Behind another fantastic start from Dallas Keuchel, the Astros extended their win streak to four games with a 3-2 win at the Bronx in Game 1 of the series Thursday.
Looking to duplicate Keuchel’s brilliance tonight for the Astros is Lance McCullers Jr., who is beginning to find his groove. McCullers is winless this month in two starts, but has a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 in 13.1 total innings. He pitched for seven frames in a 2-1 road loss to the Angels on May 6, allowing zero runs on two hits. On the season, he is 2-1 with a 3.40 ERA.
McCullers hopes he’ll get his first win of the month tonight but that also depends on whether the Astros’ offense will show up for him. McCullers is getting a paltry 2.76 runs per nine innings from his teammates.
While they haven’t seen Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery before, the Astros have done well of late against lefty starters based on their 4-1 record in their last five against southpaws.
After faceplanting against Keuchel and the Rockets Thursday, the Yankees will look to get up in Game 2.
The Yankees have now lost their last two after going unbeaten in six previous games. They’ve been completely stymied by Keuchel, who didn’t allow a run in six innings of mound duty in the series opener.
McCullers has been better but the Yankees would have a bigger chance of putting ball into play against him than they did against Keuchel. McCullers has a .311 BABIP while also issuing 2.76 walks per nine innings per Fangraphs.
The Yankees will counter McCullers with rookie Jordan Montgomery, who has been a decent addition to the team’s rotation. Montgomery is 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA in five starts. He’ll have to control his pitches better, however, as he has issued eight walks in his last two starts.
Montgomery last saw action on May 6 in an 11-6 win over the Cubs. He went 6.2 innings long and allowed two earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
The Yankees are 2-1 in their last three at home versus Houston.
