Game of the Week: August 26: HOU @ NYY

[Commissioner Erick]

Houston Astros (87-38) @ New York Yankees (77-45)


HOU: Dallas Keuchel (11-5, 4.39)
NYY: Luis Severino (11-6, 3.38)


The Yankees and Astros faced off last season in a play-in game for the right to be the American League's second wild card. Four scoreless innings from the bullpen and a Wladimir Balentien tie-breaking three-run home run ended the Houston season.

The Houston Astros will be out for revenge when the visit New York for the first time this season to face off against the New York Yankees.

The Astros have faced the Yankees already this season, in Houston, and took three of four from them in late June. They were four very different games, but except for an outing where Nathan Eovaldi worked 8 shutout innings, the Astros were in control the entire way. A record was actually tied in the first game, a 13-9 Houston win, when Daniel Murphy tied an Astros record by driving in seven runs.

If not for a late bullpen collapse Sunday, the Astros would be on a six game winning streak and would have win in nine of their last 10 games. Instead they've won eight of 10, and have home field advantage in the American League playoffs all but shorn up. Daniel Murphy, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve are one-two-three in the AL in batting average, while Carlos Correa is tops in home runs and RBIs. With that kind of high-end talent, and a perennially killer bullpen, it's easy to see why Houston is the class of the American League.

Houston will have Dallas Keuchel make the start, his sixth Game of the Week start. The Astros have allowed 18 runs in Keuchel's two Game of the Week starts this year, but Kuechel's three starts prior to this season yielded two combined runs. Either way, he's no stranger to the Game of the Week and working under the spotlight. He had excellent walk rates his past two seasons, but this year, he has the third best walk rate in the AL. He leads the league in ground ball rate, and has struck out more batters than last year. He's allowed more home runs, but with the league allowing more home runs, it's not as damning. A high BABIP has Keuchel underperforming a 3.95 FIP, but he's still one of the better pitchers going.

That ground ball rate will be tough on a Yankees team that's second in home runs. Each regular in the Yankees lineup has at least 14 home runs and all but two have an average between .249 and .272 (Greg Bird has a .283 mark, and Gleyber Torres is batting .318). It's a very consistent lineup, that can hit for average a decent clip with everyone a threat to punish at least mistakes.

However, despite the lineup consistency, the Yankees have managed to get shutout four times this month alone. Carlos Martinez allowing a single hit in 8 innings isn't damning, but A.J. Cole, Zach Grienke, and Robert Stephenson aren't All-Stars at this point in their careers. Whether or not they can produce against Keuchel is in question.

The Yankees also are banged up right now. Dustin Fowler and Clint Frazier are day-to-day in the starting lineup with minor maladies, while Tommy Layne and Ian Clarkin are also listed as day to day. This is on top of Michael Pineda missing the season with a torn elbow ligament after all the injuries he suffered the past season and a half. They won't be at full strength, which is rough against a team as good as Houston's.

That's tough, but the Yankees do have history on their side, coming back from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Astros 7-4 last year. It was a sweet memory for the Yankees, and they'll hope tonight makes a sweet memory too.


Questions for the GMs:


For Ryan James, Daniel Murphy is nicked up today with a hamstring issue. Will he play in the game?

All your minor league teams outside of Triple-A have winning records. How excited are you about your minor league system?

Luke Gregerson is 5-0 with a 2.60 ERA, having another outstanding year for your pen. Will you make sure he gets in the game to try and erase the demons from the Balentien home run last year?

For Greg Masceri, you have a lot of players banged up right now. What is the status for the day-to-day guys?

Balentien had a huge moment last season with the home run in the play-in game, a factor in why he's a fan favorite in New York. With the former Japanese League MVP rebounding in Scranton, any thoughts on calling him back up?

You recently released Elvis Andrus. Why did you give up and cut bait with him?

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA: Balentien had the most memorable home run in last year's Astros-Yankees play-in game, but another player with ties to Asia had the game-tying three-run home run for the Yankees in the 6th inning of that game. Name that player.

[Commissioner Erick]

Trivia Answer: Ji-Man Choi

[Commissioner Erick]

Astros 8 - Yankees 1


WP: D. Keuchel (12-5)
LP: L. Severino (11-7)


Dallas Keuchel had been awful in two Game of the Week starts this season, defying two years of excellent pitching under television's brightest lights.

He turned back the clock in Yankees stadium.

Keuchel worked 7.2 innings without allowing an earned run, Jose Altuve hit two home runs, and the Houston Astros pounded the New York Yankees 8-1.

