Yankees overpower Houston on both sides of the ball

Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: Astros drop ALCS Game 1 with a disappointing performance

Zack Greinke and Robinson Chirinos
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Zack Greinke loses Game 1 of the ALCS after Yankees shutout Astros


After being taken to a winner-take-all Game 5 with the Rays which they would win to advance, the Astros had a quick turnaround to start the ALCS with the Yankees in Game 1. New York had a chance to watch Houston's ALDS unfold after sweeping the Twins in three games.

In ALCS Game 1, it would be all Yankees as their potent offense would overpower Houston's pitching, and also overwhelm the Astros' batters with a terrific start from Masahiro Tanaka before their bullpen finished a 7-0 shutout win to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Here is a recap of the game:

Final Score: Yankees 7, Astros 0.

Series: Yankees lead 1-0.

Winning Pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka.

Losing Pitcher: Zack Greinke.

Tanaka outduels Greinke in a pitcher's duel

After three innings of overpowering pitching from both starters, the Astros and Yankees went into the middle innings scoreless. Zack Greinke had only yielded one hit over that span but would allow his second to start the top of the fourth, a leadoff single by DJ LeMaheiu. LeMaheiu moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored on a one-out RBI-double by Gleyber Torres to put New York up 1-0.

The Yankees would threaten again in the top of the fifth with back-to-back one-out singles, but Greinke would work out of it to keep it a one-run game. Masahiro Tanaka meanwhile was winning the pitcher's duel by allowing just one hit through the first four frames. The Astros put a runner on with a leadoff walk by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the fifth, but he would get doubled up by straying too far from first base on a flyout, erasing Houston's chances of a run that inning.

Gleyber Torres would strike again in the top of the sixth, getting a one-out solo home run off of Greinke to extend New York's lead to 2-0. Giancarlo Stanton was next to tack on to the lead for the Yankees, getting a two-out solo home run to make it 3-0. Though he would finish that inning still with a relatively manageable pitch count, AJ Hinch would not task Greinke with going any further. His final line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K , 2 HR.

Torres keeps driving in runs

Ryan Pressly was the first reliever to take the mound for Houston, but after two quick outs would fall victim to New York's offense with three-straight singles to load the bases before Gleyber Torres would get his fourth RBI of the night with a two-run single to blow the game open at 5-0. Josh James would come in to get out three to finish the inning.

The Yankees would also make a move to the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, bringing in Adam Ottavino to try and keep the top of Houston's lineup from getting the Astros on the board. Despite an error that would give the Astros their first big scoring chance of the game, a double play would end their chances.

Houston shutout in Game 1

James would stay on the mound for the top of the eighth to try and keep the score pat and did so with an impressive 1-2-3 inning. Zach Britton would come into the game for New York in the bottom of the eight and was able to erase a one-out walk by Houston to keep the shutout alive.

Houston would give Bryan Abreu a chance to pitch in the ALCS by taking over for James in the top of the ninth. He was met with a solo home run before later in the inning Gleyber Torres would get a fifth RBI on an RBI-groundout to make it 7-0. Abreu would continue to be hit around, resulting in a move to Hector Rondon to get the third out. Houston would come up empty for yet another inning in the bottom of the ninth, suffering a shutout loss at home to start the ALCS and put New York up 1-0 in the series.

Up Next: ALCS Game 2 from Minute Maid Park will be Sunday at 7:08 PM Central. The Astros will get Justin Verlander a start on regular rest, looking to get back on track after his disappointing outing in ALDS Game 4. The Yankees will counter with James Paxton, who went four and two-thirds innings while allowing three earned runs in his start against the Twins in ALDS Game 1, which the Yankees would win.

The Astros playoff report is presented by APG&E.

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Starting pitching sounds like the top trade deadline priority for the Astros. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada joined the club's flagship station on Tuesday and shared his thoughts on some pressing issues facing his team.

Espada said both Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander are making progress and feeling good. But did not reveal a timetable for when we should expect them to return to game action.

What really stood out in the interview was Espada's concern with the amount of innings his starters have been asked to throw this season. Ronel Blanco has already pitched 114.2 innings, and his velocity is down a tick over his last several starts.

“The health of our players is something I'm aware [of]…it keeps me up at night,” said Espada.

The Astros skipper also spoke about the need for a six-man rotation during a long stretch of games in August. He expects some reinforcements to arrive as the current Houston starters like Blanco and Brown near their innings pitched thresholds.

“I know Dana [Brown] and his staff are doing their due diligence to try to get us some help,” said Espada.

Houston's manager is not only focused on keeping his players healthy this season, but also for the long haul.

When asked about the trade deadline specifically, Espada says he's in conversations with Astros GM Dana Brown daily. Not only do they want to find good players, but they also want to find people that will be a “good fit” for the clubhouse.

Based on Espada's comments, it seems like the club knows full well about the challenges that lie ahead. They need players that will fit their championship culture, and that can take some pressure off their starting pitchers.

Another bat wouldn't hurt either…


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