A series against the White Sox is just what the struggling New York Yankees needed. The Bronx Bombers grabbed a couple wins and will now go into their series with the Major League leading Houston Astros in a three-game set starting on Friday. The Yankees have not been a good road team this year and will be playing a team that took three of four against them in New York earlier this year.
This series will be contested from Friday, June 30, 2017 through Sunday, July 2, 2017 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Saturday's clash is being shown live on FOX while the games on Friday and Sunday can be seen on MLB Network for those outside the local viewing markets.
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Pitching Matchups
The series kicks off with a very interesting matchup pinning Lance McCullers against Michael Pineda.
McCullers was fresh off a DL stint in his last start, going just five innings. He did give up just a single run in that game against Seattle.
Overall, the 23-year old right-hander is 7-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.041 WHIP in 81.2 innings of work. He dominated the Yankees in New York this May. He went six scoreless in the outing.
McCullers has always been a high-upside starter. He’s really putting it together in his third year, but his career numbers put him firmly in the camp as a top-of-the-rotation starter. He’s 19-13 with a 3.03 ERA over 288.1 career innings.
On the other side, the story has been a bit less consistent. Overall, he’s 7-4 with a 4.12 ERA. His early season numbers were far better than what he’s produced lately and that’s part of the Yankees’ struggles. He’s allowed five runs in three of his last five games. In the other two, he allowed one earned run over 12.2 innings. In his start against Houston in May, Pineda delivered a quality start, giving up three runs in 6.2 innings.
As the series rolls on to Saturday, the matchup features a couple of rookie starters.
For the Yankees, that means southpaw Jordan Montgomery. Francis Martes will take the mound for Houston.
While both are rookies, Montgomery does have more experience. He’s made 14 starts, going 6-4 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.212 WHIP.
Martes was a higher rated prospect, but he’s not quite as ready as Montgomery, at least based on the numbers. He has recorded two wins in his four games, but his 5.51 ERA and 1.592 WHIP is a concern. Control has been a big concern for the youngster. He’s walked 11 batters in 16.1 innings.
On Sunday’s series finale, Luis Severino will start for New York. He’s been the team’s best starter this year. He’s 5-3 with a strong 3.15 ERA and 1.071 WHIP. He’s striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings and has been tough to square up.
While Severino’s had a great season, he—like the rest of the rotation—has regressed lately. He went seven strong against the White Sox in his last start, striking out 12, but in the two games before that, he allowed a cumulative nine runs in 12 innings.
To counter the righty, the Astros are expected to turn to Mike Fiers.
With so many injuries in the Houston rotation, Fiers has been a significant piece. He leads the team in innings pitched and is pitching well. After giving up tons of homers early, his command has improved and the homers have dropped. In fact, he hasn’t given up a homer in his last six games. Four of the last six games have been quality starts.
Who's Hot?
Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez have combined to hit 19 home runs and drive in 52 runs in June. They’re batting .344 and .310 respectively. In the last week, Sanchez has cooled a bit, but Judge has gone 7-for-19 with a couple bombs while posting a .556 OBP as he refuses to fall back to earth.
It’s still fair to say both young sluggers are seeing the ball well right now. But then again, the offense continues to hit in general. They’ve outscored the world in June with 161 runs and have slammed 46 homers.
Even with Brett Gardner cooling down along with Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks and Matt Holliday hitting the DL, the offense remains strong enough. At least for now.
On the other side, the Astros’ bats are perpetually hot. They’re behind only New York and Seattle in runs scored in the AL in June. They’re also hitting the ball out of the park at an amazing pace.
George Springer leads the way in that department. His 11 homers in June matches up with Judge and he his .327 average and 1.141 OPS aren’t too shabby either. Meanwhile, Carlos Correa is his Gary Sanchez. The duo has a combined 18 homers in the month. If you add in Jose Altuve’s .429 June OBP, Yuri Gurriel’s .322 June average and Marwin Gonzalez’s dependability you have a better offensive unit than the Yankees now that they’ve been depleted of three quality starters.
Who's Not?
Regardless of the team, you can always find a few guys who are slumping. For the Astros, Alex Bregman fits into this class. He’s not hitting as well as expected. He’s been able to draw walks to put his OBP at .331, but his average and power haven’t been there.
Even so, he still represents a league average bat. The only Astro that doesn’t is Nori Aoki. Carlos Beltran’s .209 average in June isn’t great either, but his veteran presence is undeniable. You can also look for him to play better against his former team.
On the pitching side, James Hoyt has been prone to the long ball and has an 8.10 ERA in June. He’s a lower leverage reliever, but has still been an issue in the last month.
He’s still been more dependable over the last couple weeks than Tyler Clippard. The Yankees’ reliever was the setup man just ahead of Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, often getting the call in the seventh. Now, he’s the biggest question in the pen. He’s allowed 12 runs including a couple homers and three walks in his last 2.1 innings over four appearances.
At the dish, first base is still a hole in this lineup. And Gardner’s .281 OBP in the month has taken away some of the base runners ahead of the baby bombers in the heart of the order.
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