The Yankees went 5-2 last week and swept the Tigers. New York got back to .500 (14-14) after beating Detroit 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. The club has been showing some improvement after one of the worst starts in franchise history. Here are three things to watch for this week as the Yankees take on the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.
Tougher Matchups
After playing the Orioles and the Tigers, the Yankees will be taking on the Astros and the Nationals, which have both won a World Series since 2017. Both of the clubs are near .500 entering the week, but they certainly have some All-Star caliber players to test New York this week. Also, Houston and Washington are both 7-3 in their last 10 games, so they’ve both been playing some solid baseball. This could be a chance for the Yankees to win both series and show that they can compete.
Continued Offensive Progression
The Yankees scored five or more runs in four of their seven games last week. They even got a 10-0 victory against the Tigers on Friday, and had a five run inning in that contest.
The slumping Gleyber Torres provided some offense last week. The shortstop put up three multi-hit games, three doubles and five RBIs in six contests.
Another guy who showed improvement is Giancarlo Stanton. He had 12 hits in five games, including three games in a row with three hits.
The offense took a step in the right direction last week, and the Yankees will look to continue to build on those numbers.
Tests for the Pitching Staff
The Astros and the Nationals are both capable of putting runs on the board. While the Yankees have had some of the best pitching stats in the league so far, this week can provide a test to see how legit this pitching staff is. In the Astros’ last three series, they scored five or more runs in six out of 11 games. This includes a 16 run performance against the Angels on April 24.
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