https://nypost.com/2022/07/20/it-will-take-2-games-for-yankees-to-get-sense-for-trade-desperation/ That is why it can be argued Thursday will be the most important day left on the Yankee regular-season calendar. That’s when they will play a doubleheader at Minute Maid Park against — sorry, Red Sox — their most hated current rival, the Astros. And it is not hard to unearth meaning. As opposed to the lack of stress in the AL East, the Yankees lead the Astros by 4 ¹/₂ games for the best record in the American League. The best record will get home-field advantage if both wind up in the ALCS. In 2017 and 2019, the Astros had home-field advantage and ended the Yankees’ season at Minute Maid. This year, the Yankees need to do as much damage as possible because the AL West is not deep and Houston’s remaining schedule has a .474 winning percentage — seventh easiest the rest of the way. But it goes beyond that for the season series. The Astros have won three of five so far — enough, for example, to win a five-game AL Division Series. And the dominant force in those games was Houston’s starting pitching. In the two games the Yankees have won, they did not lead until Judge walk-off hits against the Houston bullpen. The Astros’ rotation has held the Yankees to a .093 average and .393 OPS in the five games — and Lance McCullers Jr., yet to pitch this year, is just beginning a rehab assignment that could further deepen Houston’s starting group. Matt Carpenter did not start any of the five games for the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone should change that in both games Thursday. Houston’s rotation (aside from Framber Valdez) and bullpen are heavily right-handed. The Yankees need to see if Carpenter’s revitalization wll continue and what it looks like against the Astros. That will provide yet more information regarding whether the Yankees need to find another hitter before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, preferably lefty (Juan Soto?) to better contend with any opponent, notably Houston. It is a small sample, but it is all the Yankees have right now. So if they are concerned about the starting matchups after another 24 hours in Astro world, will that be an impetus to push more for a starter, with Cincinnati All-Star Luis Castillo currently the best available in the market. Namely, the Yankees have another day on the calendar — the last this regular season — to work against the notion that the Astros have residence in their psyche. The Astros clearly don’t flinch when it comes to facing the Yankees. Houston’s sign-stealing malfeasance is on par with the sale of Babe Ruth to the rivalry with the Yankees, the genesis of heightened competition and hostility. And like that Yankees-Red Sox rivalry until 2004, this one has been one-sided — big edge, Astros. There are not many days left in the regular season and they have that big division lead, so Thursday will provide the Yankees their last pre-October chance to judge their skill and will against their most despised foe. That makes it a pretty important day.
So maybe it's to the Astros benefit to get blown out in the two games so that the Yankees think they don't need to make a move
Stay rent free in their heads and not even with our all stars. No JV or Framber and beat them anyway. Let them panic.
Shout out to the Nats for still being top 5 with one of the worst teams in baseball. This is why you eat before the game and drink on the drive. The bathrooms are free, nothing else is. EDIT: What kind of list is this? Everyone in the comments wondering where cheap yankee parking and toronto beer is lmao.
I rarely pay for parking for Astros games. Street parking is free on Sundays and free starting at 6pm any other day. Just got to walk a little bit.
For what it's worth, ESPN website has Javier and Garcia starting today (Javier game 1). They don't show Yankee starters
Hopefully the 9AM Doctors appointment get's me out in time for the first game. But you never know. Yordon should be back unless there is a hitch in warmups.
CBS Sportsline has the same For the Skankees they have Taillon and Cole but I don't believe Cole will be pitching
