Masahiro Tanaka To Start As New York Takes On Houston

Earlier this week Masahiro Tanaka threw a shutout in the Bronx against Tampa Bay who is 4.5 games back of New York in the American League East.

On Saturday night Masahiro Tanaka will be back on the mound for New York this time taking on Houston who is a member of the American League West. Will Masahiro Tanaka be able to duplicate his outing he had earlier in the week?

New York comes into the game with a record of 48-27 while Houston comes into the game with a record of 48-29. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/standings

In game three of the four game series New York will look to win the series while Houston will look to get back into the series.

As stated above, Masahiro Tanaka will start for New York. The Japanese right -hander comes into the game with a record of 5-5 with a 3.23 earn run average. Tanaka is coming off his finest start of the year, a two-hit shutout of the Rays in which he struck out a season-high 10. Tanaka took a no-decision in Houston on April 8, allowing a run on three hits in six innings. He will oppose Houston left-hander Wade Miley who comes into the game with a record of 6-4 with a 3.30 earn run average. Miley has allowed three or fewer runs in 14 of his 15 starts this year. He has walked nine batters in his past three starts, including four in Monday's loss to the Reds. The Astros are 10-5 in games he has started. He has a 4.68 ERA on the road. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/roster/probable-pitchers

As for New York and Houston’s previous game,

After taking the opener by a score of 10-6 New York who is a member of the American League East then won the second game of their four game series against Houston in the Bronx where it had great defense as well as offense but unlike the first game of the series this game was closer. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Instinct spurred Gleyber Torres toward the middle of the diamond as he pursued a potential double-play ball in the eighth inning on Friday, executing a backhand snag. A split-second determination was made that the only possible play was to use the glove to flip the ball to Didi Gregorius.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Torres executed flawlessly, and that dazzling twin killing came at a crucial moment, helping to preserve the Yankees' seventh straight victory. Torres and Gary Sánchez had earlier homered for their third consecutive game, powering a 4-1 win over the Astros at Yankee Stadium.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

"I'm so happy with the job I'm doing right now on defense, and hitting too," Torres said. "I just feel happy because I help my team and just try to continue that."“according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Sanchez connected for a 481-foot shot, the fifth-longest in the Majors this season as measured by Statcast.

On an evening when the Yankees welcomed Aaron Judge back for his first game in two months, they were reminded how the club was able to win 37 of 54 games in the slugger's absence. Torres' mature on-field demeanor frequently overshadows the fact that he is still only 22 years old, with an immensely bright future ahead. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

"My goodness. When I was 22, I was playing in Low-A Charleston," said Judge, who went 0-for-4 in his return. "He's up here facing the best of the best and exceeding all expectations in what he's been doing. He's a star of this game, a future of this game. And, man, it's exciting to watch." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Before Torres' slick defense bailed reliever Zack Britton out of that late jam, Sanchez and Torres became the first pair of Yankees teammates to homer in three straight games -- no small feat, considering that this is the franchise of Ruth and Gehrig, Mantle and Maris. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

"Man, he's amazing," said James Paxton, who limited Houston to a run and five hits over five-plus innings to pick up his fifth win. "He's been playing so well. Really fun to watch. Just a great guy, great player. Loves playing the game of baseball. I'm having a great time being his teammate." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Facing Houston's Brad Peacock in the third inning, Sanchez cleared the left-field bullpen with his 23rd homer, reclaiming a share of the American League home run lead with teammate Edwin Encarnacion. It marked the Yankees' 24th consecutive game with at least one long ball, one shy of a franchise record established in 1941. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Peacock was no pushover, fanning 11 over six innings, but Torres broke through once Houston turned to the bullpen. Announced as a finalist for what he hopes will be his second All-Star appearance, Torres extended the lead in the seventh with a two-run shot off Hector Rondon, his 18th homer. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

"When he hits that ball, it always goes 10 feet further than you think it's going to go," manager Aaron Boone said. "And he can do it to all fields."“according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

Torres laughs at the characterization that he is developing into a power hitter, saying that he will continue to stick with his contact approach. But he believes that his book on the American League's pitchers is gaining data every day, and that his offseason work is translating into big league thump.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

After finishing third in last year's AL Rookie of the Year voting, Torres said he outlined specific goals for his sophomore campaign. Most prominent among them were to stay healthy all season and display consistency on the field, both objectives which he can proudly claim so far. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

