In the first of a four-game series between the Houston Astros (42-32) and the New York Yankees (42-32) at Minute Maid Park, Dallas Keuchel (8-3, 2.35 ERA) and Adam Warren (5-4, 3.62 ERA) take the mound. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 25 and will air on YES and ROOT-SW.
In his most recent outing, Keuchel pitched 6.0 innings, allowing five runs, striking out seven and walking four in a 6-3 loss to the Mariners. In his career against the Astros, Warren is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and nine strikeouts. Alex Rodriguez (.290, 42 Rs, 15 HRs, 44 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two RBIs.
Houston is a -145 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Astros have a 19-16 record and overall money line at +903. Over their past 10 games, Houston’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 7.0 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.5. The Astros have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.5 runs per game. The Astros rank second in the majors in extra base hits with 241. The Astros are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 57 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Turning to the pitching staff, the Astros lead the league in WHIP at 1.18.
On the other side, the Yankees have a record of 16-16 when they are the underdog and are -130 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 5-5 SU and have a poor 0-1 record when they were an underdog to win. New York has been playing better lately, averaging 6.3 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.9. New York is one of the top home-run-hitting teams in the league with 98 home runs. New York’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 6.0 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.5. The New York pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.5 strikeouts per game.
The Astros will take on a right-hander (Warren) in this game. They have done very well against right-handed starting pitchers this season (26-15), especially at home where they have a 14-6 record. The left-handed Keuchel will take the mound against the Yankees, who have a 10-7 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Astros play into extra innings, they have a 3-3 record. The Yankees are 1-4 when their games exceed nine innings.
When they are outhit, the Yankees are 6-25. The Astros have a 9-22 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Houston has hit 107 this season. New York ranks second with 98 home runs.
Ranking 13th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.11 per game. New York ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.96.
Ranking seventh, Houston is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.734). New York ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .764.
The Yankees are 19-27 when they allow at least one home run. The Astros perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 15-22 record.
