The Launch Angle

Maybe the Astros should only play on the road.

After a miserable3-6 homestand against MLB’s weak sisters, the Astros offense came to life tonight in Yankee Stadium, fighting back from numerous deficits to emerge victorious 9-7.

Three home runs, two by Yainer Diaz, 14 hits, four for nine with runners in scoring position, and eight runs scored with two outs put the Astros on top despite leaky pitching from both starters and the bullpen. But in the end, closer Josh Hader, as usual, ensured that the Astros emerged with the lead.

The Astros jumped out to an early lead thanks to a second-inning Yainer Diaz solo dinger. They added another run in the third, with the help of two Yankee gifts, when Jose Altuve singled with two outs, took second on a passed ball, and scored on a Daulton Varsho single to left. A good throw by Cody Bellinger may have caught Altuve at home

It didn’t last long. In the bottom of the third, Cody Bellinger sent a three-run bomb to right field against Astros starter Ethan Pecko in his second major league start.

The Astros didn’t give up. Another Varsho RBI single in the fifth, scoring Alvarez, tied the score at three.

The new ballgame didn’t last long. In the bottom of the fifth, a Luis Garcia two-run shot gave the Yanks a 5-3 lead.

Today is Ethan Pecko’s 24th birthday. Happy birthday, son. I hope you enjoyed your party with the Bronx Bombers in Yankee Stadium. He survived 4.1 IP, allowing five runs, five hits, and four walks, with only one strikeout. Walks and homers killed him tonight. All five RBI came on homers, and two runs scored from walks.

But it wasn’t over yet. Jeremy Pena tied the score with his second home run in his last 71 plate appearances, scoring Yainer Diaz, who….Walked?

The Yankees took the lead in the bottom of the seventh off Steven Okert on a Luis Garcia double, who was 4-4 at that point in the game with three RBI. The inning could have been worse, but for a nifty assist by shortstop Pena, who put Ben Rice out at home.

The Astros power bats took vengeance in the eighth, as the Astros came from behind for the third time tonight. Yainer Diaz hit his second homer, an oppo taco, with one out to tie the game. With two outs, Jeremy Pena singled to bring up Alvarez, who disappointed Astros fans by only tripling home Pena. But no matter, Issac Paredes poked a single to score Alvarez, making the score 8-6. This was the end for Yankee ace setup man Brent Headrick, who came into the game with a 1.49 ERA.

Bryan Abreu came in in the eighth to protect the lead but made it a little too interesting. A Spencer Jones double followed by a Jazz Chisholm single narrowed the lead to one. An awkward but crucial 3-5-1 double play ended with Abreu falling down but with his foot on first base. After another Yankee single, closer Josh Hader came in and whiffed Trent Grishom to preserve the one-run lead.

The Astros answered back. They have been scoring runs with two outs all night. In fact, eight of the nine runs came with two outs. And in the ninth, they added another after a Cam Smith Triple and a Yainer Diaz single. It was his third hit in four at-bats and his team-leading third RBI.

It was part of a 14-hit onslaught, led by Diaz and Alvarez, with three hits, and Pena and Varsho, each with two.

Josh Hader did his thing, chopping down the Yankees in the ninth, three up, three down, requiring only 10 pitches to get four outs.

The Astros got a win against the Yankees with their AAA starting pitcher while touching up the supposedly untouchable Yankees bullpen. As of this writing, the White Sox lead the Rangers 11-7 in the ninth, which, if it holds, would give the Astros a two-game lead in the AL West.

(Editor’s note: White Sox held the lead)

Feature photo from @astros on X (cropped.)