{"id":417893,"date":"2026-08-27T03:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T03:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/417893\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T03:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T03:50:11","slug":"houston-astros-bullpen-hit-hard-in-late-innings-in-loss-to-ny-yankees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/417893\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Astros&#8217; bullpen hit hard in late innings in loss to NY Yankees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"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.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK\u00a0\u2014 A night after the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/\" class=\"\">Houston Astros<\/a>\u00a0wrested a win against their host\u2019s bullpen, the New York Yankees responded against theirs.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s offense mustered four hits as it dropped back below .500 and remained atop the American League West by a half-game after the Rangers\u2019 loss.<\/p>\n<p>New York\u2019s 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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/bullpen-issues-innings-blown-leads-22400350.php\" data-link=\"native\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/bullpen-issues-innings-blown-leads-22400350.php\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a beleaguered Astros bullpen<\/a>. The outburst started slowly. Trent Grisham flared a single at 69.2 mph off the bat. Ben Rice worked an eight-pitch walk. Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. beat an infield single on a 74.5 mph chopper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>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. Garc\u00eda increased it with a two-run home run in the eighth off Enyel De Los Santos, still pitching after finishing the seventh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe just couldn\u2019t stop the bleeding there,\u201d manager Joe Espada said.<\/p>\n<p>The Astros squandered a chance to take the lead in the seventh inning, which they entered trailing 3-2. Jose Altuve\u2019s leadoff walk chased Yankees starter Elmer Rodr\u00edguez. 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.<\/p>\n<p>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 V\u00e1zquez and leadoff man Jeremy Pe\u00f1a. Espada said he did not weigh pinch-hitting catcher Yainer Diaz, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/yainer-diaz-approach-plate-22405333.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">who homered twice Tuesday<\/a>, for V\u00e1zquez.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn that situation, no,\u201d Espada said. \u201cAgainst that particular pitcher, V\u00e1zquez\u2019s bat-to-ball skills, he\u2019s one of our best hitters with men in scoring position. It was a tied game at the time, I really like the way he\u2019s calling games. So I figured the least I\u2019m going to get is a ball put in play, and Blackburn executed his pitches and did a nice job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A first-inning double from Altuve, on a fly ball that glanced off center fielder Trent Grisham\u2019s glove, and Varsho\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>The Astros did not use leverage arms Steven Okert, Bryan Abreu or Josh Hader, likely leaving all available for Thursday\u2019s 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\u2019s heavily left-handed lineup. Tatsuya Imai did not appear, even in a four-run deficit in the eighth inning.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019 final eight hitters in order.<\/p>\n<p>Houston<br \/>\nAB<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nH<br \/>\nBI<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<br \/>\nAvg.<\/p>\n<p>Totals<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n10<\/p>\n<p>Pe\u00f1a ss<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n.283<\/p>\n<p>Alvarez dh<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n.322<\/p>\n<p>Paredes 3b<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.259<\/p>\n<p>Altuve 2b<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.248<\/p>\n<p>Varsho cf<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.236<\/p>\n<p>Walker 1b<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.229<\/p>\n<p>Trammell lf<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.208<\/p>\n<p>b-Vel\u00e1zquez ph<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.198<\/p>\n<p>Smith rf<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.216<\/p>\n<p>a-Wade ph-rf<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.206<\/p>\n<p>V\u00e1zquez c<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n.214<\/p>\n<p>New York<br \/>\nAB<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nH<br \/>\nBI<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<br \/>\nAvg.<\/p>\n<p>Totals<br \/>\n36<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n9<\/p>\n<p>Grisham cf<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.219<\/p>\n<p>Rice dh<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.251<\/p>\n<p>Garc\u00eda 1b<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.287<\/p>\n<p>Bellinger lf<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.258<\/p>\n<p>Lombard ss<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n.265<\/p>\n<p>Jones rf<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n.234<\/p>\n<p>Chisholm 2b<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.226<\/p>\n<p>Wells c<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.182<\/p>\n<p>Caballero 3b<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.233<\/p>\n<p>Houston<br \/>\n100<br \/>\n100<br \/>\n100_3<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>New York<br \/>\n200<br \/>\n100<br \/>\n42x_9<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">a-walked for Smith in the 7th. b-struck out for Trammell in the 9th.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">E_Walker (2), Lombard (6). LOB_Houston 4, New York 8. 2B_Altuve (17), Varsho (22), Bellinger (22), Chisholm (16). HR_Varsho (10), off Rodr\u00edguez; Rice (35), off Lambert; Garc\u00eda (28), off De Los Santos. RBIs_Altuve (41), Varsho (33), Walker (73), Rice (83), Lombard (6), Bellinger 2 (58), Jones (23), Chisholm (53), Garc\u00eda 2 (87). SB_Chisholm (36). CS_Chisholm (8).