Yankees, Astros Set To Collide In Battle of Behemoths At Yankee Stadium To Kick Off Final Week In August

Starting Monday, the suddenly struggling New York Yankees host the red-hot Houston Astros in a critical three-game series that could heavily impact both team’s division-winning aspirations.

The Yankees (68-55) enter play having dropped three of their last four to fall a half-game behind the relentless Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East Division, while the Astros (69-56) lead the just-as-hot Texas Rangers by four games in the AL West.

In terms of witnessing high-stakes drama and securing an absolutely terrific bargain, this series looks to have it all, especially with the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, in which fans can acquire certain tickets at half-price by virtue of a MasterCard special promotion. That game features a first-pitch of 1:05 p.m. Additionally, Astros vs. Yankees tickets are only averaging $88.48 for the series on the secondary market (with a get-in price between $10-20 for each of the three games on Ticketmaster), which is insanely good value considering where both clubs reside in the standings.

In dropping three of four to the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers managed to score just 10 runs over the entire series, and even struck out 11 times in the series finale. Manager Joe Girardi is hoping to have his grizzled vets Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez back for the Astros series, in addition to finding a way to get All Star Brett Gardner (.278, 12 HR, 54 RBIs and 18 stolen bases) out of his 5-for-26 slump.

In leading the AL West for virtually the entire season, Houston has relied heavily on the trio of Jose Altuve (.310, 10 HRs, 51 RBI, 32 SBs), Evan Gattis (.236, 19 HRs, 63 RBI) and Carlos Correa (.278, 15 HRs, 43 RBI). Furthermore, they’ll be getting outfielder George Springer back from injury sooner than later, as he’s one of the main core players in their lineup.

The Astros come to the Bronx fresh off an impressive three-game home sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers that was mostly spearheaded by their impressive starting pitching. Their rotation has also been a big reason for the club’s success this season, led by Dallas Keuchel (14-6, 2.37 ERA), Collin McHugh (13-7, 3.96 ERA), and recent trade acquisition Scott Kazmir (7-8, 2.39 ERA). Interestingly, it was their other starting pitcher recently acquired, Mike Fiers, who starred most in their most recent series, as the former Milwaukee Brewer recorded the first no-hitter in Minute Maid Park history over the weekend in just his third start with the Astros.

The two clubs split a four-game set in Houston back in June. This series also boasts Jacoby Ellsbury Bobblehead Night, which will be hosted in the series opener.