{"id":418867,"date":"2026-08-28T03:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/418867\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T03:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:46:09","slug":"houston-astros-take-series-win-over-new-york-yankees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/418867\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Astros take series win over New York Yankees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Hayden Wesneski worked into the sixth inning Thursday before allowing a run to help the\u00a0Astros take a series win at Yankee Stadium.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:16 \/ 9\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Hayden Wesneski worked into the sixth inning Thursday before allowing a run to help the\u00a0Astros take a series win at Yankee Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK\u00a0\u2014 A series that began with a change in leadership ended with a lift. Three games at Yankee Stadium encapsulated the up-and-down nature of this\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>\u00a0season. Fallout from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/jim-crane-dana-brown-firing-22403528.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/jim-crane-dana-brown-firing-22403528.php\" class=\"\">a general manager\u2019s exit<\/a>\u00a0ceded to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-yankees-score-al-west-race-22402446.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-yankees-score-al-west-race-22402446.php\" class=\"\">a resilient win<\/a>, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-new-york-yankees-score-22404188.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-new-york-yankees-score-22404188.php\" class=\"\">pitching meltdown<\/a>\u00a0to a strong night for an embattled staff.<\/p>\n<p>The result was the Astros, again, sitting squarely at .500 as they left the Bronx on Thursday night, with another series in Queens to play this weekend. They sat atop the American League West by one game, closer resembling the contender they aim to be when matched against one of the league\u2019s top clubs.<\/p>\n<p>Four pitchers combined to hold the Yankees to five hits Thursday. Their lineup scratched across three runs against Gerrit Cole and added on against New York\u2019s bullpen. They took two of three games from the Yankees, winning a series for just the second time in their last seven tries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought it was something that we needed to do after our homestand (when) we did not play well,\u201d manager Joe Espada said. \u201cCame here and we took care of business, winning a series against a good team. I thought there was some energy and we played really well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Christian Walker and Jeremy Pe\u00f1a hit home runs. Hayden Wesneski, Steven Okert, AJ Blubaugh and Josh Hader held the Yankees to an 0-for-9 mark with men in scoring position. The Yankees gifted an insurance run with a late defensive lapse, but only after Pe\u00f1a provided one with his seventh-inning homer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery game means so much to us, and we played great baseball here,\u201d Pe\u00f1a said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve got to keep doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>It was a needed response to a homestand on which Houston lost series to the Mariners, Angels and A\u2019s. The team\u2019s decision<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/dana-brown-fired-gm-general-manager-22400825.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\"> to part with general manager Dana Brown<\/a> on Monday created a strange backdrop against which the Astros took the field at Yankee Stadium. They salvaged a series from it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think all the stuff that\u2019s going on, I think it\u2019s a good reminder to each other that let\u2019s keep our heads down and play for each other,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n<p>Houston<br \/>\nAB<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nH<br \/>\nBI<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<br \/>\nAvg.<\/p>\n<p>Totals<br \/>\n37<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n8<\/p>\n<p>Pe\u00f1a ss<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n.282<\/p>\n<p>Alvarez dh<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n.319<\/p>\n<p>Paredes 3b<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.261<\/p>\n<p>Altuve 2b<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.245<\/p>\n<p>Allen 2b<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.264<\/p>\n<p>Varsho cf<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n.234<\/p>\n<p>Walker 1b<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.233<\/p>\n<p>Diaz c<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.261<\/p>\n<p>Trammell lf<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.209<\/p>\n<p>Smith rf<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<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 \/>\n31<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n11<\/p>\n<p>Grisham cf<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.217<\/p>\n<p>Rice dh<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.253<\/p>\n<p>Garc\u00eda 1b<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n.284<\/p>\n<p>Bellinger lf<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.256<\/p>\n<p>Lombard ss<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n.264<\/p>\n<p>Jones rf<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.229<\/p>\n<p>a-Ramos ph<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.240<\/p>\n<p>Chisholm 2b<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n.227<\/p>\n<p>b-Rosario ph<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.225<\/p>\n<p>Wells c<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n.180<\/p>\n<p>Caballero 3b<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n.234<\/p>\n<p>Houston<br \/>\n001<br \/>\n002<br \/>\n110_5<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>New York<br \/>\n000<br \/>\n001<br \/>\n000_1<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n2<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">a-struck out for Jones in the 9th. b-flied out for Chisholm in the 9th.