Aaron Judge runs past Justin Verlander. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Here is everything you need to know about the only nationally televised MLB game on Tuesday, May 7, which will air on TBS.
Houston Astros (12-22) @ New York Yankees (23-13), 7:05 p.m. EST, TBS
Odds: Yankees -120 (ESPNBet)
Probable Starters: Justin Verlander (HOU) 1-0, 2.08 ERA vs Luis Gil (NYY) 2-1, 3.19 ERA
Preview: The Astros and, more specifically, Justin Verlander have been a thorn in the side of all Yankee fans over the last decade. Since 2015, the Astros have knocked them out of the playoffs four times, including three times in the ALCS. Yankee fans hope the offseason acquisition of Juan Soto will start changing the tide. So far, it has. These two teams opened the season against each other in late March, and the Yankees swept the Astros in the four-game set.
However, Verlander didn’t pitch in that series against the Yankees, missing time with an injury earlier this year. While his numbers since joining the Astros may be mediocre against the Yankees, 3-2 with an ERA of 3.02, his presence has been nothing of the kind. He has stepped up every time the Astros have needed him, and while they haven’t pressed the panic button yet this year, they have certainly taken it out of the case. They sit in second to last place in the AL West and just a half-game above the lowly Angels, but a more worrisome stat is that they are 8-21 against teams above .500.
Gil, the young starter from the Dominican Republic, has never faced the Astros in his young career. The 25-year-old has been great for the Yankees, who await Gerrit Cole’s return to the rotation. Coming off their first sweep at home since July last year, the Yankees bats woke up late against the Tigers over the weekend. They’ll need more consistency from their lineup to have the same success against Verlander and the Astros.
Prediction: It is hard not to pick Verlander against the Yankees. The Astros have been flat-out bad this year, but there is still something about Verlander’s veteran presence on the mound. Could this continue to be the changing of the tide? Or will the Astros go back to their domination of the Yankees? I’ll say the latter, for this game at least.
Astros Win