Here's how Jeff Luhnow has backed the Yankees into a corner

QUICK HITS PRESENTED BY TIGHT ENDS SPORTS BAR & GRILL

The New York Yankees met with free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole this week, and many fans are wondering if the Yankees GM Brian Cashman is in a situation where he must overpay for Cole.

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has made a lot of blockbuster moves over the last few years with his trades for Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Zack Greinke, which has caused many Yankee fans to be envious.

ESPN 97.5's Charlie Pallilo and Raheel Ramzanali discuss if the Yankees are in a position where they have to make a splashy move to keep up with the Astros. Quick Hits presented by Tight Ends Sports Bar & Grill.

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Opening Day is upon us! Composite Getty Image.

The long wait is finally over. The Astros are back in action on Opening Day against Nestor Cortes and the New York Yankees.

Not only do we have an official roster released by the Astros, but we also know how manager Joe Espada is going to put his stamp on the batting order.

First, let's look at the roster below.

Grae Kessinger made the club after dealing with a hamstring injury that had his availability in question. He gets the nod over Corey Julks who is heading back to Sugar Land.

Tayler Scott and Parker Mushinski will join the Astros bullpen, and Bennett Sousa is now on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Kessinger, Scott, and Mushinski were the only true wildcards to make the club, as there weren't any real surprises otherwise.

Astros lineup versus the Yankees

Manager Joe Espada recently said he planned on hitting Yordan Alvarez second and was considering batting Kyle Tucker in the three spot. And that's exactly what he did today against the lefty, Cortes. We were wondering if Espada would change his batting order against left-handed pitchers, but he told the media today that would not be the case.

The other big question mark was whether Jake Meyers or Jeremy Pena would bat ninth. Today, Meyers is slotted to hit last.

Here's the batting order with Framber Valdez pitching for Houston.

Getting Alvarez and Tucker more at-bats sounds like a recipe for success to us. And if we're being honest, this is an improvement from last year's lineup on paper. Now the guys have to go prove it on the field.

Let's go beat those Yanks, and go Astros!

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