The Yankees delivered a masterful performance in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday, holding the Astros to just three hits in a 7-0 shutout. The win not only showcased Masahiro Tanaka at his finest, but broke a few postseason records thanks to Gleyber Torres’ three-hit, five-RBI night.
On Sunday, the Yankees will try to stretch their one-game advantage to two games as they take on the Astros for what may be their last road game of the series. They’ll send southpaw James Paxton to the mound with the hope that he’ll be able to improve on the results he got in Game 1 of the ALDS: three runs, one walk, eight strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. The rest of the lineup appears nearly identical to the one the Astros faced on Saturday, save for the omission of Giancarlo Stanton:
- DJ LeMahieu (R) 1B
- Aaron Judge (R) RF
- Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
- Edwin Encarnación (R) DH
- Brett Gardner (L) CF
- Gary Sánchez (R) C
- Gio Urshela (R) 3B
- Cameron Maybin (R) LF
- Didi Gregorius (L) SS
P: James Paxton (LHP)
Still looking for their first win of the series, the Astros will pin their hopes on team ace Justin Verlander for Game 2. Verlander turned in a solid seven-inning effort at the start of the ALDS, but stumbled in his second outing, issuing four runs, three walks, and five strikeouts over just 3 2/3 innings in a 4-1 Game 4 loss to the Rays. Like Paxton, he’ll be backed by a familiar-looking configuration:
- George Springer (R) RF
- Michael Brantley (L) LF
- José Altuve (R) 2B
- Alex Bregman (R) 3B
- Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
- Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B
- Carlos Correa (R) SS
- Robinson Chirinos (R) C
- Jake Marisnick (R) CF
P: Justin Verlander (RHP)
Marisnick is the only new addition to the Astros’ lineup here; he’ll get the nod in center field for his first start of the 2019 postseason while Kyle Tucker moves to the bench.
Game 2 of the ALCS is set for 8:08 PM EDT.
