Astros at Yankees
The New York Yankees have been dominant at home, scoring nearly seven runs per game and building a 12-3 record. However, their big bats will be tested Thursday night when the Houston Astros start left-hander Dallas Keuchel in the opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Keuchel has displayed the form that brought him the Cy Young Award in 2015, winning each of his five decisions and pitching at least seven innings in all seven of his starts, the first six of which saw him allow two runs or fewer. Keuchel has enjoyed his meetings with the Bronx Bombers, posting a 1.63 ERA in five regular-season encounters and tossing six scoreless frames at New York in the 2015 American League Wild Card game. His Astros have won three straight and eight out of their last 10 after completing a two-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves with a 4-2 victory Wednesday afternoon. The Yankees, who saw their six-game winning streak come to an end with a 5-3 loss at Cincinnati on Tuesday, give the ball to big right-hander Michael Pineda.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT Sports Southwest (Houston), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (5-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Michael Pineda (3-1, 3.12)
After allowing six runs in six starts in April, Keuchel was reached for five in eight-plus frames at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, although three of the runs came in after he left with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Including the one postseason start, the 29-year-old is 3-1 with 1.61 ERA in four career starts at Yankee Stadium. Several New York hitters have struggled against Keuchel, including Starlin Castro (1-for-11, seven strikeouts) and Jacoby Ellsbury (2-for-14).
Since a rocky debut at Tampa Bay on April 5, Pineda has posted a 3-0 record with a 2.32 ERA in five starts. The Yankees have won all five of those outings, including his solid effort at Wrigley Field on Friday in which the Dominican Republic native allowed two runs and three hits in six frames. Carlos Correa is 5-for-8 with two doubles and two home runs against Pineda, who won both of his starts against Houston last year despite giving up seven runs in 12 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Correa had two doubles and two RBIs in Wednesday's win and is batting .429 over his last seven games.
2. New York SS Didi Gregorius went 4-for-8 with a home run and four RBIs in the two-game series in Cincinnati.
3. The series ends with Derek Jeter Night on Sunday as the Yankees will retire their longtime shortstop's No. 2 and honor him with a plaque in Monument Park.