Hopefully, the Yankees are fully rejuvenated from the offday, because they are staring down a pivotal three-game series hosting the Astros. They cling to a tenuous game-and-a-half lead over the Guardians and Rangers for the final Wild Card spot, but have just one win in six games in August. The Astros have plenty to play for as well, fending off the Mariners for the AL West lead (Houston’s up by a game and a half there), and they always have the motivation of adding to the Yankees’ woes.

Cam Schlittler has pitched to mixed results since being promoted and inserted into the big league rotation, something my colleague Michael Zeno examined in detail yesterday. On one hand, Schlittler brings a high-octane fastball to a rotation that was crying out for high velocity. On the other hand, Schlittler at present does not possess a reliable secondary pitch, showing an alarming lack of command of the slider, curveball, and sweeper, often leaving the pitches up and over the plate and watching them get crushed. In four starts to open his major league career, Schlittler is 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA (90 ERA+), 5.96 FIP, and 21 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.

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For much of the first half, Hunter Brown placed himself alongside Garrett Crochet as the primary challengers for Tarik Skubal’s AL Cy Young crown. However, the Yankees might be catching the Astros ace at just the right time. The summer months have not been kind to the first-time All-Star — over Brown’s last five starts, he has a 5.00 ERA with diminished strikeouts and elevated walks. In 22 starts overall, Brown is 9-5 with a 2.47 ERA (166 ERA+), 2.94 FIP, and 155 strikeouts in 131 innings.

The Yankees lineup has gotten shut out twice and scored just eleven runs in their last five games, so in the words of manager Aaron Boone, it’s “gut-check time.” Aaron Judge remains at DH as he eases back from an elbow flexor injury which means Giancarlo Stanton’s on the bench because they don’t feel comfortable with him in the field. Despite his game-winning pinch-hit home runs to avert the sweep against the Rangers, Paul Goldschmidt also sits with a righty on the mound, Ben Rice drawing another start at first — an understandable call given Goldy’s .592 OPS against righties this year.

The Astros lineup is missing many of its big hitters of the last couple seasons with Kyle Tucker traded to the Cubs, Yordan Alvarez absent for most of the season with a hand injury, and Isaac Paredes possibly done for the year with a severe hamstring injury. However, others have stepped up in their stead. Jose Altuve went on a heater in July and Jeremy Peña picked up right where he left off after a month out with injury. Carlos Correa looks like a man reborn after reuniting with his original team at the MLB Trade Deadline while Jesús Sánchez has given them an above-average lefty bat since joining from Miami.

Note that tonight’s game is on Apple TV+, but you can usually track down a free trial if needed. It is blackout-free.

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How to Watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. EDT

TV broadcast: Apple TV+

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 | KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3 FM

Online stream: Apple TV+

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