Yankee Bats Even Series with ‘Stros

Elmer Rodriguez’s Breakthrough Start Combines with Resurgent Yankee Bats to Even Series with ‘Stros

By John Nielsen

August 27, 2026

***

Sketch Developed by ChatGPT

The Yankees (75-57) beat the Astros 9–3 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, but the game didn’t feel like a blowout until the seventh inning, when everything flipped. New York survived a Houston threat, then buried the Astros with a late barrage that broke the game open and evened the series heading into Thursday night’s finale.

The win kept the Yankees within 3.5 games of Tampa Bay in the AL East, on the heels of the Rays’ shutout of Detroit.

Rodriguez Steps Up

The Yankees came into the night with their pitching staff stretched thin. Max Fried is out with a left‑elbow issue. Ryan Weathers is down with a forearm strain. The bullpen has been leaking oil for weeks. Tuesday’s loss featured three blown leads and forced the club into a round of roster moves.

That’s the backdrop Elmer Rodriguez walked into.

Asked only to give the Yankees four or five competitive innings, Rodriguez delivered six strong frames (88 pitches) in what looked like a breakthrough outing. He allowed three runs—two aided by defensive miscues (including George Lombard, Jr.'s fifth game in a row with a fielding error)—and struck out six. More importantly, he looked in control. His fastball sat 97–98 mph, the curveball dropped nearly 20 mph slower with up to 61” of vertical break, and the sweeper played off both pitches with upwards of 21” of horizontal break, according to Baseball Savant.

Rodriguez’s only real mistakes were a pair of walks, both of which scored and Daulton Varsho’s solo homer. Otherwise, he gave the Yankees exactly what they needed: stability, bordering on excellence.

The Bullpen Carousel Keeps Spinning

The Yankees’ bullpen situation has become a daily roster‑management puzzle. Tuesday’s loss — three blown leads — forced the club into another round of moves. Bradley Hanner was optioned. Fernando Cruz hit the IL with elbow pain. Kervin Castro and Angel Chivilli were already out. Camilo Doval and Jake Bird were jettisoned weeks ago. Yovanny Cruz was traded.

So Wednesday’s reinforcements were… eclectic.

Justin Topa, signed as a minor‑league free agent on August 14 (after stops earlier this year in Minnesota, Toronto, and Kansas City), was promoted. 

Former All Star and 2016 Rookie of the Year, Michael Fulmer, DFA’d by the Angels, was signed and immediately thrown into the mix. 

It’s not pretty, but it’s what the Yankees have.

Offense Wakes Again

The Yankees’ offense, dormant for months, has now scored 24 runs over its last three games. The Yankees finally snapped a 23‑game streak without a first‑inning run when Ben Rice launched his 35th homer. A Houston error helped produce a second first inning run on George Lombard Jr.’s RBI groundout.

After Varsho tied the game at 2–2 in the top of the fourth, the Yankees went ahead in the bottom of the frame on a Trent Grisham bases‑loaded GIDP. It stayed 3–2 through six.

Seventh‑Inning Inflection Point – Blackburn’s Houdini Act

Houston threatened first in the seventh. Rodriguez walked José Altuve, and Aaron Boone immediately turned to Paul Blackburn. Varsho doubled, and Lombard’s error on a Christian Walker grounder tied the game with runners on the corners and no outs.

Somehow Blackburn escaped. He cut down Varsho himself on a comebacker when the runner broke on contact and froze between third and home, then struck out Christian Vázquez and Jeremy Peña – both swinging – to end the inning.

That escape set the stage for the Yankees’ biggest inning of the night.

The Avalanche

Houston left‑hander Bennett Sousa entered with a platoon advantage against six of the next seven Yankee hitters. It didn’t matter. Six straight lefties reached, and the game flipped in favor of New York.

Grisham dropped a flare into left. After Sousa nearly picked him off with a borderline balk move that survived replay,  Rice worked a full‑count walk. Luis García Jr. legged out an infield single – beating Sousa to the first base bag – to load the bases.

Cody Bellinger delivered the decisive swing, drilling a ball off the right‑center wall to score two and put the Yankees ahead 5–3.

Spencer Jones followed with an RBI single, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled into the gap for another run. By the time Sousa was done, the Yankees led 7–3 and the game was effectively over.

Finishing Touches

García added a two‑run homer in the eighth—his 28th—to cap the scoring. He’s now 7‑for‑10 in the series. Chisholm had three hits and walked. Austin Wells added two singles and a walk, raising his batting average to .182.

Michael Fulmer, signed earlier in the day, threw a clean eighth in his Yankees debut. Tim Hill handled a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Yankees are back to 18 games over .500, matching their high‑water mark of the season.

The series with Houston closes with Gerrit Cole toeing the slab for New York against Hayden Wesneski for Houston.