Things went off the rails for Astros reliever Bennett Sousa in the seventh inning Wednesday, when he gave up four runs as the Yankees broke open a tight game en route to a win.
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
NEW YORK — A night after the Houston Astros wrested a win against their host’s bullpen, the New York Yankees responded against theirs.
The Yankees broke open a tied game with a four-run seventh inning and added on to hand the Astros a 9-3 loss Wednesday night, evening a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Houston’s offense mustered four hits as it dropped back below .500 and remained atop the American League West by a half-game after the Rangers’ loss.
New York’s amassed 13 hits. It sent nine men to the plate in the seventh. Bennett Sousa drew the inning in a 3-3 game, pitching for the fourth time in six days in a reflection of a beleaguered Astros bullpen. The outburst started slowly. Trent Grisham flared a single at 69.2 mph off the bat. Ben Rice worked an eight-pitch walk. Luis García Jr. beat an infield single on a 74.5 mph chopper.
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It set the stage for damage. Cody Bellinger drove a two-run double off the base of the center-field fence. Spencer Jones lined a run-scoring single to right. Jazz Chisholm Jr. arced another double off the left-field wall, putting the Astros in a four-run deficit. García increased it with a two-run home run in the eighth off Enyel De Los Santos, still pitching after finishing the seventh.
“We just couldn’t stop the bleeding there,” manager Joe Espada said.
The Astros squandered a chance to take the lead in the seventh inning, which they entered trailing 3-2. Jose Altuve’s leadoff walk chased Yankees starter Elmer Rodríguez. Daulton Varsho met Paul Blackburn with a double, moving Altuve to third. Christian Walker hit a chopper to shortstop George Lombard Jr., who misplayed it as Altuve scored, leaving men on first and third with no outs.
Blackburn escaped with the tie intact. He induced a comebacker from Taylor Trammell and tagged out Varsho in a rundown. A walk to LaMonte Wade Jr. loaded the bases. But Blackburn struck out Christian Vázquez and leadoff man Jeremy Peña. Espada said he did not weigh pinch-hitting catcher Yainer Diaz, who homered twice Tuesday, for Vázquez.
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“In that situation, no,” Espada said. “Against that particular pitcher, Vázquez’s bat-to-ball skills, he’s one of our best hitters with men in scoring position. It was a tied game at the time, I really like the way he’s calling games. So I figured the least I’m going to get is a ball put in play, and Blackburn executed his pitches and did a nice job.”
A first-inning double from Altuve, on a fly ball that glanced off center fielder Trent Grisham’s glove, and Varsho’s solo home run in the fourth comprised their scoring against Rodriguez, the right-hander called up by the Yankees to start Wednesday. The Yankees scored three runs off Astros starter Peter Lambert, who departed in the sixth inning in a 3-2 deficit.
The Astros did not use leverage arms Steven Okert, Bryan Abreu or Josh Hader, likely leaving all available for Thursday’s series finale in a silver lining. They used long reliever Kai-Wei Teng to record just one out, before turning to the left-hander Sousa to face the top of New York’s heavily left-handed lineup. Tatsuya Imai did not appear, even in a four-run deficit in the eighth inning.
The Yankees used Michael Fulmer, the right-hander who they signed Wednesday after he was designated for assignment by the Angels, to work the eighth inning. New York relievers retired the Astros’ final eight hitters in order.
Houston
AB
R
H
BI
BB
SO
Avg.
Totals
31
3
4
3
3
10
Peña ss
4
0
0
0
0
3
.283
Alvarez dh
4
0
1
0
0
2
.322
Paredes 3b
3
1
0
0
1
0
.259
Altuve 2b
3
1
1
1
1
0
.248
Varsho cf
4
1
2
1
0
0
.236
Walker 1b
4
0
0
1
0
0
.229
Trammell lf
3
0
0
0
0
1
.208
b-Velázquez ph
1
0
0
0
0
1
.198
Smith rf
2
0
0
0
0
1
.216
a-Wade ph-rf
0
0
0
0
1
0
.206
Vázquez c
3
0
0
0
0
2
.214
New York
AB
R
H
BI
BB
SO
Avg.
Totals
36
9
13
8
5
9
Grisham cf
5
1
1
0
0
1
.219
Rice dh
2
3
1
1
3
0
.251
García 1b
5
3
3
2
0
0
.287
Bellinger lf
5
1
1
2
0
0
.258
Lombard ss
5
0
0
1
0
3
.265
Jones rf
4
0
1
1
0
3
.234
Chisholm 2b
3
1
3
1
1
0
.226
Wells c
3
0
2
0
1
1
.182
Caballero 3b
4
0
1
0
0
1
.233
Houston
100
100
100_3
4
1
New York
200
100
42x_9
13
1
a-walked for Smith in the 7th. b-struck out for Trammell in the 9th.
E_Walker (2), Lombard (6). LOB_Houston 4, New York 8. 2B_Altuve (17), Varsho (22), Bellinger (22), Chisholm (16). HR_Varsho (10), off Rodríguez; Rice (35), off Lambert; García (28), off De Los Santos. RBIs_Altuve (41), Varsho (33), Walker (73), Rice (83), Lombard (6), Bellinger 2 (58), Jones (23), Chisholm (53), García 2 (87). SB_Chisholm (36). CS_Chisholm (8).
Runners left in scoring position_Houston 3 (Varsho, Peña 2); New York 6 (Jones, Caballero 2, García 2, Rice). RISP_Houston 0 for 5; New York 5 for 15.
