by Derek McAdam
July 22, 2022
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The Yankees came out of the All-Star Break flat, dropping both games of the day-night doubleheader against the Houston Astros by a score of 3-2 in Game 1 and 7-5 in Game 2.
Quick Stats: G1: W: Hector Neris (3-3) L: Michael King (6-3)
DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-3, HR (9), 2 BB
Jordan Montgomery: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
G2: W: Luis Garcia (8-5) L: Domingo German (0-1) S: Rafael Montero (7)
Aaron Judge: 1-for-4, HR (34), 3 RBI
Gleyber Torres: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
Big Story:
In Game 1, Montgomery gave up a 1st inning RBI single to Alex Bregman to give the Astros an early 1-0 lead. In the 2nd inning, Korey Lee doubled in the Astros second run of the game, extending the lead to 2-0. LeMahieu would put up a solo home run in the 5th to cut the Astros’ lead in half at 2-1. With one out left in the 9th, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled in Aaron Hicks to score the tying run and send the game to the bottom of the inning. With the bases loaded, King gave up an infield single to JJ Matijevic to give the Astros the victory in Game 1.
In Game 2, the Astros got off to a quick start against the Yankees with Yordan Alvarez and Bregman hitting back-to-back solo home runs in the 1st to give the Astros a 2-0 lead. In the 2nd, Alvarez hit a two-run double to double the Astros’ lead at 4-0, while Bregman followed up with a single to extend the lead to 5-0. In the 5th, Torres hit a two-run home run to cut the lead at 5-2, putting the Yankees on the board. In the 6th, Chas McCormick hit a two-run home run to give the Astros’ a five-run lead again. Judge hit a three-run home run in the top of the 9th, but it was not enough to give the Yankees a win.
Player of the Games:
Alex Bregman had a multi-hit game in each game and was productive in getting runs across for the Astros.
Notable Performances:
Montgomery settled down after the first inning and had a fabulous outing for the Yankees, while LeMahieu also had a nice Game 1 and came into Game 2 with a pinch-hit single.
Better to Forget:
German did not have a great first game of the season with the Yankees. It was not the impression he wanted to make, especially considering that the Yankees are looking at acquiring a starter at the Trade Deadline. But the entire Yankee team probably wants to forget the results from today.
My Take:
I’m not one to get overdramatic about things, but this doubleheader should wake up Brian Cashman. Let’s face it, the Yankees played seven games against the Astros this season and only won two of them, and that’s not good enough. The Astros are a better team than the Yankees, and would probably still beat them in a seven-game series in the playoffs. While Juan Soto might be a nice addition to the team, the Yankees need a starter if they want to beat the Astros (or any team) in the playoffs. Again, they are fresh off the All-Star Break and I don’t want to overreact, but this was a doubleheader in which they needed to take at least one game. For now, it’s best to brush it off and move forward to the next series. But, it should not necessarily be forgotten.
What’s Next?:
The Yankees travel to Baltimore for a three-game series against the Orioles. Jameson Taillon is set to start for the Yankees while Tyler Wells is expected to start for the Orioles. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. from Camden Yards and will be streamed on Prime Video.