<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Runners left in scoring position_Houston 3 (Varsho, Pe\u00f1a 2); New York 6 (Jones, Caballero 2, Garc\u00eda 2, Rice). RISP_Houston 0 for 5; New York 5 for 15.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Runners moved up_Lombard, Grisham. GIDP_Paredes, Grisham.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">DP_Houston 1 (Altuve, Pe\u00f1a, Walker); New York 1 (Lombard, Chisholm, Garc\u00eda).<\/p>\n<p>IP<\/p>\n<p>H<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nER<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<br \/>\nNP<br \/>\nERA<\/p>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<p>7<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n102<br \/>\n3.66<\/p>\n<p>0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n4.22<\/p>\n<p>5<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n28<br \/>\n6.27<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n28<br \/>\n4.67<\/p>\n<p>IP<\/p>\n<p>H<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nER<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<br \/>\nNP<br \/>\nERA<\/p>\n<p>6<\/p>\n<p>3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n88<br \/>\n4.70<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n1.70<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n0.00<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n4.32<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Inherited runners-scored_Teng 1-0, De Los Santos 2-0, Blackburn 1-1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">ABS Challenge_Garc\u00eda (Strike-Confirmed); Jones (Strike-Confirmed); Lambert (Ball-Confirmed); Lambert (Ball-Confirmed); Rodr\u00edguez (Ball-Overturned to Strike); De Los Santos (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Walker (Strike-Overturned to Ball).<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Pitch timer violations_De Los Santos (pitcher).<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Umpires_Home, Steven Jaschinski; First, John Tumpane; Second, Adam Hamari; Third, Clint Vondrak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">T_2:56. A_40,269 (47,309).<\/p>\n<p>How did Peter Lambert pitch?<\/p>\n<p>Lambert, who allowed nine runs in 3 \u2154 innings\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-la-angels-score-22396211.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-la-angels-score-22396211.php\" class=\"\">in his previous start against the Angels<\/a>, teetered on the edge of another short outing. He exceeded 50 pitches in the second inning. Kai-Wei Teng began to warm in Houston\u2019s bullpen before the second ended. Lambert steadied his outing enough to last into the sixth, though he did not complete it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Lambert, at least, avoided that trend. He allowed seven hits and three walks across 5 \u2154 innings, but he limited the damage to three runs\u00a0\u2014 two earned\u00a0\u2014 to keep Houston in striking distance and avert another taxing night for its bullpen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was definitely a big goal of mine today,\u201d Lambert said. \u201cLooking 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rice homered in the first inning. Garc\u00eda followed with a single. Bellinger pulled a potential double-play grounder to the first baseman Walker, but his throw hit Garc\u00eda, who\u2019d veered onto the infield grass, on the helmet and caromed into center field. That left runners on second and third, and Garc\u00eda scored on a Lombard ground out.<\/p>\n<p>A single and two walks loaded the bases in the second, as Teng started to throw, but Lambert stranded them by getting Garc\u00eda 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought Peter Lambert, that was the bright spot,\u201d Espada said. \u201cHe the ball extremely well, took us deep into the game. We needed that from him and he delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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 \u2153 innings between the majors and Triple-A, his most in a season since 2019, when he totaled 149 \u2154 innings.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"eager\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; 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)<\/p>\n<p>Ishika Samant\/Getty Images<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice, right, celebrates with teammate first baseman Luis Garc\u00eda 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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice, right, celebrates with teammate first baseman Luis Garc\u00eda 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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<img alt=\"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)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>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)<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<\/p>\n<p>Elmer Rodr\u00edguez subdues Astros&#8217; lineup<\/p>\n<p>The Yankees recalled Rodr\u00edguez, 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 \u2154 innings. Against the Astros, Rodr\u00edguez worked into the seventh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Rodr\u00edguez 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.<\/p>\n<p>A two-out walk to Isaac Paredes in the first inning preceded Altuve\u2019s run-scoring double. Rodr\u00edguez 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 Rodr\u00edguez, who exited after his leadoff walk to Altuve in the seventh.<\/p>\n<p>Daulton Varsho trending upward<\/p>\n<p>Varsho endured a frigid start to his Astros tenure after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-trade-deadline-daulton-varsho-22345787.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-trade-deadline-daulton-varsho-22345787.php\" class=\"\">being acquired at the trade deadline<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the at-bats have been better,\u201d Espada said pregame. \u201cHe\u2019s hitting the ball hard, he\u2019s hitting the ball the other way. I think he\u2019s more comfortable. Just the at-bat itself, he\u2019s kind of embracing that big spot more, and he looks more comfortable, he\u2019s swinging at better pitches.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Varsho\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Things went off the rails for Astros reliever Bennett Sousa in the seventh inning Wednesday, when he gave&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417894,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-417893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}