The Houston Astros will be heading to the Empire State for the first time this season, as they will be taking on the New York Yankees in a three-game series. The first pitch for Game 1 is slated for Tuesday.
The clash between American League rivals got off to an ugly start for Houston, as the Yankees swept the Astros through four games at Minute Maid Park in the first series of the season.
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After starting the season with a ghastly 7-19 record, the Astros have strung together a few recent wins to climb back into the mix in the AL West. They now sit at fourth place in the division with a 12-22 record.
The ‘Stros made immediate changes to steady the ship after their slow start to the campaign. They’ve shaken up the lineup, and Joey Loperfido was called up to replace struggling veteran Jose Abreu at first base. Their pitching rotation, which started the year decimated by injuries, is gaining momentum as guys are getting healthy, namely ace Justin Verlander.
The Astros took on the Seattle Mariners in their most recent series. The offense caught fire late in the opening game, and a 4-run seventh inning lifted the ‘Stros to a 5-3 victory. Things went downhill from there though, as Houston dropped the next two games 5-0 and 5-4, respectively.
Age is just a number for Jose Altuve, as the 34-year-old is leading the way from the plate for the ‘Stros with a team-high .343 batting average and a .964 OPS. Kyle Tucker is generating the most runs however, as he leads the team in home runs (9), and RBI (23).
Verlander will make his fourth start at the bump in Game 1 against the Yanks. After missing the first few weeks of the season with a low-grade muscle strain. In his first three outings, he picked up a win and threw 13 total strikeouts across 17.1 innings of action.
The Yankees have had a much smoother first stanza in their 2024 season. They sit at 23-13 and are just one game behind Baltimore in the AL East. They enter the series with Houston following three straight wins in a series against Detroit.
Juan Soto has commanded every facet of the offense for the Bronx Bombers with a .316 batting average and a .980 OBS. He also leads the team with 28 RBI and 8 home runs.
Luis Gil will be taking the mound for the seventh time for the Yanks this year. In his six previous starts, he has a 2-1 record, with 40 total strikeouts across 31.0 innings.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. on TBS.