Luis Gil Right Ship Vs. Astros in Game 2

Luis Gil needed to have a much better start for the Yankees, following the poor season debut from the reigning American League Rookie of the Year. Thankfully, Luis Gil did pitch better, which portends good things for him and for the Yankees. The Yankees won this game, 5-4. They were also lucky that Giancarlo Stanton, who played in the field for the first time since September 2023, did not hurt himself. Baseball is a funny game. After this series with the Astros, the schedule gets much easier for the Yankees for the rest of the season. Do you believe the Yankees are a dangerous team?

Lineup Summary

The Astros had Jeremy Pena as the shortstop, batting leadoff. Jesus Sanchez was the right fielder, batting second. Jose Altuve was the designated hitter, batting third. Carlos Correa was the third baseman, batting fourth. Christian Walker was the first baseman and batted fifth. Yainer Diaz was the catcher and batted sixth. Taylor Trammell was the center fielder and batted seventh. 

Ramón Urías was the second baseman who batted eighth. Chas McCormick was the center fielder and batted ninth. Victor Carentini pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. Cam Smith came in to run for him. For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt batted first and was the first baseman. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted third. He moved to right field in the eighth inning.

Giancarlo Stanton was the right fielder who batted fourth.  He was replaced by Jasson Dominguez, who played left field in the eighth inning. Ben Rice was the catcher who batted fifth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted sixth. Trent Grisham was the center fielder, batting seventh. José Caballero was the second baseman and batted eighth. Ryan MacMahon was the third baseman, batting ninth. 

News and Notes

Today was Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 2000 World Series victory over the Mets. Fans wondered whether Mariano Rivera would talk with struggling Yankees closer Devin Williams. Rivera was the greatest pitcher in Major League Baseball history. Williams had a difficult time last night. On the television broadcast, the former Yankees came to the booth. It was good to hear from them.

The Yankees lost last night’s game 5-3. They needed a good start from Luis Gil, who is making just his second start of the season since coming back from injury. He was bad in his first start back, as the Yankees were swept for the first time in Miami. He faces a tough challenge in Houston starting pitcher Framber Valdez, who is having a great season for the Astros.

Stanton started in right field for the first time since September 2023. He caught the first fly ball that was hit to him, but had limited range. Houston starting pitcher Framber Valdez has great numbers on the season, but he gave up six runs in his last start against the Red Sox. That gave the Yankees some hope. Valdez is a free agent at the end of the season, so he needs to pitch well.

Game Reaction: Yanks Need Luis Gil

It did not start like Luis Gil was going to have a good start. He gave up a home run to the first batter of the game. Then, after a flyout, Altuve singled, though he was cut down trying to steal second base. The Yankees, somewhat surprisingly, got that run back (plus one) in the first inning. Luis Gil struck out the side in the second inning and pitched five and a third strong innings. He received a nice hand when he was removed.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Pena led off the game with a home run. It was 1-0 Astros. Pena is second to Aaron Judge in batting average in the American League. That was not a good start for Luis Gil. In the first inning, the Yankees got that run right back as Stanton walked with the bases loaded and Golschmidt scored. That tied the game at 1. Then Rice hit a sacrifice fly and Judge scored. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead. In the second inning, Correa singled and Sanchez scored.

The ball bounced around the outfield, and Stanton had to chase it down. They tied the score at 2. In the eighth inning, Altuve singled and Smith scored. It was 4-3 Yankees. Then Walker walked with the bases loaded, and Sanchez scored; it was 4-4. In the eighth inning, Grisham hit a solo home run. It was 5-4 Yankees. That is how it ended.

Final Thoughts

Luis Gil pitched well on Old Timers Day. That was good because there were a lot of former Yankee stars at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees play the Astros again tomorrow, and then the schedule gets much easier for the Yankees. With Luis Gil pitching better today, he threatens to give them 3 strong starters on top of Will Warren and Cam Schlittler. That could mean a strong final run for the Yankees, and they would be dangerous if they made the playoffs. Speaking of the playoffs, if they started today, the Yankees and Astros would play each other.