Jul 27, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers (43) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park. Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
By MoiseKapenda Bower, The Sports Xchange
HOUSTON — Lance McCullers posted his fourth double-digit strikeout start on the season, and Colby Rasmus snapped a prolonged slump with a home run as the Houston Astros averted a sweep with a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.
McCullers (6-4) allowed one earned run for a fifth time in six starts. He surrendered five hits and walked two batters while recording 10 strikeouts for the third time in five starts this month.
Beginning with his strikeout of Carlos Beltran to close the third inning, McCullers recorded seven outs in a row all via the strikeout, including six swinging.
After surrendering a leadoff homer to Yankees catcher Brian McCann in the fourth inning, McCullers rallied to strike out the side, including Chase Headley and Aaron Hicks with two runners on base. McCullers followed by striking out the side in the sixth, this time in order.
McCullers faced 25 batters, and of his 91 pitches, just 29 were balls.
Rasmus snapped an 0-for-29 skid with his 12th home run in the third inning off Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (7-3). The blast gave the slumping Rasmus just his second multi-RBI game of the month.
Right-handers Ken Giles, Luke Gregerson and Will Harris, who notched his 11th save, each worked a perfect inning of relief for the Astros (55-46). The Yankees (52-49) dropped three games behind Houston in the American League wild card chase. The Astros are one game behind the final AL playoff position.
Tanaka entered his final start of this month having surrendered a total of four earned runs in his previous four July starts, but by the close of the third inning, the Astros matched that total by showcasing patience.
Preston Tucker and Alex Bregman made Tanaka labor with one out in the second inning, working five- and six-pitch walks, respectively, to set the table for Carlos Gomez. The center fielder’s sharp single through the box shot past Tanaka and bounced by shortstop Didi Gregorius to drive in Tucker.
In the third, the Astros taxed Tanaka, with Marwin Gonzalez and Carlos Correa sandwiching singles around a Jose Altuve groundout. Correa plated Gonzalez, on third following a wild pitch, with his hit to left field, and he scored when Rasmus followed with a two-run shot to right field.
While Tanaka avoided additional damage despite allowing a double in the fourth inning and a leadoff single to Altuve in the fifth, the New York starter labored extensively enough that he didn’t return for the sixth. He allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts over five innings. It marked just the second time since mid-May that Tanaka failed to work six innings.
NOTES: Yankees DH Carlos Beltran and 2B Starlin Castro were both in the starting lineup, the team’s only two players to participate in all 13 games between the All-Star break and the scheduled off day Thursday. Castro entered Wednesday batting .302 with one home run and nine RBIs since the break, while Beltran was batting .378 with two homers and six RBIs during those 12 games. … Astros 3B Luis Valbuena met with a physician on Wednesday, but the extent of his right hamstring injury remains undetermined. Valbuena strained his hamstring running out of the box in the second inning Tuesday night and left the game. The injury is not considered serious enough to warrant a stint on the 15-day disabled list. … Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez and Astros first base coach Rich Dauer celebrated birthdays on Wednesday, with Rodriguez turning 41 and Dauer 64.
