 walked Kemp with two outs in the 10th, threw a wild pitch with Springer at the plate and nearly hurled another one. But Sanchez caught the pitch that ricocheted off the top of the low wall behind the plate and fired a perfect throw to Andujar for the tag.Andujar doubled against Brad Peacock (1-3) with two outs in the 10th, and Torres lined an opposite-field single to right. Andujar slid in as Springer's throw was wide to the first-base side, and Torres raised his hands and then his helmet after rounding first base.Pitcher CC Sabathia, Andujar and Sanchez also made errors in the Yankees' worst-fielding game since July 21, 2014, against Texas.Torres has four errors in four games and six in 32 games since his big league debut. New York's two wild pitches raised the total with Sanchez behind the plate to a major league-high 30.Playing their 51st game, the Yankees for the first time started their projected lineup heading into spring training. While first baseman Greg Bird returned from ankle surgery Saturday, a regular was rested in each of the previous three games.Morton, who is 7-0 with a 2.26 ERA and has not lost a regular-season game since Sept. 9, struck out 10 and walked one in six innings. He allowed eight hits that included a leadoff home run by Gardner in the first and a solo drive by Judge in the fifth. Mixing a 97 mph fastball with a sharp curveball that dropped in on the corners, the 34-year-old right-hander got five called strikeouts from plate umpire Tripp Gibson.Evan Gattis had a pair of RBIs for the Astros, including a tying home run starting the second. He put the Astros in front in Game 7 of last year's AL Championship Series with a fourth-inning home run off Sabathia.Sabathia allowed five runs - three earned - and eight hits in five innings.Torres had a tiebreaking single in the second, but Marwin Gonzalez split the outfielders with a two-run double that rolled to the warning track in left-center and put the Astros ahead 3-2 in the fourth.Judge's home run, which bounced out of the second deck in right, was his 71st in 234 games and tied Ryan Howard for the fastest to reach the mark.PUNCHOUTSGibson had eight called strikeouts, including six against the Yankees.TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: C Brian McCann was put on the 10-day DL because of right knee soreness and returned to Houston, making Max Stassi the starting catcher. C Tim Federowicz was brought up from Triple-A Fresno.UP NEXTRHP Luis Severino (7-1, 2.28) starts for New York in Wednesday's series finale and LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-6, 3.39) for Houston. Severino is 5-0 with a 1.87 ERA in his last eight starts. Keuchel is 6-4 with a 1.82 ERA in 10 outings against the Yankees, including the postseason.---For more baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Morton, Astros aim to keep streaking vs. Yankees 4h ago• 3 min read NEW YORK -- Charlie Morton secured the final 12 outs in Game 7 at Dodger Stadium as the Houston Astros became world champions for the first time in team history.Two months into Houston's title defense, Morton has not stopped winning.Morton attempts to stay unbeaten Tuesday night when the Houston Astros continue a three-game series with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.Morton is 7-0 with a 2.04 ERA heading into his 11th start of the season and the Astros are 7-3 in his 10 starts. It is the second straight season a Houston starter has begun with at least seven straight wins as Dallas Keuchel won his first nine decisions last season.Morton is five wins shy of the Astros club record for consecutive wins in a single season. The record was set by Mark Portugal from July 11-Oct. 2, 1993 and matched by Wade Miller from July 7-Sept. 21, 2002.Going back to last season Morton has won his last 10 regular-season decisions. He last pitched Thursday in an 8-2 win at Cleveland when he allowed two runs on five hits in six innings."Having my breaking ball and throwing my breaking ball for strikes (was key)," Morton said after throwing 37 curveballs and averaging 95.5 mph on his 32 four-seam fastballs. "That allows me to get back in counts. Even in the sixth inning there, I couldn't throw my fastball for a strike. I didn't know where the ball was going, and that's been a theme for me this year. I'm really not throwing the ball where I want to, but my secondary stuff has been good." Morton also is the fifth Astros pitcher to begin a season 7-0 and is holding left-handed hitters to a .136 average (15-for-110) with 50 strikeouts.Morton is 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA in three regular-season starts against the Yankees. He also went 1-1 in the ALCS against the Yankees, allowing seven runs in 3 2/3 innings in Game 3 and two hits in five innings in Houston's series-clinching 4-0 win.Morton will be attempting to follow up a clean series-opening 5-1 win for the Astros, who are 14-5 in their last 19 games. After blowing a five-run lead in the ninth and falling in the 14th Sunday in Cleveland, Justin Verlander allowed a run in 6 2/3 innings while Jose Altuve hit a solo homer and J. D. Davis hit a three-run homer.Altuve was 3-for-17 in the four-game series in Houston earlier this month but is batting .579 (11-for-19) with two homers and seven runs scored in his last four games.New York's CC Sabathia will make his fifth attempt at becoming the 58th pitcher to reach 240 career wins. Sabathia is 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA this season.Since allowing a run in seven innings on April 29 against the Los Angeles Angels, Sabathia is 0-1 with a 6.05 ERA in his last four starts.The veteran left-hander last pitched Wednesday in a 12-10 loss at Texas when he allowed seven runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings."It just wasn't there for me today and with all the lefties in their lineup I needed a good, sharp slider and it was just hanging today," said Sabathia, who allowed a two-run homer on Nomar Mazara and a three-run homer to Ronald Guzman on sliders.Sabathia did not face the Astros in Houston earlier this month. In three career regular-season starts he is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA against the Astros, whom he faced in Game 3 and 7 of the ALCS last season.Giancarlo Stanton did not play Monday after going 0-for-12 in the three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, lowering his average to .202 at home and .246 overall. Stanton is hitting .199 vs. right-handed pitching but is 9-for-21 (.429) lifetime against Morton.Without Stanton, the Yankees moved Gleyber Torres up to fifth, batted Bird fourth and Didi Gregorius seventh. Bird homered for New York's only run while Gregorius went 2-for-4, making him 6-for-74 this month."You can just see a real comfort up there," manager Aaron Boone said of Bird. "The fact that he's gotten some early results is nice but what I've been pleased with is really all of his at-bats have been competitive and you can tell he's in a good place."
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