Astros at Yankees
Justin Verlander will be tasked with two assignments Monday - cooling off the New York Yankees and lifting his teammates back up following a morale-sapping loss. Verlander looks to continue his sensational stretch of pitching in May when he takes the mound for the Houston Astros on Monday in the opener of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
Verlander has allowed one earned run or less in all five starts this month, a stretch that began when he struck out 14 in eight scoreless innings against New York on May 1. The Astros have dropped two in a row following an 8-1 stretch, including a 10-9 loss in 14 innings at Cleveland on Sunday in which they blew a five-run ninth-inning lead. The Yankees took two of three against the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend to improve to 24-7 in their last 31 games and close within one game of first-place Boston in the American League East. Second baseman Gleyber Torres is expected back in the lineup for New York, which won three of four at Houston four weeks ago in a rematch of last year's AL Championship Series.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (6-2, 1.08 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Domingo German (0-2, 5.59)
Verlander is only 2-2 in his five starts this month despite allowing a total of four runs (three earned) in that span, but he won his second straight by limiting San Francisco to one run on three hits in six innings on Wednesday. It was the ninth consecutive quality start for the 35-year-old, who has yielded only four homers. Giancarlo Stanton is 1-for-8 against Verlander, who is 1-4 with a 4.38 ERA at the new Yankee Stadium.
German has struggled since a brilliant performance in his first career start on May 6, when he did not allow a hit and struck out nine against Cleveland. The 25-year-old Dominican has given up six runs in each of his last two outings and took the loss after lasting only 3 2/3 innings at Texas on Tuesday. German turned in a strong effort in relief at Houston on May 1, working four scoreless innings and fanning four.
WALK-OFFS
1. Astros 2B Jose Altuve broke his own club record with 10 straight hits before he was retired in his last two at-bats on Sunday.
2. The Yankees own the best home record in the majors (20-8) and are 16-6 overall versus teams with winning records.
3. Astros C Evan Gattis was 5-for-13 with two homers, six RBIs and four runs scored at Cleveland.