The Yankees got some good swings on Keuchel early, but after that he was on cruise control. Clint Frazier was late on a fastball in the first, fortuitously bouncing it inside the first base bag for a one-out double. Keuchel struck out Greg Bird and Aaron Judge though, for two of his four strikeouts in the game. He allowed a single up the middle to Greg Bird to begin the second before Gary Sanchez hit a laser beam to right-center field just over the outstretched glove of George Springer. Springer played it in quickly to keep Bird at third, but the Yankees had two on in scoring position with nobody out. Keuchel absorbed the body blow and focused, striking out Esteban Robles and Dustin Fowler, then getting Didi Gregorious on an infield pop fly to end the inning.

All of Keuchel's strikeouts came with men in scoring position in the first two innings, which was remarkable.

Keuchel walked Gleyber Torres to lead off the third, and a two-out hit to Greg Bird, with a double play ground ball sandwiching the events. From there, he retired seven in a row to keep the Yankees scoless through the meat of the game.

Meanwhile, the Astros were having trouble with Luis Severino, who retired 11 in a row at one point, and was dominant early. In the fifth, Derek Fisher singled and advanced to second on an error, before scoring on a Garrett Stubbs double. Jose Altuve homered to lead off the sixth making it 2-0.

Keuchel reached his last bit of trouble in the sixth. He issues a single and a hit batsman to put two Yankees on with one out. However, a weak ground ball by Ji-Man Choi resulting in a fielder's choice for the second out, and a Gary Sanchez lazy fly to Springer ended the threat. The Astros made it to the sixth inning up 2-0.

The Astros put distance between themselves and the Yankees in the seventh. Garrett Stubbs doubled off Tommy Layne, and Josh Reddick walked against Trevor Bauer. Altuve followed with his second home run of the game, a three-run blast off Bauer, that gave the Astros an insurmountable lead.

Keuchel retired seven in a row, before Bird picked up his second hit of the game with two outs in the eighth. Keuchel was pulled from the game for Francis Martes, still pitching a shutout. Aaron Judge singled Bird over to third, and a Stubbs passed ball allowed Bird to score the Yankees first run, making it 5-1 Houston. Martes struck out Ji-man Choi with Judge on second, to prevent more damage.

The passed ball closed the book on Keuchel who worked 7.2 innings, allowing an unearned run on seven hits. He walked just one and hit a batter, and though he only struck out four, they were in huge moments.

Springer added a three-run home run in the eighth to add to his fine defensive game and give the contest its final margin, 8-1 Houston.


Questions for the GMs:


For Ryan James, Keuchel was back on his game tonight, his third straight outing allowing one earned run or fewer. What allowed him to be so good?

Garrett Stubbs had a strong game with a pair of doubles, but hasn't gotten the plate appearances maybe his bat warrants. Why hasn't Stubbs gotten more playing time this year?

Jose Altuve with another splendid game. What's it like penciling him into the lineup every day and watching him go to work?

For Greg Masceri, your offense was really stymied by Keuchel. Why couldn't your hitters get to him at all?

It must have been nice seeing Bird get a couple of hits off the lefty. You bat him third no matter who the opponent, but he bats much better against righties than lefties. Why do you hit him third against lefties too?

Trevor Bauer had a rough spell in relief. How has he fared as a reliever this year?

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA: Dallas Keuchel has the second most career Strikeouts among Astros pitchers. Who is first?

[Ben_Dodgers]

Lance McCullers

[gmyankees]

For Greg Masceri, your offense was really stymied by Keuchel. Why couldn't your hitters get to him at all?

It must have been nice seeing Bird get a couple of hits off the lefty. You bat him third no matter who the opponent, but he bats much better against righties than lefties. Why do you hit him third against lefties too?

Trevor Bauer had a rough spell in relief. How has he fared as a reliever this year?


In short Keuchel was awesome, he was hard to beat and really on fire. He's one of the game's best starters in the PBA and my Yankees weren't ready to hit the ball. Sometimes things don't go your way and that was the case against the Stros, things didn't go for us. You asked about Bird and yes he had a decent game with a couple of hits against Keuchel and yes Greg plays big in big games and he was solid here. We like Bird gyhitting third because we feel that he can move base runners with his ability to hit in the alleys and over the fence with consistency. He maybe better against righties but we like Greg either way. Trevor has been up and down and he's working on some of his mechanics, he's one of those guys we'll need down the stretch to eat up innings for us.

[Commissioner Erick]

Trivia Answer: Ding, ding, ding! Ben is correct that McCullers leads the Astros all time in Strikeouts