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">E_Lombard (7), Caballero (9). LOB_Houston 9, New York 6. 2B_Walker (25), Rice (21). 3B_Lombard (1). HR_Walker (24), off Cole; Pe\u00f1a (16), off De los Santos. RBIs_Paredes (73), Walker 2 (75), Pe\u00f1a (44), Bellinger (59). SB_Chisholm 2 (38). SF_Bellinger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Runners left in scoring position_Houston 2 (Varsho 2); New York 4 (Jones 2, Grisham 2). RISP_Houston 1 for 3; New York 0 for 9.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Runners moved up_Caballero, 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>3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n91<br \/>\n3.86<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n2.17<\/p>\n<p>2<\/p>\n<p>1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n32<br \/>\n3.17<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n0.79<\/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>6<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n79<br \/>\n3.19<\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<p>1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n1.45<\/p>\n<p>2<\/p>\n<p>2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n34<br \/>\n7.29<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Inherited runners-scored_Okert 1-1. HBP_Cole (Pe\u00f1a), Topa (Alvarez).<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">ABS Challenge_Cole (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Okert (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Varsho (Strike-Confirmed).<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">Umpires_Home, John Tumpane; First, Adam Hamari; Second, Clint Vondrak; Third, Steven Jaschinski.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-ind\">T_2:37. A_41,203 (47,309).<\/p>\n<p>How Astros&#8217; offense fared vs. Gerrit Cole<\/p>\n<p>Pregame, Espada said of the Astros facing Cole: \u201cHe\u2019s not going to pitch on the edges. He\u2019s just going to come after you with his best stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>That proved true. Cole, the former Houston star, pounded the strike zone for six innings. He didn\u2019t exceed 13 pitches in any of the first five. A longer sixth, in which Walker\u2019s two-run home run gave the Astros a 3-0 lead, proved his last.<\/p>\n<p>Cole worked his first five innings on 54 pitches, throwing 44 strikes. He worked around singles in each of his first two frames. In the third, Cole hit Pe\u00f1a on the left hand with a 96 mph fastball. Pe\u00f1a was checked by a trainer by stayed in the game. His speed proved critical.<\/p>\n<p>With two outs, Cole got ahead 0-2 against Isaac Paredes. Pe\u00f1a broke for second on the pitch, a 98.9 mph fastball that Paredes lofted into the right-field corner, and scored on the single. He was the only Houston runner to pass first base in Cole\u2019s first five innings.<\/p>\n<p>Cole issued his lone walk in the sixth. Daulton Varsho drew it, coming back from an 0-2 count to extend the inning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought that was the at-bat of the game,\u201d Espada said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Walker, then, drove a curveball just over the wall in right-center field. It was just the third home run by a right-handed hitter against Cole in his 17 starts this season. Cole totaled 79 pitches in a quality start.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Houston Astros' Christian Walker, right, celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Daulton Varsho (18) during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"eager\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Christian Walker, right, celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Daulton Varsho (18) during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Christian Walker, center left, celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Daulton Varsho (18) during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Christian Walker, center left, celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Daulton Varsho (18) during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) stills second base during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" 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&#8217; Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) stills second base during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. steals second base during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>New York Yankees&#8217; Jazz Chisholm Jr. steals second base during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena checks his hand after being hit by New York Yankees' pitcher Gerrit Cole during the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Jeremy Pena checks his hand after being hit by New York Yankees&#8217; pitcher Gerrit Cole during the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena is hit in the hand by New York Yankees' pitcher Gerrit Cole during the third inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Jeremy Pena is hit in the hand by New York Yankees&#8217; pitcher Gerrit Cole during the third inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Hayden Wesneski pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Hayden Wesneski pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Hayden Wesneski (39) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Hayden Wesneski (39) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Hayden Wesneski pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Hayden Wesneski pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Hayden Wesneski pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Hayden Wesneski pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>New York Yankees&#8217; Gerrit Cole pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole (45) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" 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&#8217; Gerrit Cole (45) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Christian Walker, (8) runs to score his two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Christian Walker, (8) runs to score his two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Associated Press<\/p>\n<p>How did Hayden Wesneski pitch?