Astros vs Yankees Preview: Look for NY to Cruise In Series
New York Looking to Continue Early-Season Success vs Houston
Astros vs Yankees Preview: The New York Yankees look to stay hot and repeat the results of an early-season meeting with the Houston Astros when the two teams get together for a three-game series beginning Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.New York comes into this series having won three straight, while Houston has dropped two in a row.
The Yankees have been near the top of the MLB power rankings since the beginning of the season, when they opened with a four-game sweep of the Astros. New York (23-13) enters this series in second place in the AL East, trying to keep pace with the equally hot Baltimore Orioles.
Houston lost the last two of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. The Astros (12-22) have struggled to put things together this season, sitting in fourth place in the AL West race.
New York is the favorite in the opener, listed at -116 on the moneyline compared to Houston at +106. The over/under for Tuesday’s game is set at 7.5 runs, with the over getting -120 and the under +100.
The first two games of this series are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET first pitches, while the final game is set for 5:05 p.m. ET on Thursday.
New York Yankees vs Houston Astros 
Day/Time:
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Justin Verlander (Houston) vs Luis Gil (New York)
Houston will begin this series with veteran right-hander Justin Verlander on the mound, as he makes his fourth start of 2024. The 41-year-old didn’t see action this season until mid-April due to shoulder soreness, but he’s making up for lost time. Verlander is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and is coming off a seven-inning outing against the Cleveland Guardians in which he allowed two runs on six hits.
Right-hander Luis Gil will get the call for the Yankees, coming off his best start of the season. The 25-year-old is 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA, striking out 40 in 31 innings over six starts. In his last outing, he went 6.1 shutout innings against the Orioles, allowing just two hits while striking out five and walking one.
Game 2: Spencer Arrighetti (Houston) vs Carlos Rodon (New York)
The Yankees are probably one of the best MLB bets today based on the fact that right-hander Spencer Arrighetti is on the mound for Houston. The 24-year-old is 0-3 with an 8.27 ERA in four starts this season, allowing at least two earned runs in each start. He is coming off a no-decision against the Guardians on Thursday in which he went 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out six, but he’ll need to be even better against New York.
New York’s Carlos Rodon will take the mound on Wednesday hoping to bounce back from an ugly outing last week. The left-hander faced the Orioles on Thursday and lasted just four innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, including three home runs. The setback dropped his record to 2-2, though he has a 3.68 ERA and has struck out 36 over 36.2 innings.
Game 3: Ronel Blanco (Houston) vs Marcus Stroman (New York)
Houston will send righty Ronel Blanco to the mound for the series finale. Blanco is 3-0 with a 2.09 ERA in six starts, striking out 36 over 38.2 innings of work. He struggled a bit in his last start, taking a no-decision after going six innings against the Mariners on Friday and allowing three runs on five hits, including two home runs.
Veteran Marcus Stroman gets the call for New York for Thursday’s contest. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in seven starts this season, striking out 35 and walking 20 over 37 innings of work. He allowed just one run on three hits over 5.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, but he walked five batters for the second straight game.
Can Yankees Find Their Groove?
Although New York is winning games, it hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard of late. The Yankees ranked in the top 10 of baseball in runs scored entering the week, but they’ve averaged just 2.6 runs over their last seven contests. And the average is only that high because they scored five in each of their last two games.
Houston has run hot and cold at the plate this season as well, though veteran second baseman Jose Altuve continues to be a constant. The 34-year-old is batting .343 with nine doubles, seven home runs, 12 RBI and 25 runs scored, though he comes into this game without an extra-base hit over his last five games.
Outfielder Juan Soto has made himself at home in his first season with the Yankees, leading the team in most major offensive categories. Soto is batting .316 with seven doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 28 RBI and 23 runs scored. He had a three-run double to put New York in front for good in Sunday’s win over Detroit.
Yankees Continue To Roll At Home
New York has been one of the top teams in baseball all season long, especially at home, where it is 11-5. The Yankees should be getting the edge on the betting lines throughout the series, with their MLB implied runs sure to be higher than the Astros’ in each contest.
As we’ve pointed out throughout our Astros vs Yankees preview, Houston just doesn’t measure up to New York this season. Because of that, we recommend betting on the host Yankees in every game, and taking the under in a majority of them as well.
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