A return home and return to facing American League competition, the New York Yankees experienced another litmus test against the AL West-leading Houston Astros. It wasn’t a fun weekend if you were a pinstriped pitcher. On the plus side, the organization honored Derek Jeter with a plaque and by retiring his No. 2.
On a personal note, I’ve been watching Derek Jeter play baseball since his Double-A days in 1994 with the old Eastern League Albany-Colonie Yankees, when he wore No. 27. Granted he was a top prospect then but it was cool to be able to say, “I knew you when.” Old Heritage Park was near the Albany International Airport and the next time Jeter flies into Albany it will be a stop on his way to Cooperstown.
GAME 1
In the first matchup between the two division leaders, there were far too many 2015 AL Wild Card Game vibes in the Yankees’ 3-2 loss to the Astros.
BUG A BOO
Michael Pineda gave his pinstriped pals a resident 2017 outing. Big Mike logged 6.2 innings and fanned six but was bit by the homer bug. A Carlos Correa two-out, two-run smash to right posted the Astros to a 2-0 edge in the first. Houston played small ball in the fifth, Norichika Aoki stole second and was driven home by a bullet line drive single to center by George Springer.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Dallas Keuchel displayed his 2015 form, spinning nine K’s across six innings. Yet, he was hardly untouchable. The Yankees went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. One also must wonder how much longer Chris Carter has until the Yankees look for a more flexible option off the bench. Until the ninth, a Jacoby Ellsbury catcher’s interference in the fifth accounted for the Yankees’ offense.
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
With two down and runners in scoring position, a Gary Sanchez single to left plated Aaron Hicks but Ellsbury was gunned down at the dish to end the game. I can understand where the Yankees would want to be aggressive on the base paths with runs at a premium but the possibility of Matt Holliday up with runners at the corners may have been more of a high percentage play.
GAME 2
It was much of the same in the Yankees’ 5-1 loss to the Astros.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Scoreless in the fourth, Houston played the long ball game again. Brian McCann whacked a three-run homer inside the rightfield foul pole off Jordan Montgomery, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead.
STRANDED AGAIN
An RBI-single by Didi Gregorius broke the shutout in the ninth but the Yankees were only 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on the evening.
THANKS, JOE MADDON
If you were wondering why Aroldis Chapman has been off a bit lately, his shoulder has been barking since the 2016 postseason with the Chicago Cubs. Following another struggle filled outing, the Yankees placed Chapman on the disabled list with rotator cuff inflammation.
GAME 3
There were tons of swings and lead changes in the Yankees 11-6 victory over the Astros. Five, to be exact until the Yankees finally pulled away.
MEAN GREEN
After Luis Severino was given a quick exit trailing 3-1 in third, New York called on Chad Green with one out and the bases loaded with Astros. Green was able to get Alex Bregman to bang into a 5-4-3 inning ending double play and held Houston from breaking the game wide open.
COLOSSAL COMEBACK CLOUT
During the fourth frame, the Bronx Bombers hammered Mike Fiers. Following a Holliday walk and advance to second on a wild pitch, Starlin Castro blasted a two-run shot to right. Ensuing batter Aaron Judge slammed a go-ahead home run off the restaurant in center.
If Monument Park ever gets too crowded and Judge gets there one day, the organization could always place his number on one of those windows.
SWING SEVENTH
With some small ball and spotty Yankee defense, Houston touched up Adam Warren during the seventh and regained the lead at 6-4.
Facing Will Harris, Brett Gardner set the table with a one-out single to right-center. Ellsbury followed, lacing a double to left. An infield single by Holliday scored Gardner and would have plated Ellsbury had the ball not been knocked down at short.
With Chris Devenski on Castro again tied the game with a two-run double to right. Following an intentional walk to Judge and a strikeout by Didi Gregorius, Chase Headley, who needed a hit in the worst way, broke the game open with a bases-clearing triple to right. Carter capped off the inning with a RBI double to left.
A Gardner home run to right in the eighth, off Tony Sipp, made for an 11-6 advantage.
GAME 4
Prior to the game, the Yankees honored Derek Jeter by retiring his No. 2 in Monument Park. On the field, well, let’s say the current crop of Bronx Bombers battled until the final out in true Jeterian fashion. Although teams seldom sweep a twin bill, the 10-7 loss wasn’t pretty and meant the Yankees dropped three of four to the Astros.
TA-KNOCKED AROUND
Masahiro Tanaka rounded out what was a quartet of shaky outings by starting pitchers in pinstripes. George Springer and Josh Reddick clocked consecutive homers in the first. A grand slam by Bregman capped off a 6-0 first frame.
Springer went yard again in the second verse and a Carlos Beltran RBI-double upped the Astros lead to 8-0.
HOLLIDAY HAMMER
A three-run homer to right by Holliday cut the Astros lead to 9-4 in the fifth.
RALLY SHORT
A wild pitch and RBI singles by Castro and Judge brought New York within three runs at 10-7 but with the tying run at the plate, Hicks bounced back to Ken Giles for the final out.
ON DECK
At 22-13 on the campaign, the Yankees travel to Kansas City to take on the Kansas City Royals in a three-game series starting Tuesday evening.
Pitching probables include CC Sabathia vs. Jason Hammel, Michael Pineda vs. Jason Vargas, Jordan Montgomery vs. Danny Duffy.
