Bad blood and bad history: Everything you need to know for Yankees-Astros ALCS
Our MLB insiders Bob Nightengale and Steve Gardner get you ready for the ALCS between the Yankees and Astros.
USA TODAY
HOUSTON – Off the bat, Aaron Judge’s eighth-inning drive appeared to be on a home run trajectory.
A standing, orange-toweling waving sellout crowd at Minute Maid Park froze for a moment, then found its voice again as Kyle Tucker caught the ball at the top of the right field wall.
On a warm, windy Thursday night, the New York Yankee slugger’s late bid for a go-ahead two-run homer off reliever Bryan Abreu became the Yanks’ last best chance to steal a victory.
Alex Bregman’s third inning, three-run homer off Luis Severino held up, sending the Astros to a 3-2 win and giving Houston a two games-to-none advantage in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.
If the Yankees are going to prevent the same fate against the Astros, who bested the Yanks in both the 2017 and 2019 ALCS, they’ll have to turn it around beginning Saturday in the Bronx with Gerrit Cole on the mound.
Here are five takeaways from Game 2:
Aaron Judge’s near miss
Just about everyone in the visiting dugout thought Judge’s eighth-inning swing had produced a 4-3 Yankees lead.
“I did think it had enough,” said Giancarlo Stanton.
“I don’t know how it didn’t go out,” said Luis Severino.
“I was kind of amazed it didn’t (go out),” said Kyle Higashioka.
Though it wasn’t “a no doubter,” manager Aaron Boone said, “it felt like his home runs to right.”
But with the roof open and the Texas winds cutting across right field, Judge knew it wasn’t enough.
“Kind of hit it to the wrong part of the park, that’s for sure,” Judge said of a drive that, according to Statcast, would have sailed out of just one ballpark: Yankee Stadium.
“I think the roof open kind of killed us,” said Boone, though Houston pitching – having recorded 30 strikeouts over the first two ALCS games – has been extremely lethal.
Yankees lineup limited again
Before Ryan Pressly closed it out in the ninth, Houston starter Framber Valdez pitched effectively over seven innings, striking out nine batters and yielding four hits without issuing a walk.
And the Yankees’ only runs against him were gifted by Valdez himself.
In the fourth inning, Valdez made two errors on the same Stanton comebacker, botching the chopper and then making a seat-of-his-pants throwing error to first base.
That gave the Yanks runners at second and third with one out, with Anthony Rizzo (RBI groundout) and Gleyber Torres (RBI infield hit) cutting Houston’s lead to 3-2.
With one more chance in the ninth and the tying run (speedy Tim Locastro) on first base, Pressly struck out pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter to end it.
“If we want to win, we’ve got to find a better way,” said Carpenter, now 0-for-7 with seven strikeouts this postseason, following a two-month absence due to a fractured left foot.
“Just got to find a way to get it done.”
One costly mistake by Luis Severino
Severino’s start came down to one fastball that caught too much of the plate.
With two outs and ahead of Bregman 1-2, Severino followed a good change-up – getting a swing and miss – with a 97-mph fastball that neither Severino nor Higashioka felt was a terribly located pitch.
But it wasn’t elevated or inside enough to prevent Bregman from lifting it over the left field wall (at an estimated 360 feet) for a 3-0 Houston lead.
Up to that point, Bregman was just 3-for-19 (.158) against Severino, with no homers.
But Severino pitched into the sixth and struck out six batters, including Yordan Alvarez twice.
An amped-up Severino ended the fifth inning by getting Alvarez to whiff on a 99-mph 0-2 fastball, stranding a runner at first.
Jose (0-for-23) Altuve
After going hitless in 16 at-bats during the ALDS, Yankees nemesis Jose Altuve is now 0-for-23 this postseason but was twice robbed of hits during Thursday’s 0-for-4 night.
Leading off the first inning, Altuve had a single stolen by Yankees rookie shortstop Oswald Peraza with a field-and-spin move of a grounder ticketed to left field.
And in the seventh, Altuve’s hot, 107-mph smash knocked down second baseman Gleyber Torres, who picked it on one hop and flipped to Peraza to start a spectacular inning-ending double play.
In a Game 2 lineup shakeup by Boone, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was benched in favor of Peraza, with Oswald Cabrera back in left field, Stanton back at DH and Harrison Bader (1-for-3, walk) moved up to the leadoff spot.
Maybe Altuve needs a hug – but not like this.
The top of the ninth was delayed about five minutes, due in part to some shockingly lax security at Minute Maid Park.
A male fan in an Astros jersey made it onto the field and hugged Altuve at second base for an uncomfortably long moment before five uniformed personnel eventually pulled him away, got the guy on the ground and escorted the reluctant man off the field.
The right hitting decisions?
Would you have lifted Higashioka for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, against Valdez?
Right-handed hitters Jose Trevino and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were available on the bench, with one out and the Yankees trailing by a run.
At that point, Boone likely reasoned that Higashioka’s ability to tie the game with one swing was a better play than sending up another hitter with the Nos. 8 and 9 batters to follow.
Anyway, Higashioka wound up striking out for the third time Thursday against Valdez.
Carpenter eventually pinch-hit for Higashioka in the ninth, making the final out.
Paired with Severino for the past three straight games, Higashioka is unlikely to draw another start unless Severino gets another start.
But Trevino hasn’t been the offensive presence he was during an All-Star first half, and he’s 1-for-15 with a sacrifice fly this postseason.