"I just feel really good," Torres said. "Every day I do my routine. I go with a really good plan to home plate, try to do damage and help my team."“according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

The cheers were still loudest on Friday for Judge, with Aaron Hicks remarking that there is a different energy in the ballpark when the slugging right fielder is active. Yet Judge's postgame applause was reserved for Torres, whom he sees developing into one of the Yanks' cornerstones before our eyes. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

"I hope so. For sure, I want to stay with the Yankees for a long time," Torres said. "We are a really good team right now. The goal is to go to the championship. That is the mentality for us. We are on the same page. The most important thing for us is to win every night, and we'll see what happens."“according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gary-sanchez-hits-481-foot-home-run

With the win, New York improves to 48-27 on the regular season.

Meanwhile Houston who is a member of the American League West suffered yet another setback.

Inning after inning, the Astros found themselves with chances to break out of their funk, needing just one big hit to get the engine started against the Yankees. Inning after inning, Houston's hitters found themselves returning to the dugout, frustrated by another lost opportunity. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

That was the story Friday night at Yankee Stadium, but it's also been the theme of the week for the Astros, who dropped their sixth straight game, a 4-1 loss to the Yankees in the Bronx. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

The Astros went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, the latest in a week filled with such performances. During the six-game skid, Houston is 6-for-44 with runners in scoring position, a paltry .136 average. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"One-for-13 isn't good," said Alex Bregman, who went 0-for-5 atop the lineup. "We need to do a lot better if we want to win games. Give a lot of credit to them, they have a good team over there, but we have to show up tomorrow and figure out a way to get it done." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

Josh Reddick didn't enter the game until the sixth inning, but both of his at-bats came with one out and a pair of runners on base. He lined out to left field in the sixth with the potential tying run at second base. Then, with the Yankees leading by three in the eighth, Reddick stepped to the plate as the potential tying run. Gleyber Torres made a nice stop on Reddick's hard grounder, flipping the ball with his glove to Didi Gregorius to start a rally-killing -- and spirit-crushing -- 4-6-3 double play. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"It's zero fun, I can tell you that," Reddick said. "We're not hitting with runners in scoring position. Those big hits, we can't seem to come across like we have been in the past all year. It just keeps carrying over and carrying over. We'll get out of it. It's obviously frustrating and upsetting the way we're going, but we know we're going to come out of it." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

The belief inside the clubhouse is that all it will take is one hit or one big inning to swing the momentum, but the Astros haven't been able to locate either of those in nearly a week. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"You try to fight to get your opportunities, and then you've got to come up with the big hit at some point," manager AJ Hinch said. "It just eluded us again." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

The Astros wasted a strong effort from right-hander Brad Peacock, who limited New York to two runs on five hits over six innings, striking out 11 without issuing a walk. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"We're not scoring any runs," Reddick said. "That's one strength about this lineup, this team, we know how to put runs across at a steady pace. We're just not putting up crooked numbers right now." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

The six-game losing streak is the longest for the Astros since June 4-10, 2015, when they dropped seven straight during Hinch's first season at the helm. They had lost three straight only twice this season, both coming before April 23. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"I think it gets magnified the more and more it goes on with how this team is supposed to be and how good we are, how good we've been playing despite not having all our guys here," Reddick said. "We can't lean on that, can't have that as an excuse; it's just a matter of us not getting the job done with the guys we have here. We've got to do something quick and figure it out." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

The pitching staff has an unsightly 6.34 ERA during the losing streak, but they've held the opposing team to three or four runs in four of the losses. The offense has been a bigger issue, scoring only 14 runs and stranding 50 runners on base during this stretch, but Hinch wasn't in the mood to point at one thing or another when asked what he believes has been the most concerning trend.”according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"Just walking off the field as a loss at the end of the game," Hinch said. "You can talk about missed opportunities; we've had the lead a couple times where they've come from behind, but we haven't played from ahead enough in the last week. When you make your fair share of mistakes either in or outside the box score, it's tough to win here." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

The Astros had a pair of five-game losing streaks last season, a five-game skid in 2017 and another in '16. This current slide has eclipsed those, and although Houston still holds a comfortable lead in the AL West, the Astros know they need to get back in the win column to keep it that way. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

"You've got to keep fighting," Hinch said. "It feels bad, and you try not to carry one loss into the other, but we'll come back tomorrow ready to play." “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/brad-peacock-strikes-out-11-vs-yankees

First pitch is set for 7:15pm. The game will be televised on Fox.