Astros look to make statement against Yankees
Charlie Morton and the Houston Astros ended the New York Yankees’ winning streak Monday night — and they think they sent a little message in the process.
Morton pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning and struck out 10 as the defending World Series champions snapped New York’s nine-game run with a 2-1 victory.
“We want to prove a point. We want to make a statement that we’re the team to beat and you have to come past us first,” said closer Ken Giles, who struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.
Carlos Correa had two hits and an RBI for Houston in the first meeting between the teams since Game 7 of last year’s AL Championship Series, when Morton allowed two hits over five innings for the win in a 4-0 victory that sent the Astros to the World Series.
After this one, New York outfielder Brett Gardner was not at all interested in talking about the 2017 ALCS.
“I’ve been asked about it about eight times already in the last two days and I know that’s what you guys want to write about, but last year’s over and done with,” he said. “Obviously, they beat us last year, and this year is a new year. They’ve got a really good team and we do, too, but tonight we just came up a little short.”
Houston has won seven straight at home against the Yankees (1810) including the postseason, holding them to no more than one run in each of their last six games here.
The Astros (20-10) tied the best 30-game start in franchise history, also accomplished last year and in 1973.
“We feel like we have the better team,” Correa said. “We’ve just got to show it every single day when we take the field. At the end of the day, we’re the defending champions. Everybody is trying to knock us down. Everybody is trying to beat us, so we’ve got to go out there and try to be consistent every day.”
Morton (4-0) had allowed just one hit when Gleyber Torres chased him with a two-out double
in the eighth. Brad Peacock took over and walked pinch-hitter Aaron Judge, who didn’t start for the first time this season, and Torres stole third base.
Chris Devenski replaced Peacock and was greeted with an RBI single by Gardner
that cut the lead to 2-1. Devenski then fanned AL player of the week Didi Gregorius on three pitches to end the inning.
Sonny Gray (1-2) yielded four hits and two runs while walking three in six innings to snap a streak
of three straight starts in which he didn’t get out of the fifth inning.
“I thought it was a step in the right direction for me, personally, but unfortunately Morton was a little bit better — maybe a lot better,” Gray said.