No one is fooling anyone. This isn’t just another series in June or on the schedule.
When the Yankees start off a four-game weekend series against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, it’s a measuring stick for both teams. The Astros look forward to showing the Yankees and Major League Baseball that they set the bar high for excellence. The Yankees aim to show the Astros that they will be a threat to their championship chances this fall. Yankees fans seek to brag more about their team.
So much to lose for the Yankees than to gain in this series. They haven’t beaten anyone good this year, and their starting rotation showed vulnerability in recent weeks. Granted, the Yankees shouldn’t apologize to anyone for beating anyone in the inferior American League, but they have to do something this weekend against a team that swept them in April at Minute Maid Park.
This series speaks more about the Bronx Bombers than the Astros since they haven’t proven they can beat them when it counts, and they haven’t done much against the Astros starting rotation.
A split won’t do. Only taking three of four will.
Taking the series over the formidable Astros sounds much better than sweeping an overrated and overmatched Rays team. The Astros earned the status of the team to beat because they won the World Series two years ago and they played the best baseball of all baseball teams this season. Plus, they are a complete team that features great pitching, excellent defense, thrilling speed and a balanced lineup. Most importantly, the Astros don’t strike out.
The Astros provide the measuring stick of how good the Yankees are and how good they can be in October. The Yankees know that as much as anyone. They built this roster specifically to beat the Astros with a deep bullpen and a lineup that relies on home runs.
Both teams won’t face each other anymore after this weekend, so the Yankees feel a sense of urgency.
The Yankees like to think they are better than the Astros, and that they can beat them. They believe their starting rotation is better than the Astros. They know their deep bullpen can counteract with the Astros lineup. They talk about beating the Astros ever since the Astros defeated them in the American League Championship Series two years ago after choking a 3-2 series lead. In their minds, they felt they were the better team that lost.
This series provides the right time and opportunity to show the Yankees this is the time. Teams tend to play their best baseball in June and July where everything comes together. It’s one thing to write off the April sweep by the Astros, but if the Astros win the series or split with the Yankees, no one can poo-poo it.
It wasn’t an accident the Yankees acquired Edwin Encarnacion with the Astros in town. It wasn’t a coincidence they called up Giancarlo Stanton this week. When they call up Aaron Judge over the weekend, they know what they are doing. This speaks of the awareness the Yankees know about this series.
For the Yankees to beat the Astros in the playoffs, they need home-field advantage. Minute Maid Park serves as the Yankees’ personal house of horrors, and the Astros play their best baseball at their stadium. That’s why there’s so much significance about this weekend. The Yankees can cut the gap for home-field advantage with the Astros with a sweep or by taking three of four.
The Astros know the Yankees don’t respect them that much. They will be more than ready to go. It’s on the Yankees to match that intensity. They shouldn’t need motivation for the weekend. Every game should be a motivation for the Yankees since they haven’t won a championship since 2009. The 10-year championship drought makes the Yankees nothing more than a paper tiger as in nice enough to win in the regular season but flop come postseason.
The Bronx Bombers won’t win a championship this weekend if they sweep or win the series, but they can feel good about themselves that they can finally beat the Astros in October. They will add a starter this trade deadline, but beating the Astros with their current starters goes a long way. The Yankees starting rotation has been maligned for not being dominant enough, so this would be a boost if they can get it done.
Beating the Astros highlights many objectives the Yankees have this season. This is probably the second most important series of the season with the Red Sox always being No. 1 for the Yankees.
The Yankees should embrace what’s to come this weekend. If they are truly the best team in baseball, they send a message loud and clear against the Astros.
The timing is right to make a statement.
If not now, when?
