ASTROS ESCAPE WITH A WIN

Alvarez and Singleton mash massive homers to help Astros avoid being swept by Yankees

Astros Yordan Alvarez
Astros defeat Yankees, 4-3. Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images.

Yordan Alvarez and Jon Singleton each hit long homers in the first inning for the Houston Astros, who beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Thursday night to avoid being swept in the season series.

Alvarez hit a two-out solo shot off Marcus Stroman (2-2) into the second deck in right field measured at 116.8 mph. Two batters later, Singleton hit a two-run homer off the facade along the third deck clocked at 115.4 mph.

The Astros are the first team in the Statcast era (2015-present) to hit two homers measured at 115 mph off the bat in the same inning. The homers were the hardest-hit balls against the Yankees this season.

Jeremy Peña had two hits, including a fifth-inning RBI single, for the Astros, who were outscored 40-18 in the first six games this season — all losses — against the Yankees, whom they beat in the AL Championship Series in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

Houston has never gone winless against an opponent in a season series lasting longer than six games.

Anthony Volpe hit a two-run homer off Ronel Blanco (4-0) in the third, while Aaron Judge went deep off Ryan Pressly in the eighth for the Yankees before Josh Hader got the final four outs for his fourth save. It was the first time Hader recorded more than three outs in a save since Aug. 14, 2020.

Blanco allowed four hits and walked four with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. He threw a career-high 107 pitches — including 14 against Anthony Rizzo during a fourth-inning at-bat during which the Yankees first baseman fouled off 10 straight pitches before whiffing on an 86 mph changeup.

Stroman gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits over 5 1/3 innings.

MINOR MOVE

The Yankees claimed RHP Colby White off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays and assigned him to Double-A Somerset. White, 25, has a 2.83 ERA in four minor league seasons, but was 0-2 with a 17.61 ERA in nine games at Triple-A Durham before being designated for assignment last Friday. He was selected by the Rays in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: RHP Jose Urquidy (right forearm) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Sugar Lake. Manager Joe Espada said Urquidy will throw 60-65 pitches. … RHP Cristian Javier (neck) will come off the injured list to start against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Yankees: IF DJ LeMahieu (right foot) will continue ramping up this weekend, when he accompanies the team to Tampa Bay for a three-game series against the Rays. … OF Jasson Dominguez (Tommy John surgery) is expected to begin a rehab assignment within the next two weeks.

UP NEXT

Astros: Continue a six-game road trip Friday night, when LHP Framber Valdez (1-1, 3.97 ERA) starts against the Tigers and RHP Casey Mize (1-1, 3.98 ERA). Valdez has given up seven runs in 10 1/3 innings in his first two starts since missing three-plus weeks due to a sore left elbow.

Yankees: Begin a six-game road trip Friday night, when RHP Clarke Schmidt (3-1, 3.50 ERA) takes the mound against Rays RHP Taj Bradley, who's making his season debut. Schmidt has allowed three runs or fewer in 32 starts dating the beginning of 2023, the second most in the majors behind Sonny Gray (33).

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Hunter Brown will start Game 2 for Houston. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

Detroit Tigers (86-76) at Houston Astros (88-73)

  • Location: Houston, Minute Maid Park
  • Date: Wednesday, 2:32 p.m. EDT

Pitching Matchup:

  • Tigers: Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 77 strikeouts)
  • Astros: Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 179 strikeouts)

The Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros face off in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series, with Detroit leading 1-0 in the best-of-three set. The Tigers can advance to the ALDS with another win, while the Astros will be fighting to extend their postseason run.

Astros Outlook:
Houston, the reigning AL West champions, look to bounce back after dropping the series opener. The Astros have been strong at Minute Maid Park this season, posting a 46-35 home record. They’ve also excelled at keeping opponents in check, with a 38-16 record in games where they haven’t allowed a home run. Yordan Alvarez remains a key figure in the Astros’ lineup, leading the team with 35 homers, while Kyle Tucker has been hot, hitting .400 with three homers over the last 10 games.

You can see the Astros lineup for Game 2 below.

Tigers Outlook:

Detroit has been road warriors, going 43-38 away from home, and their pitching staff has been stellar, ranking third in the AL with a 3.62 ERA. Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have powered the Tigers’ offense, combining for 51 home runs on the season. If the Tigers’ bullpen holds strong again, they could advance to the next round.

Recent Form:

  • Astros: 6-4 over their last 10 games, hitting .278 as a team, but they have struggled with a 4.10 ERA.
  • Tigers: 7-3 in their last 10, backed by excellent pitching (3.30 ERA), though their offense has only managed a .229 average.

The Astros lead the season series 4-3, but the Tigers carry the momentum as they look to close out the series and move forward in the playoffs.

If you would like to see some reactions to Game 1, check out the videos below.



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