2019 MLB – ALCS Game 4 - Houston Astros @ New York Yankees Preview & Pick
THE FACTS
When is Houston Astros @ New York Yankees taking place? Friday 18th October, 2019 – 01:08 (UK)
Where is Houston Astros @ New York Yankees taking place? Yankee Stadium
What is the expected weather for Houston Astros @ New York Yankees? Rain, 17c
What television channel is Houston Astros @ New York Yankees on? BT Sport 1 in the UK / FOX, FOX-INT in the US
Where can I stream Houston Astros @ New York Yankees? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match live via the BT Sport website or app in the UK / MLB.tv in the US
Where can I get tickets for Houston Astros @ New York Yankees? https://www.mlb.com/tickets/season-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Houston Astros 4 – 1 New York Yankees
THE TEAM NEWS
HOUSTON ASTROS
- The Astros have recovered the home-field advantage in the series thanks to an impressive performance in Game 3 of the ALCS, where a first-inning home run from Jose Altuve set the tone early, Gerrit Cole delivered seven scoreless innings, and Houston secured a 4-1 win that puts them up 2-1 in the ALDS. It was the first win away from home for the Astros in this postseason and that might be just enough, considering how good they have been at home all year long. Their offense remains a concern, however, as they’re yet to score five against the Yankees in the first three games of the ALCS.
- Jose Altuve remains Houston’s hottest player in the ALCS and after going 2-for-5 with a home run the Venezuelan second baseman is hitting .417, but the trio of Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman all continue to hit under .200 so far in the ALCS.
- The Astros have not announced who will be the starter for Game 4 but Jose Urquidy has been named as a possibility. Zack Greinke could be an alternative as well, although right now he would be expected to pitch in Game 5 due to his rest schedule.
NEW YORK YANKEES
- The Yankees are riding their first losing streak of the 2019 Playoffs as they lost Game 3 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros, and suddenly they find themselves down 1-2 in the series. Despite the fact the Yankees went a combined 59-24 at home between the regular season and the playoffs so far in 2019, they looked lifeless in Game 3 against Gerrit Cole – they mustered just one run and five hits as a team. Both were season-low marks during the current postseason run. That’s quite surprising considering the Yankees were averaging 6.4 runs per game in five postseason contests before the ALCS Game 3. That mark has now dropped to 5.5 runs per game.
- Giancarlo Stanton did not appear in the lineup for Game 3 since he’s dealing with a quadriceps injury. He will remain available off the bench as a pinch-hitter, but he’s not expected to see time on the field until the World Series, as quad injuries tend to heal slowly. Gleyber Torres has been the Yankees’ driving force during the ALCS so far and he has gone 5-for-12 with six RBI and a 1.500 OPS in three games.
- Following the rainout and the fact that Game 4 will now be played on Thursday, manager Aaron Boone has confirmed Masahiro Tanaka will be the starter for the Yankees. The Japanese hurler has been excellent in postseason play this season (0.82 ERA, 0.55 WHIP in two starts).
THE PREDICTION
The Astros pulled the upset and won at Yankee Stadium, taking a 2-1 lead in the ALCS and suddenly needing just to win out at home to secure a World Series berth. However, the Yankees tend to be dominant here. Pitching will decide this matchup but considering how the series has gone thus far, the Yankees have the edge to even things up simply because the Astros might not have any of their most experienced pitchers available to start Game 4.
