Yankees' Key Hit Off Astros' Gloves Gets 8th Straight Win
NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a pair of go-ahead, two-run singles, both off third baseman Yuli Gurriel's glove, and the New York Yankees beat the Houston Astros 7-5 Saturday night for their eighth straight win.
The Astros lost their seventh in a row in the matchup of AL division leaders.
Stanton made it 4-2 in the sixth inning with a hard grounder that skipped off Gurriel's mitt and into shallow left field — ruled a hit on a tough call for the official scorer. Stanton smashed an almost identical ball an inning later, which Gurriel dived for and tipped. That one got past him, too, this time for an undisputed single against Ryan Pressly (1-1) for a 7-5 lead.
Zack Britton let Houston load the bases in the ninth but got Tyler White to hit a game-ending flyout to right for his third save. The Astros stranded 11 runners.
Gio Urshela and Austin Romine went deep for New York, giving the Yankees a homer in 25 straight games. That tied Joe DiMaggio and the 1941 Yankees for most in franchise history. The 2002 Texas Rangers hold the major league mark at 27.
New York's winning streak includes three victories each against Tampa Bay and Houston, a pair of AL postseason hopefuls. The Yankees will try for a four-game sweep of the Astros on Sunday.
The teams went back and forth in the final innings. Romine hit a solo shot to make it 5-5 in the seventh, a half-inning after Astros rookie Yordan Alvarez drove a go-ahead, three-run homer off Jonathan Holder (5-2). It was Alvarez's sixth homer in 11 big league games.
Houston left-hander Wade Miley pitched no-hit ball until Urshela's two-run drive in the fifth. Josh Reddick countered with a two-run shot for Houston a half-inning later, but New York reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Stanton delivered his first two-run single.
Adam Ottavino pitched out of trouble in the eighth for New York, stranding two by striking out Jose Altuve.
Miley retired 10 straight over one stretch and looked sharp most of the night but was charged with four runs in five-plus innings. He struck out seven and walked four.
Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka delivered two-run ball over six innings without his best stuff. He allowed eight hits, struck out one and walked one.
Michael Brantley had three hits, including two shift-beating grounders against Tanaka.
YANKEE DO-IT-ALL DANDIES
New York converted a number of sparkling defensive plays. First baseman Luke Voit made a diving stop at first base on a grounder in the fourth, then leaned into the photo well to snag a foul ball the next at-bat. Stanton made a leaping catch at the wall in left during the sixth, and Aaron Judge cut down Max Stassi from right trying for a double three batters later. Center fielder Aaron Hicks robbed Altuve with a sliding, backhanded grab in the seventh, and Urshela charged for Gurriel's roller in the ninth for a sharp 5-3 putout.
OUTFIELD OOPS
Astros outfielders combined for two errors on the same bizarre play in the fourth. Voit hit a drive into the right-center gap, and the ball bounced out of center fielder Jake Marisnick's glove. Right fielder Josh Reddick picked it up, but the ball slipped from his hand as he tried to throw it, flopping down a few feet away. That let Voit cruise into second base.
That duo nearly goofed again the next inning, bumping into each other as Reddick caught Romine's two-out fly.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: OF George Springer (strained left hamstring) was set to play center and right field for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, then serve as the DH on Sunday. Houston hopes he'll rejoin the big league team Tuesday. ... RHP Collin McHugh (elbow) and RHP Joe Smith (left Achilles tendon surgery) both felt good a day after rehab appearances with Corpus Christi. McHugh was set to throw again Saturday and could return soon. Smith is likely out until the All-Star break.
Yankees: OF Cameron Maybin had an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 strain in his left calf, which is expected to sideline him for over a month at least. Maybin will go on the injured list, but the Yankees were waiting until after Saturday's game to formalize the move. ... RHP Domingo Germán (left hip flexor strain) expects to make a rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre next week, though a date hasn't been picked yet. ... C Gary Sánchez and INF Gleyber Torres were both rested. Each had homered in New York's previous three games, the first time in franchise history that a set of teammates homered in three consecutive games.
UP NEXT
Astros ace Justin Verlander (9-3, 2.59) faces Yankees LHP J.A. Happ (7-3, 4.59). Verlander is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in three starts against the Yankees over the past two regular seasons.
(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
