The New York Yankees will be forced to wait one more day before getting their shot at redemption against the Houston Astros. After Saturday’s game was rained out, the Yankees will be looking to avoid the sweep when they complete their series with Houston on Sunday Night Baseball.
The Astros outscored New York 8-3 while winning the first two games at Yankees Stadium. Now Houston will enter Sunday night’s game looking to build on the best record in baseball.
The two teams head into Sunday Night Baseball at opposite ends of the momentum spectrum. The Yankees, who are atop the American League East, have dropped three in a row. They are just 6-4 in their last 10 games. As for the Astros, they have won five straight and are 8-2 in their last 10 contests. We’ll see if those trends turn on Sunday Night Baseball.
As a reminder, the Yankees and Astros will actually play a doubleheader on Sunday with an afternoon game at 2:00 p.m. ET. Mike Fiers and Luis Severino will square off. Our preview focuses on the primetime night game.
Details
Date: May 14th
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Line: New York -130
Why The Astros Might Win…
The Astros have been absolutely on fire dating back to their final series in the month of April. Houston has won 11 of its last 14 games including five straight heading into Sunday night’s game. The Astros offense has finally started to come alive as they have scored three runs or more in each of their five straight victories. Jose Altuve is hitting .298 while Marwin Gonzalez, Brian McCann and Josh Reddick have all emerged to contribute at a high level at the plate this season. The improved offense has been the difference for Houston of late. Taking at look at their run differential, it’s currently at +45. The Yankees are the only team in the American League (+51) with a better number than Houston.
The Astros pitching staff owns the best WHIP in the majors and ranks second in ERA. Houston will have Charlie Morton on the mound on Sunday night. Morton has allowed just two earned runs over his last 11.2 innings of work. He has won three straight starts heading in to Sunday night’s matchup.
Why The Yankees Might Win…
New York will counter with Masahiro Tanaka, who has earned a win in five straight starts heading in to Sunday night’s matchup. Tanaka’s 4.36 ERA isn’t spectacular by any means. However, the Yankees have provided him with more than enough run support to put together a 5-1 record this season. Tanaka has allowed more than three earned runs only once in his last six starts. He has been solid since he was hit hard by the Tampa Bay Rays in his season debut. New York will need Tanaka to give them a quality start before handing the ball over to a dominant bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Yankees offense will look to solve Morton after struggled in each of the first two games of the series. New York ranks second in runs scored, second in OBP and fourth in batting average this season so they are almost overdue for a big game. Aaron Judge has led an impressive Yankees resurgence so far this season. New York has some impressive talent and depth at the plate so it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back on Sunday night.
Outlook
Houston has put together an impressive run. However, they are bound to lose eventually and we aren’t banking on them completing the sweep of a talented team like the Yankees on the road. New York has put itself in an excellent position with a strong start. They still won’t have much room for error if they want to contend this season.
Tanaka has been solid of late. If he can provide another quality start, then the Yankees should be able to bounce back with a big win under the bright lights on Sunday Night Baseball. As a small home favorite, we’ll take a shot with them as we see them having the better starter on the mound.
Pick: New York -125
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