 on a walk and singles by Miguel Andujar and pinch hitter Aaron Hicks.Brad Peacock came in and Torres, who finished with three RBIs, hit a two-single to left that made it 5-all. With one out, Aaron Judge chopped a grounder that third baseman Alex Bregman charged - instead of trying to get Hicks at the plate, Bregman threw to second, hoping to start an inning-ending double play.Altuve caught the ball for the forceout, but dropped it as Torres slid in. Hicks scored on the play for a 6-5 lead.Chasen Shreve (1-0) got the last two outs of the eighth for the win.Houston starter Lance McCullers yielded five hits and three runs in seven innings. He gave up all three runs in the first three innings and settled down after that, retiring 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.The Astros trailed 3-0 and had managed just three singles when Yuli Gurriel and Josh Reddick hit consecutive singles with no outs in the seventh. Masahiro Tanaka hit Bregman with a pitch to load the bases, and reliever Chad Green was greeted by an RBI single from Marwin Gonzalez.Brian McCann singled home another run and a passed ball by Sanchez tied it. Springer hit a grounder that was deflected by Green, and the go-ahead run scored.Tanaka allowed five hits and three runs in five-plus innings.TRAINER'S ROOMYankees: 1B Greg Bird (right ankle surgery) is scheduled to get his first at-bats on Monday in an extended spring game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Boone said they have not decided whether he'll start in Class A Tampa or Triple-A Scranton when he's ready for a rehabilitation assignment.UP NEXTYankees: LHP CC Sabathia (2-0, 1.71 ERA) faces the Cleveland Indians on Friday. Sabathia has allowed just one earned run in 17 1/3 innings since returning from the disabled list on April 19.Astros: RHP Gerrit Cole (2-1, 1.73 ERA) will start in the opener of a three-game series against Arizona on Friday. Cole set the American League record for strikeouts in the month of April with 61 by fanning 12 in his last start.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Astros seek to salvage split vs. Yankees 2h ago• 2 min read HOUSTON -- Houston closer Ken Giles has long showcased volatility in his performances, with his outings over the first two games of the Astros' series with the New York Yankees a microcosm of that fact.After tearing through the heart of the Yankees' order to preserve a 2-1 victory Monday night, Giles surrendered four runs while recording only one out the following evening, the biggest blow coming off the bat of New York catcher Gary Sanchez -- a three-run homer to center field.Giles had worked eight consecutive scoreless appearances, including seven without allowing a baserunner. After his implosion, television cameras caught Giles punching himself in the face as he stormed to the dugout, where his tantrum continued and revealed a pitcher coming undone."It's a tough look for someone coming out of competition like that," Astros manager A. J. Hinch said. "I understand the frustration; I understand how much these guys put into it. But in an ideal world you can handle it a little bit more calmly without the violence."I think there's a difference between letting them be themselves and letting them tear themselves down. That doesn't necessarily have to be physical like the video (Tuesday) night. That's one aspect of it; I think you can emotionally tear yourself down too. Everybody responds to success and failure differently. You don't want it to be counterproductive. You want it to be channeled in the right area and used in the right way and ultimately maximize their potential and their performance by being constructive and not destructive." Right-hander Lance McCullers (4-1, 3.71 ERA) will start Thursday's series finale for the Astros (20-12). McCullers has logged at least six innings in each of his last three starts, allowing two runs over 20 innings with 21 strikeouts against two walks during that stretch. He is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA over three career starts against the Yankees, including 1-0, 2.38 in two turns last season.McCullers allowed one run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings but did not factor in the decision in Game 4 of the 2017 American League Championship Series. He earned the save in Game 7 with four shutout innings of relief.New York will look to win the series with right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (4-2, 4.37) on the mound. He is 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA over four career starts against the Astros, 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts at Minute Maid Park. Tanaka went 1-1 against Houston in the ALCS, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts over 13 innings in Games 1 and 5.Before posting their second consecutive 4-0 win over the Astros on Wednesday night, the Yankees (20-10) placed left-hander Jordan Montgomery on the 10-day disabled list with a left elbow flexor strain. Montgomery departed after one inning Tuesday with elbow tightness, and a subsequent MRI exam in New York revealed an injury that will sideline him up to eight weeks.Rookie right-hander Domingo German, who logged four shutout innings in a pinch after Montgomery departed, will get a shot to fill the rotation void Sunday against the Indians."He doesn't flinch. He just keeps making pitches," New York manager Aaron Boone said of German. "He's got weapons to get righties and lefties out. He's been a weapon down there."He's fairly stretched out; not like he was to start the season, but I feel fairly comfortable that he could give us a fair amount of length."
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