Yankees face stiff Astros test after statement sweep of Rays
After acing their test against the Rays to build their lead in the AL East to a season-high 3½ games, the Yankees will now face an even stiffer challenge with the Astros coming to town for a four-game series starting Thursday.
Behind a terrific outing by CC Sabathia — who reached another milestone with his 250th career win — and a lineup that knocked out reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in the first inning, the Yankees finished off a sweep of the Rays with a 12-1 victory in The Bronx on Wednesday.
“It’s huge,’’ Luke Voit said of completing the sweep. “Especially going into [the series against] Houston this weekend. That’s one of the powerhouses in baseball. I’m excited to face those guys again after losing and getting swept by them earlier in the year. It will be a playoff atmosphere.”
And maybe a playoff preview, with the Astros in firm command of the AL West and getting healthier with the return of second baseman Jose Altuve, who was activated from the injured list on Wednesday after missing more than a month with a strained left hamstring.
On Wednesday, the Yankees made easy work of the Rays thanks to a six-run first highlighted by Gary Sanchez’s three-run homer and a two-run single from DJ LeMahieu.
“It didn’t look like Snell had his best stuff,’’ LeMahieu said of the left-hander, who left after a third of an inning, the shortest outing of his career.
The Yankees got to Snell in a hurry, as LeMahieu opened with an infield single, Voit followed with a walk and Sanchez delivered his opposite-field shot to right for a 3-0 lead.
Snell then walked Edwin Encarnacion and after Aaron Hicks grounded into a forceout, Snell walked Gleyber Torres and Cameron Maybin to load the bases — ending his day.
Left-hander Colin Poche entered and hit Gio Urshela to force in another run to make it 4-0.
Brett Gardner popped out, but LeMahieu delivered a two-run single to center.
Sabathia, who had a 6.97 ERA in his previous four starts, kept Tampa Bay scoreless until the fifth in his best outing in over a month.
The Yankees offense didn’t get another hit after LeMahieu’s two-run single in the first until Sanchez ripped a run-scoring double to left with one out in the seventh and they batted around again.
Torres capped off the day with the first grand slam of his career later in the inning, as the Yankees had their second six-run inning of the afternoon.
Things got ugly enough that Tampa Bay resorted to moving Daniel Robertson from third base to pitcher in the eighth.
The victory also made the Yankees 7-2 against the Rays this season, a lopsided record Voit was unable to explain.
“That’s a good question,’’ Voit said when asked about the team’s dominance against their divisional foes. “Any guy in this lineup can get the job done at any point. We just try to get to the bullpen — especially in a four-game series — to tire them out and get them where they make mistakes.”
It worked like a charm this series, with Aaron Boone commending the lineup’s patience as much as its power.
Snell walked four batters and was forced to throw 39 pitches before he was pulled.
“That’s the ultimate job of controlling the strike zone,’’ the manager said. “We took everything he normally gets chases on and got him out of there. … We wore down one of the game’s best pitchers.’’
They’ve responded to a three-game losing streak by winning five in a row with the Astros arriving and Aaron Judge is due back in The Bronx on Friday after missing two months with a strained oblique.
“We’ve played really well,’’ Boone said. “Obviously, we’re getting healthier. We feel good about where we’re at as a club.”
Click Here: cheap kanken backpack
