut.
