Yankees Takeaways from Saturday's 7-5 win over Astros, including Giancarlo Stanton's clutch hitting

Stanton drove in four runs, leading the Yankees to their eighth straight win

6/23/2019, 2:24 AM
Jun 22, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) follows through on a two run infield single against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner
Jun 22, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) follows through on a two run infield single against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner

The Yankees won their eighth game in a row, beating the Astros 7-5 on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Saturday's game

1) Giancarlo Stanton came up clutch in a pair of huge spots for the Yankees on Saturday. After the Astros tied the game at two on a Josh Reddick two-run homer in the top of the sixth, Stanton grounded a two-run single off Yuli Gurriel's glove to give the Yankees the lead. Later in the game, with the score tied at five in the seventh, Stanton hit an almost identical ball, scoring two again and putting the Yankees up 7-5.

2) With a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning, Aaron Boone turned the ball over to Jonathan Holder, and the reliever couldn't keep the lead. With two on and two outs, Astros rookie Yordan Alvarez blasted a three-run home run to right to give Houston the lead. The Yankees bounced right back, though, as Austin Romine lined an opposite field home run to tie the game. 

3) Masahiro Tanaka gave the Yankees another solid performance on Saturday. The right-hander followed up his two-hit shutout with six innings of two-run ball. He only struck out one Astro, but he kept them off balance for most of the night. 

4) Astros starter Wade Miley matched Tanaka pitch-for-pitch in the first four innings, but Gio Urshela got to him in the fifth inning, hitting an opposite field two-run homer to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Yankees have now homered in 25 consecutive games, tying their longest streak in franchise history, which was set in 1941.

5) Aaron Judge hasn't yet recorded a hit since returning to the field, but he showed off his ability as a defender on Saturday, throwing a strike to second base to gun down Max Stassi on ball that went to the wall in the top of the sixth inning. 

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees and Astros finish their four-game set at Yankee Stadium on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. J.A Happ (7-3, 4.59 ERA) goes against Justin Verlander (9-3, 2.59 ERA).

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