Cam Schlittler Faces Challenge In 1st Game Against Houston Astros

Cam Schlittler was making the fourth start of his career, and he went from the frying pan into the fire. Cam Schlitter has been good, but the Yankees scored few runs off Houston Starting Pitcher Hunter Brown. After the fifth inning, both Cam Schlittler and Brown were out of the game.

Cam Shlittler pitched well in only the fourth start of his career. The game became a battle of the bullpens.  The game went to extra innings. Devin Williams screwed it up again, and the Yankees lost 5-3. Why does he keep pitching?  Could there be a bigger series for the Yankees?

Lineup Summary

The Astros had Jeremy Pena as the shortstop, batting leadoff. Jesus Sanchez was the left 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. He moved to left field in the ninth inning. Mauricio Dubón was the second baseman who batted eighth. Cam Smith was the right fielder and batted ninth. Victor Caratini pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. Chas McCormick came in to play center field.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Ben Rice was the first baseman and batted second. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter and batted third. Cody Bellinger was the right fielder who batted fourth. He moved to left field in the eighth inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman who batted fifth.

Jasson Dominguez was the left fielder and batted sixth. Amed Rosario pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning. He stayed in the game and played right field.  Anthony Volpe was the shortstop, batting seventh. Ryan McMahon was the third baseman and batted eighth. Paul Goldschmidt pinch-hit for him in the tenth inning. Austin Wells was the catcher, batting ninth. Giancarlo Stanton pinch-hit for him in the tenth inning. Jose Cabarello pintch-ran for him when he walked.

News and Notes

The Yankees were preparing to get swept in this series. They faced a grave challenge and could be on the outside looking in after this series against the hated rival Astros. They needed, and got, a big start from Cam Schlittler.

Judge started the game as the designated hitter, which meant the hot-hitting Stanton started the game on the bench. If Judge is the designated hitter, Stanton cannot be, and since Stanton cannot play the field, he must be the designated hitter and was therefore out of the lineup.

During the game, news broke that Stanton may play in the outfield on Saturday in the game against the Astros. It would be his first start in the outfield since 2023. Yankee fans hope he does not get hurt.

Game Reaction: Cam Schlittler Start

The weather was excellent in The Bronx. The temperature was in the mid-seventies, and it was clear with no chance of precipitation. The Yankee lineup was the same for this game as it was for the last game in Texas. Lineup consistency has been lacking for the New York Yankees all season. Manager Aaron Boone likes to tinker with his lineup, though some of his decisions are inexplicable. Like leading off Wells in the first game, and then never again.

With Altuve’s first-inning two-run home run, Yankee fans wondered if the game was over. Cam Schlittler let people down right off the bat. It would be unlikely for the Yankees to score three runs off Hunter Brown. After that home run, things settled down for a little while. Cam Schlittler left after five innings, and all he gave up was the two-run home run to Altuve. It seems he has given up one two-run homer in each of his four career starts.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Altuve hit a two-run home run, and Sanchez scored. That gave the Astros a 2-0 lead. In the sixth inning, the Yankees scored two runs. First, Rice singled, and McMahon scored. That cut the Astros’ lead to 2-1. Then, Judge singled and Wells scored. That tied the game at 2.

In the tenth inning, Correa singled and Altuve scored. That made it 3-2 Astros. Then Trammell hit a two-run home run. Diaz scored. The Astros led 5-2. In the tenth inning, Volpe singled and Chisholm Jr. scored. The Yankees trailed 5-3.

Final Thoughts

Cam Schlittler got this start for the Yankees, the most important start of his young career. Cam Schlittler youngster pitched well and settled down after giving up a two-run home run to Altuve. That had Yankees fans thinking: here we go again, but the youngster settled down and pitched a good game for the Yankees. The game became a battle of the bullpens as both starters were out of the game by the sixth inning.