The Astros arrive at Citi Field carrying a little momentum and a little order after a wild stretch in New York.
Houston beat the Yankees 5-1 on Thursday night to take a series that put the club back alone in first place in the American League West, one game ahead of the Texas Rangers. Now the Astros open a three-game interleague set against the Mets on Friday night, with right-handers Hunter Brown and Christian Scott lined up to start.
Brown is 3-3 with a 3.51 ERA, while Scott comes in at 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA.
For Houston, the win over the Yankees was more than just another box score result. It came during a week that included the news that general manager Dana Brown and the team "mutually agreed to part ways," per a release announced on Monday's off-day. Assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff, along with Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell as senior adviser, will report to owner Jim Crane for the rest of the season.
The Astros also looked sharper at the plate than they had in the days leading up to Brown's departure. Houston scored 17 runs against the Yankees after putting up just 27 while going 2-6 over its previous eight games, a stretch that came against the Mariners, Angels and Athletics, all sub-.500 teams.
"We came here and took care of business, winning a series against a really good team," Astros manager Joe Espada said of the set against the Yankees. "I thought there was some energy and we played really well."
The Mets, meanwhile, are trying to stop the slide after back-to-back lopsided losses to the Brewers. New York had been 13-8 since the trade deadline despite dealing seven veterans, and that run included series wins over the Guardians and Padres.
The Mets were in position to win the series from Milwaukee after a 3-2, 10-inning victory on Tuesday, but the Brewers answered by winning the final two games by a combined 16-3.
On Thursday, New York managed just three hits against Cy Young Award contender Jacob Misiorowski and three relievers in an 8-2 loss. Leadoff hitter A.J.
Ewing had three hard-hit outs, including a lineout to start the game, a strikeout in the fourth and a 94.9 mph grounder in the sixth that David Hamilton turned into a highlight-reel out. Ewing finished with another lineout in the ninth, this time to shortstop Cooper Pratt, who dived into shallow left field to make the catch.
"You don't want to spin this to say there's a lot of good things, but really tough day for A.J. Ewing," Mets interim manager Andy Green said.
"He did some good things. We didn't have enough of those good things."
Brown and Scott both missed out on decisions in their most recent starts last Saturday. Brown allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings in Houston's 4-3 loss to the Athletics, while Scott gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings as the Mets beat the White Sox 10-5.
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Yankees Face A Risky Aaron Judge Decision As Lineup Gets Crowded
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The ripple effects go beyond just fitting bats into the order. If Judge is DH-only, the Yankees would have to decide whether to push him back into the outfield, shift Garca around, or reshuffle someone else to preserve the best defensive alignment while also keeping injury risk in mind. It is the kind of decision that can look simple on paper and become complicated fast once defensive metrics and health concerns enter the conversation. [Read more 🡒]