LEADING OFF: Yankees-Astros play 1-game series in Houston
Jun 29, 2022, 11:17 AM | Updated: 11:21 pm
Houston Astros' Jake Meyers (6) watches as Jeremy Pena, left, and Yordan Alvarez (44) fall to the ground after colliding catching a fly ball by New York Mets' Dominic Smith during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
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GOING MY WAY?
The Yankees and Astros will meet in a one-game series between AL division leaders at Minute Maid Park — it’s a makeup of a matchup postponed by the lockout.
Both teams were on New York-to-Houston flights after wins Wednesday afternoon in the Big Apple. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton homered at Yankee Stadium in a 5-3 victory over Oakland; Justin Verlander and the Astros beat the NL East-leading Mets 2-0 at Citi Field.
Houston left fielder Yordan Álvarez and shortstop Jeremy Peña were hurt when they collided while running down a popup. Álvarez left on a cart, sitting up, and Peña walked back to the dugout. Both were walking in the clubhouse postgame and manager Dusty Baker said the team was awaiting medical reports.
Luis Garcia (5-5, 3.68 ERA), who beat the Yankees in his last outing, starts for Houston against Luis Severino (4-2, 3.38 ERA). The clubs split a four-game series in the Bronx last weekend.
It’ll be a quick trip to Texas for the Yankees — they begin a series Friday night in Cleveland. Houston gets to stay home and welcome Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and the Angels over the weekend.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman and the NL West-leading Dodgers open their longest homestand of the season, an 11-game stay against San Diego, Colorado and the Cubs.
Joe Musgrove (8-1, 2.12 ERA) starts for the second-place Padres against Mitch White (1-1, 4.25). Musgrove absorbed his only loss this year in his previous start, giving up six runs in six innings to Philadelphia.
Los Angeles is 20-12 at Dodger Stadium. The Padres are 24-15 on the road.
“I know we’re leading (the division) and they’re going to come with some energy as we’ve seen. We’ve got to match it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ve got to play good baseball. Either way, we still have a lot of baseball to play, but certainly we want to play our best baseball this series.”
SO LONG, FOR A WHILE
Luis Arraez and the Minnesota Twins wrap up a five-game series in Cleveland with the last of eight matchups in a 10-day span between the top two teams in the AL Central. After this one, they won’t see each other again until September.
Chris Archer (2-3, 3.14 ERA) starts for Minnesota against 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber (3-4, 3.07). Archer is 0-7 with a 5.87 ERA in eight career starts against Cleveland.
Minnesota leads the division by two games over Cleveland after the teams split the first four games of the series.
Josh Naylor hit a two-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning Wednesday night, completing a four-run rally that gave the Guardians a thrilling 7-6 victory. After rounding the bases, Naylor excitedly headbutted 63-year-old Cleveland manager Terry Francona, who was wearing a batting helmet.
“I don’t think you’ll see a game much more difficult on a team than that,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’ve got to find a way to finish games out.”
JUNE BLOOM
Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (bruised left foot) will rejoin the Braves in Philadelphia and could play as Atlanta goes for a three-game sweep.
Acuña has missed the last three games after fouling a ball off his foot in Saturday’s win over the Dodgers. He stayed back in Atlanta for treatment when the Braves traveled to Philadelphia.
The Braves are 21-5 in June, matching the team record for most wins in a calendar month since the club moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. They’ll try to set a new mark when Ian Anderson (6-4, 4.60 ERA) pitches against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (4-5, 2.98).
CHECK HIM
The Brewers will see how center fielder Jonathan Davis is feeling, a day after he crashed headfirst into the padded wall at Tampa Bay making a tremendous catch.
Davis ran at full speed and jumped back to snag Randy Arozarena’s drive in the second inning Wednesday. He stayed down for several minutes holding his back and exited the game the next inning with lower back and rib cage discomfort.
“Spectacular, scary … those two words,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s doing pretty good. He is sore. He’s a good center fielder, so I did think he had a chance, but where the ball ended up and how hard it was hit … for him to get there and put his health and body at risk is brilliant.”
The Brewers open a series at Pittsburgh.
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