<\/p>\n<p>Wesneski\u2019s early pace suggested he could become the first Astros starter to complete six innings since Aug. 10\u00a0\u2014 when\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-san-francisco-giants-score-recap-22381547.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-san-francisco-giants-score-recap-22381547.php\" class=\"\">Wesneski worked seven innings in San Francisco<\/a>. Taxing middle innings prevented that, but Wesneski left the mound in the sixth with a scoreless outing still intact.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt like there was a little more to be had there,\u201d Wesneski said of his outing. \u201cOne run in five innings plays everywhere, anytime, so I\u2019m just nitpicking. Yeah, I\u2019m happy with it. But I felt like there was a little bit I could have sharpened up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Wesneski retired nine of his first 10 batters, the lone exception an infield single by Jazz Chisholm Jr. He allowed a leadoff single and a one-out walk in the fourth but froze George Lombard Jr. on a third-strike sweeper and got Spencer Jones to swing through a changeup to end the inning.<\/p>\n<p>Yankees hitters whiffed on just 10 of 44 swings against Wesneski, but his strikeouts were timely. In the fifth, Chisholm worked a leadoff walk and stole second on a third strike to Austin Wells. A fly out sent him to third. Trent Grisham whiffed at a full-count sinker to strand Chisholm there.<\/p>\n<p>The Yankees averaged an 88.9 mph exit velocity on 12 balls in play against Wesneski, but just three fell for hits. Left-hander Steven Okert began to warm in the fifth, but with his bullpen taxed, Espada asked Wesneski to start the sixth inning with the 2-3-4 spots of New York\u2019s order due up.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Rice laced a leadoff double, bringing Espada from the dugout. Wesneski said catcher Yainer Diaz called for a slider on the pitch, but he shook to a fastball, a reason the right-hander felt he \u201cprobably could have come away with one more inning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two deep fly outs against Okert scored Rice, the run charged to Wesneski, who has a 3.86 ERA in six outings since his return from elbow surgery. The Astros are 5-1 in the games he has started.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had those two walks, but he threw a ton of strikes, he punched some people out,\u201d Espada said. \u201cHe was efficient enough where we could take him into the sixth there and deploy our bullpen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Bronx bomb for Christian Walker<\/p>\n<p>Walker began the day 6-for-50 over his past 14 games and with one home run in August. He delivered a good swing in his first at-bat against Cole, however, punching a 96.6 mph fastball through the right side of the infield for a second-inning single at 107.5 mph off the bat. Cole retired him on a ground out in his second at-bat.<\/p>\n<p>In the sixth, Walker took a high fastball for ball one from Cole, who followed with a curveball. Cole used his curveball at a higher rate than usual against Houston\u2019s right-handed hitters in his outing. He\u2019d thrown the pitch 10.9% of the time against righties this season and did so 28% of the time Thursday. No right-handed hitter had homered against the pitch since 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Walker lofted it 369 feet to right-center field. Spencer Jones tracked it to the wall but ran out of room. The home run was Walker\u2019s 24th this season and the 198th of his career. It would have been a homer in one major-league ballpark, per Statcast\u00a0\u2014 Yankee Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hit it well,\u201d Walker said. \u201cI know that right field\u2019s kind of close, felt like it had a chance. But then I felt like Jones, he was camped for a second, made it look like he was under it. So an emotional roller coaster, but it got out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Who do Astros play next?<\/p>\n<p>The Astros will continue their week in New York with a three-game series against the Mets starting Friday night at Citi Field. Hunter Brown will start the series opener for the Astros, who have not named starters for the final two games. Cristian Javier and Ethan Pecko could start those games on four days\u2019 rest.<\/p>\n<p>The Mets are scheduled to start right-handers Christian Scott and Nolan McLean in the first two games, followed by left-hander Zac Thornton in the finale. Sunday\u2019s game will be carried by NBC and Peacock, with first pitch scheduled for 2:10\u00a0p.m. CT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hayden Wesneski worked into the sixth inning Thursday before allowing a run to help the\u00a0Astros take a series&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-418867","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\/418867","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=418867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}