Runners moved up_Lombard, Grisham. GIDP_Paredes, Grisham.
DP_Houston 1 (Altuve, Peña, Walker); New York 1 (Lombard, Chisholm, García).
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
NP
ERA
5
7
3
2
3
5
102
3.66
0
0
0
0
0
5
4.22
5
4
4
1
1
28
6.27
1
1
2
2
1
3
28
4.67
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
NP
ERA
6
3
3
3
2
6
88
4.70
1
1
0
0
1
2
22
1.70
1
0
0
0
0
1
13
0.00
1
0
0
0
0
1
9
4.32
Inherited runners-scored_Teng 1-0, De Los Santos 2-0, Blackburn 1-1.
ABS Challenge_García (Strike-Confirmed); Jones (Strike-Confirmed); Lambert (Ball-Confirmed); Lambert (Ball-Confirmed); Rodríguez (Ball-Overturned to Strike); De Los Santos (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Walker (Strike-Overturned to Ball).
Pitch timer violations_De Los Santos (pitcher).
Umpires_Home, Steven Jaschinski; First, John Tumpane; Second, Adam Hamari; Third, Clint Vondrak.
T_2:56. A_40,269 (47,309).
How did Peter Lambert pitch?
Lambert, who allowed nine runs in 3 ⅔ innings in his previous start against the Angels, teetered on the edge of another short outing. He exceeded 50 pitches in the second inning. Kai-Wei Teng began to warm in Houston’s bullpen before the second ended. Lambert steadied his outing enough to last into the sixth, though he did not complete it.
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The Astros have not had a starter finish six innings since Aug. 10, when Hayden Wesneski worked seven against the Giants. Their starters have worked fewer than five innings in seven of 13 games in that span.
Lambert, at least, avoided that trend. He allowed seven hits and three walks across 5 ⅔ innings, but he limited the damage to three runs — two earned — to keep Houston in striking distance and avert another taxing night for its bullpen.
“That was definitely a big goal of mine today,” Lambert said. “Looking up after the third inning and seeing 60 pitches, I knew it was going to make it pretty difficult, but just glad I was able to dig deep and get out there for the sixth.”
Rice homered in the first inning. García followed with a single. Bellinger pulled a potential double-play grounder to the first baseman Walker, but his throw hit García, who’d veered onto the infield grass, on the helmet and caromed into center field. That left runners on second and third, and García scored on a Lombard ground out.
A single and two walks loaded the bases in the second, as Teng started to throw, but Lambert stranded them by getting García to fly out. He ended the second at 51 pitches, then worked his next three on 34 total. Three singles loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth. Lambert escaped with one run allowed. A two-out single by Austin Wells in the sixth ended his night.
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“I thought Peter Lambert, that was the bright spot,” Espada said. “He the ball extremely well, took us deep into the game. We needed that from him and he delivered.”
Lambert threw 102 pitches. Yankees hitters averaged just an 81.9 mph exit velocity on five balls put into play against him. He struck out five. Lambert has thrown 142 ⅓ innings between the majors and Triple-A, his most in a season since 2019, when he totaled 149 ⅔ innings.
Houston Astros center fielder Daulton Varsho (18) celebrates with Houston Astros third base coach Tony Perezchica while rounding third base after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) bats during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) hits a RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 26: Paul Blackburn #58 of the New York Yankees tags out Daulton Varsho #18 of the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium on August 26, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
New York Yankees pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (71) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice, right, celebrates with teammate first baseman Luis García Jr. after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Houston Astros pitcher Peter Lambert (38) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) flies out to right field during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Houston Astros pitcher Enyel de Los Santos (65) pitches during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Houston Astros pitcher Bennett Sousa (62) receives a mound visit after New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger hit an RBI double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Ryan Murphy/AP Photo/Ryan Murphy
Elmer Rodríguez subdues Astros’ lineup
The Yankees recalled Rodríguez, the 23-year-old right-hander and one of their top prospects, to make his fifth start in the majors. His previous four had produced a 4.76 ERA. None was longer than 4 ⅔ innings. Against the Astros, Rodríguez worked into the seventh.
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Rodríguez averaged 97.2 mph on his sinker, up 2 mph from his previous four outings, and used it 56% of the time. He threw mostly that and a curveball that induced six whiffs on 11 swings. He allowed six hits, walked two batters and struck out six.
A two-out walk to Isaac Paredes in the first inning preceded Altuve’s run-scoring double. Rodríguez set down his next nine batters before Varsho beat a changeup for a home run. A single by Yordan Alvarez was the only other hit against Rodríguez, who exited after his leadoff walk to Altuve in the seventh.
Daulton Varsho trending upward
Varsho endured a frigid start to his Astros tenure after being acquired at the trade deadline, batting .125 across his first 14 games. He drove in three runs and scored three in that span despite the Astros initially slotting him into the cleanup spot.
The past week has brought promising results for the center fielder. Varsho has a modest six-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in three of those games.
“I think the at-bats have been better,” Espada said pregame. “He’s hitting the ball hard, he’s hitting the ball the other way. I think he’s more comfortable. Just the at-bat itself, he’s kind of embracing that big spot more, and he looks more comfortable, he’s swinging at better pitches.”
Varsho’s two extra-base hits Wednesday were half his total in his last 19 games. In the fourth, he fouled off a 97.7 mph sinker and a curveball from Rodriguez before hitting a changeup 412 feet to center for a home run. In the seventh, he shot a sinker from Blackburn the other way for a double that sent Altuve to third base as the tying run.