McCann powers Astros in return to NY • Kershaw shines

In the three seasons Brian McCann played for the New York Yankees, those who occupied the right-field seats here were on notice.

The slugging catcher’s left-handed swing is suited for Yankee Stadium’s short porch, and during his time in pinstripes he took advantage.

Now a prominent member of the Houson Astros, McCann revisited the coziest part of his old home ballpark Friday night. His three-run homer backed another dominant outing by Lance McCullers Jr., the formula producing a 5-1 victory for the team with baseball’s best record.

Continuing their best start to a season in franchise history, the Astros improved to 25-11. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games and five in a row, including the first two of a four-game series against the Yankees (21-12) billed as a potential October preview.

McCullers didn’t allow an earned run for a second consecutive road start, this the first of his career at Yankee Stadium. The 23-year-old righthander carved up a balanced and dangerous New York lineup over six innings in which he allowed only four hits, struck out seven and did not issue a walk.

“He’s the real deal, man,” said McCann, who has caught the Astros’ No. 2 starter in each of his eight starts. “He’s a top-of-the-rotation starter.”

McCullers lowered his season ERA to 2.98 through 481/3 innings in which he has 57 strikeouts to 13 walks. Maturing into less of a thrower and more of a complete pitcher, he has cut his walk rate more than in half – from 5.0 per nine innings last season to 2.4 this year.

The duo of Will Harris and Luke Gregerson extended the shutout through eight innings, but James Hoyt squandered it by surrendering a run in the ninth, but struck out Ronald Torreyes to end the game.

McCann opened the scoring in the fourth inning when he lifted an 0-1 changeup down and inside from lefthander starter Jordan Montgomery into the second deck in right field. The homer was McCann’s sixth of the season, his third off a left-handed pitcher, which matches his total against same-sided pitching last season.

Acquired by the Astros from the Yankees in a November trade, McCann on his current trajectory will garner consideration for his eighth career All-Star Game. After making wholesale offseason changes with his swing to get back to driving any pitch to all fields, he’s batting .281 with an .860 on-base plus slugging percentage in 95 at-bats.

McCann, who hit 46 of his 69 homers as a Yankee in home games, has taken arguably the most consistent at-bats of any Astro over the season’s first six weeks. He also has drawn rave reviews from Astros pitchers, none more than McCullers.

“I think he really understands kind of how I work as a pitcher,” McCullers said. “He’s unbelievable. The way he calls the game, the way he slows it down for me, from start to finish, he’s unbelievable.”