MLB: New York Yankees vs Houston Astros | 26 June, 1:05 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

NEW YORK YANKEES: 

C | Kyle Higashioka 

FB | Anthony Rizzo 

SB | DJ LeMahieu 

S | Isaiah Kiner-Falefa 

TB | Josh Donaldson 

LF | Joey Gallo 

CF | Aaron Hicks 

RF | Aaron Judge 

DH | Giancarlo Stanton 

 

HOUSTON ASTROS: 

C | Martin Maldonado 

FB | Yuli Gurriel 

SB | Jose Altuve 

S | Jeremy Pena 

TB | Alex Bregman 

LF | Michael Brantley 

CF | Jose Siri  

RF | Kyle Tucker 

DH | Yordan Alvarez 

 

 

New York Yankees versus Houston Astros. 1:05 AM (PST) at the Yankee Stadium, the Houston Astros will be leaving the comfort of Texas following their series against another New York team, but this time, none other than the Yankees. Sunday, June 26 will be their third game in the series against the Yankees.  

 

Houston Astros. Being the third front-runner in Major League Baseball, there are undoubtedly big expectations, especially after their recent 8-2 win against the New York Mets who currently rank second in the MLB. With a .238 average, 3.04 team ERA, and 1.13 team WHIP, they’re quite a bully in the league and for good reason. Following a cheating scandal in the past, they’re still on their path to either redemption or continued notoriety. Regardless, either motivation can be empowering. Redemption would mean they have a purpose in playing beyond the sport; they have something to prove. Notoriety, though not to the point of forfeiture, could make a new branding and name for themselves; the big bad wolves of the league.  

 

Towering over the rest of the league, we have the famous New York Yankees. With a 50-18 record, the team has a .246 average, 115 home runs, a .442 slugging percentage, and a 2.90 ERA. Nestor Cortes is expected to be the pitcher against the Astros’ Jose Urquidy for game three. Cortes shows an ERA and WHIP superior to Urquidy by a considerable margin, so it’s safe to suggest for Houston to prepare with all their might if not reconsider.  

 

Ultimately, in terms of scoring leaders in both batting and pitching, there is a better scope in talent in the Yankees even though they've been criticized for seemingly relying on Aaron Judge a tad much. However, numbers show Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon, and Gerrit Cole are well-equipped, just frequently overshadowed. On Houston’s side, however, Yordan Alvarez takes over home runs, batting average, runs batted in, for batting, and Justin Verlander for ERA and strikeouts for pitching. The power is not as ideally or even stably concentrated. The Astros may be able to win game one or two against the Yankees, but the Yankees have game three without a doubt. 

 

1:05 AM, 26 June 2022. Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.