Last stop on this road trip. Hopefully more like the Miami stopover, less like Boston.
61-54 (3rd in the AL East) 6.5 GB, 1.5 Game lead for last AL Wild CardHome Record: 34-22 (Astros Road Record: 28-27)Record vs. AL West: 17-8 (Astros vs AL East: 6-7)Last 10: 4-6 [LWWWLLLLLW] (HOU: 4-6 [LLLWWLLLWWL])2025 Record vs. Houston: First meetingAll-Time Record vs. Houston: 49-33Playoff Record: 5-13 (2015 WC (L): 0-1; 2017 ALCS (L): 3-4; 2019 ALCS (L): 2-4; 2022 ALCS (L): 0-4)
Yankees Season to Date: Coming into this season, the Yankees figured on being one of the favorites, if not the favorite to get out of the AL. Even as they clinched their 41st AL pennant, they fell to the Dodgers in a 5-game World Series that arguably could have gone the Yankees’ way save for some questionable late-game decisions and arguably the worst inning of Yankees’ World Series baseball ever. Then, well, things didn’t quite go the Yankees’ way. Gerritt Cole succumbed to the UCL monster in Spring Training and is out until 2026. Luis Gil, the AL Rookie of the Year, didn’t suffer that injury, but had enough other injury problems that sidelined him until this past week. The Yankees did get off to a strong start, but since June, they’ve been playing mediocre baseball, at best. Once leading the AL, they’ve fallen all the way to 3rd in the AL East, behind Toronto and the Red Sox. Oh, and shortly before the trade deadline, the one player they couldn’t afford to lose Aaron Judge…they lost him, but not for that long. The Yankees made some big moves at the trade deadline to shore-up their pitching staff and lineup, but since the deadline, they are not exactly playing championship caliber baseball.
HR: OF Aaron Judge (37)RBI: OF Aaron Judge (85)BA: OF Aaron Judge (.339)OPS: OF Aaron Judge (1.148)ERA: Max Fried (2.78)Wins: Max Fried (12) Saves: Devin Williams (17)WHIP: Carlos Rondon (1.06)
Projected Pitching Matchups (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Friday, Aug 8 @ 6:05 p.m. CDT: Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.47 ERA) vs. Cam Schlittler (1-2, 4.58 ERA)Saturday, Aug 9 @ 1:05 p.m. CDT: Colton Gordon (2-1, 5.46 ERA) vs. Luis Gil (0-1, 13.50 ERA)Sunday, Aug 10 @ 12:35 p.m. CDT: Framber Valdez (11-5, 2.83 ERA) vs. Max Fried (12-4, 2.78 ERA)
Yankees Field Position Starters (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) (BA/OBP/SLG)
C: Austin Wells (.208/.265/.413)1B: Paul Goldschmidt (.281/.337/.429)2B: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (.240/.332/.467)3B: Ryan McMahon (.225/.322/.398)SS: Anthony Volpe (.221/.288/.424)LF: Jasson Dominguez (.256/.333/.393)CF: Cody Bellinger (.275/.330/.494)RF: Aaron Judge (.339/.446/.702)DH: Giancarlo Stanton (.268/.340/.528)
Yankees Offense: You could title this section “Aaron Judge and 8 other dudes that have to bat when he doesn’t.” Still, there are other bats in the Yankees’ lineup. Cody Bellinger is reprising the role that Juan Soto played last year of NL player who gets traded to the Yankees in a contract year (more on him later). There is Giancarlo Stanton, when not on the IL, can whack the lumber. CF Trent Grisham and 2B Jazz Chisholm have OPS numbers over .800. Maybe this unit is not making people think of the 1927 squad, but they do well enough on offense (2nd in runs, 4th in OBP, 1st in Slugging, 12th in BA). Once on the base, the Yankees rank 15th for stolen bases, so right in the middle of the pack. That also accounts for some other more humorous/calamitous base running blunders seen in Yankees games as of late. That this bedeviled the Yankees last season isn’t the biggest endorsement of manager Aaron Boone.
