Astros Drop Yankees, Advance In Baseball Playoffs For First Time Since ’05

Don’t expect to see a new manager in 2016, however. “But the way the season ended is a tough pill to swallow”. “He just made a few mistakes”, Girardi said.

The Royals, trying to get back to the World Series after falling to the San Francisco Giants past year, host game one of that best-of-five series on Thursday.

“We have a lot of players considered in their prime age”.

“As an organization, we have to look at the optimal amount of time you need to rest for him to be the most productive”.

The Astros will open against the Royals with right-hander Collin McHugh, who went 19-7 with a 3.89 ERA this year.

“And if I had a chance to take the ball in the wildcard game, I didn’t want to let my team-mates down”. Nope, because George Springer’s long legs carried him over for the catch.

Houston is making a major impact on baseball a year or two early. Then, the fans sat down and started eating their hot dogs and drinking their beer. Because Dallas Keuchel owned them this season. He then responded by getting a strikeout to end the inning. Even Nas would applaud that type of ether being thrown out by Keuchel.

After a masterful first inning that had Yankee Stadium roaring, Tanaka missed with his first pitch of the second, and cleanup hitter Colby Rasmus drove it well back into the right-field stands.

Keuchel was backed in this game from a pair of solo homeruns.

Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro, center left, embraces Astros…

After two outs, Keuchel was pitching to Rob Refsnyder, and something very common happened. “I knew if we had a shot, I was going to give everything I possibly could”.

Those three guys have an incredibly bright future in the Bronx and will have to play bigger roles in the 2016 season to help the Yankees make a run in October.

“I think Jeff has built a tremendous franchise that’s on the rise”, Houston’s first-year manager, A.J. Hinch, said Tuesday before the game.

Tanaka wasn’t terrible on the mound, but he wasn’t as sharp as Keuchel was.

“The emergence of Carlos came a little sooner than even I anticipated”, Luhnow said. Alex Rodriguez came to the plate representing the go-ahead run, but he was unable to capitalize as he flew out to center to end the inning. Jonathan Villar pinch ran for Carter and stole second base. Later Ackley delivered a grounder, and McCann scored. However, the damage was done prior to the eighth and ninth.

Relievers Tony Sipp, Will Harris and Luke Gregerson pitched one scoreless inning each to combine with Keuchel on the three-hit shutout. Harrison and I talked about Keuchel’s dominant performance on three days rest, the decision by Joe Girardi to bench $153 million man, Jacoby Ellsbury, in favor of Brett Gardner in the starting lineup and his decision to go to the bullpen in the sixth inning. The young Astros went on the road and took down the Yankees easily. “We’ll just do what we feel is appropriate”.