Astros vs Yankees Series Preview: New York Slumping at Wrong Time

The Houston Astros visit the New York Yankees for a crucial four-game series beginning Thursday. The Astros are sitting pretty for one of the wild card berths. But a bit of a slump by the Yankees has seen New York fall 3.0 games out of the playoffs and into last place in the AL East. The Astros vs Yankees series preview has Cristian Javier starting for Houston against Clarke Schmidt.

The odds for Thursday’s opener are -110 for both teams. The total is 9 and the Astros are +150 on the run line at -1.5 runs. New York +1.5 runs is at -180.

Houston isn’t hitting the ball like it has in the past, ranking No. 17 among MLB teams in batting average. The Astros do have a bit of power and are No. 10 in home runs and No. 11 in runs scored. Houston is a solid team on the mound, ranking No. 2 in team ERA. The Astros relievers have converted 34 of 50 save opportunities.

The Yankees also aren’t hitting like the way in the past. New York is all the way down at No. 29 in team batting average. But the Yankees are No. 6 in home runs. As a result, New York is No. 22 in runs scored. On the mound, New York is No. 10 in team ERA and the relievers have finished 30 of 45 save opportunities.

Houston is 62-47 in the MLB standings, going 31-25 at home and 31-22 on the road. The Yankees are 56-52 and 33-26 at home to go with a 23-26 road record.

Thursday’s Game

Javier has gone 7-2 with a 4.33 ERA for the Astros. Houston is 14-6 when he starts, although a big part of that is the offense. The Astros average 6.85 runs with Javier on the mound and are 14-6 in totals when he starts. Houston is 8-3 when he starts on the road.

Schmidt is 7-6 with a 4.39 ERA. The Yankees are 9-12 when he starts and 8-12-1 in totals, which negates Houston’s big over trend to an extent. You can make a case for Schmidt being as good as Javier, but Houston is a better offensive team than the Yankees. The Astros allow a fair number of runs with Javier on the mound. Despite Schmidt’s under tendencies, have to think over 9 is the way to go in this one.

Friday’s Game

The Astros vs Yankees series preview shows Hunter Brown and Luis Severino as the expected pitchers in Friday’s second game. Brown is 7-7 with a 4.12 ERA for the Astros. Houston has gone 11-9 in the games Brown has started. The Astros are scoring and allowing 4.2 runs when he starts. Houston is 7-4 with Brown on the road, scoring 3.64 runs and allowing 3.36. As a result, the Astros are 3-8 in totals when Brown starts on the road.

Severino is 2-5 with an unsightly 7.49 ERA. The Yankees are 5-7 when he starts, allowing 5.83 runs per game. His last start was especially ugly, allowing nine runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Orioles. The Astros are really the only side worth considering until Severino gets untracked.

Saturday’s Game

Nestor Cortes is scheduled to start for the Yankees here, while Houston hasn’t officially named a starting pitcher. It would be J.P. France if Houston follows its rotation. The Yankees have gone 7-4 in the games Cortes has started, although the offense has helped. The Yankees are scoring 5.91 runs and allowing 5.0 with Cortes on the mound. The over is 8-3 in the games Cortes has started.

The Astros are 9-6 with France on the mound, having won his last six starts. The win vs. loss record could be better, but Houston has dropped games by MLB scores of 2-1 twice and 3-2. Houston allows just 3.6 runs per game when France starts and have allowed 16 runs in his last six starts. He’s going the better of the two starters and is probably worth a look here.

Sunday’s Game

The Astros vs Yankees series shows Carlos Rodon as New York’s starter for the series finale. Houston hasn’t named it’s starter, although Framber Valdez would be next up in the rotation. Rodon has struggled a bit since returning after some back problems and the Yankees desperately need him to get back to form. He’s 1-4 with a 6.29 ERA and the Yankees are 1-4 when he starts.

The Astros have gone 12-9 in the games Valdez has started. The Yankees are 12-8 against left-handed starters, averaging 5.05 runs per game. New York has won its last six games at home against a left-handed starter. The Astros are 19-12 against LHP, scoring 5.48 runs per game. The over could be worth a look in this one.

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