Yankees Pitching/Defense: This section depends on what aspect of pitching you are analyzing. Max Fried might rate as the biggest offseason acquisition, especially since Gerritt Cole is out until 2026 and Luis Gil just got off IL for the first time in 2025. Carlos Rondon is returning to his top-of-the-rotation form. There is talent on the staff. Yet, injuries and ineffectiveness are taking their toll on the Yankee arms. In particular, Fried and Rondon’s recent performances are hardly indicative of their ace-level capabilities. Overall, the Yankee arms are middle of the pack in MLB stats (17th in ERA and 14th in WHIP). They are fairly strong in BAA (4th in MLB), but once you get on base…well. Then there is the bullpen, which checks in as the 25th rated unit over the course of the season. This is with high-leverage talent like Tim Hill and Luke Weaver. With good reason, New York loaded up on high leverage relievers at the trade deadline. So far, the results haven’t been worth the price. In particular, the Yankees face a near-existential crisis at closer. Hyped off-season acquisition Devin Williams has not exactly locked down the closer spot. At one point, Boone demoted him out of the closer role, only to return him to that role as of late. The Yankees led the league with 16 blown saves. That is…really not good for a team with visions of post-season glory. The defense is also a bit mixed. They are 12th in runs saved, but 23rd in errors for MLB.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 29: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees connects for his third inning three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on July 29, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) Getty Images
Most Dangerous Player: OF/1B Cody Bellinger. You could easily say Aaron Judge, especially as he is back in the lineup and is having another All-Universe season. However, he doesn’t always have the best of times against the Astros (.198 BA, 10 HRs, 34 hits, 22 RBIs in 47 games). You could also consider Max Fried, who is slated to start against Houston on Sunday and emphatically slammed the door on the Astros in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. However, based on some excellent insider analysis, let’s consider another old friend, Cody Bellinger. While Bellinger got off to a slow start to the season, he has an OPS over .900 since May and is one of the better later inning hitters (.313 after the 4th inning). Also, like Soto last year, Bellinger is playing well in the Bronx in a prove-it season, batting .310 at home. He can opt out of his current contract this offseason, and playing like he is, it might be a great financial move. Throw in the juicy subplot of Correa being back with the Astros (won’t take too long of an internet search engine query to bring up Bellinger’s remarks and Correa’s retort from early 2020), and yeah, this could get interesting real quick. All in all, Houston would do well to not let Bellinger or Judge go off in this series.
Injuries: Yeah, there are few on the IL in the Bronx:
P Fernando Cruz (oblique) (Out since 30 June); Projected Return: August 2025P Ryan Yarbrough (oblique); 15-Day IL; Projected Return: August/September 2025OF Austin Slater (hamstring); 10-Day IL; Projected Return: TBDP Jonathan Loaisiga (back); 15-Day IL; Projected Return: Mid-AugustP Clarke Schmidt (elbow); 60-Day IL; Projected Return: 20273B Oswaldo Cabrera (ankle); 60-Day IL; Projected Return: 2026P Jake Cousins (elbow); 60-Day IL; Projected Return: 2026P Gerritt Cole (elbow); 60-Day IL; Projected Return: 2026P Chase Hampton (elbow); 60-Day IL; Projected Return: 2026
Intangibles: Hey, did you know that it has been almost 16 years since the Yankees last won the World Series? If you even remotely follow the fortunes of the New York AL squad, you know this, and so does the organization. They jettisoned one-time pitching star Marcus Stroman due to ineffectiveness and disgruntled behavior. The Yankees have been among the worst teams in baseball since mid-June (19-29). The injuries aren’t helping, but the Yankees are doing an effective job of tripping up at inopportune moments. Best if Boone and Cashman don’t check their social media mentions. Their trade deadline moves garnered praise, but then the bullpen acquisitions got lit up in their first few appearances, and LF Slater quickly made his way to the injured list. There is still time in the season, but until this squad gets its multiple titles in a short time period, it is never enough.
Series Outlook: Two traditional contenders staggering into this early August matchup…joy. Few outside the Bronx and the 713 area code are crying tears about each squad’s struggles. Likely, 27 other fan bases will root for the meteorite (nobody cares about the Dodgers). Still, this matchup will happen in the Bronx. The Yankees have had a strong run against Houston, winning 10 of the last 11 matchups. Both teams, while currently in playoff position, desperately need some good on-field play to go their way. New York gets a shot of hope with their captain back on the field. Yet will that be enough? Houston is in the middle of alternating good series with really bad ones. They claimed the one in Miami with some hot bats. If that trend follows…yikes. Ultimately, someone is going to win this series, as it is mathematically impossible for both teams to lose a three-game series. Not that either side won’t try, based on how they’ve played the last few weeks.
NATIONAL COVERAGE (are you shocked this matchup is getting that treatment?)
Friday, August 8th: Apple TV+Saturday, August 9th: MLBNSunday, August 10th: MLBNWatch: Space City Home NetworkListen: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3 FMWatch: YES NetworkListen: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280