{"id":47920,"date":"2017-10-17T09:42:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T09:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=47920"},"modified":"2017-10-17T09:42:28","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T09:42:28","slug":"alcs-5-takeaways-yankees-win-astros-game-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/mlb\/alcs-5-takeaways-yankees-win-astros-game-3.html","title":{"rendered":"ALCS: 5 takeaways from Yankees win over Astros in Game 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALCS: 5 takeaways from Yankees win over Astros in Game 3<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Five takeaways from the New York Yankees\u2019 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Home sweet home<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees had the American League\u2019s best home record during the regular season (51-30) and they won both games in the Division Series at Yankee Stadium. So it shouldn\u2019t have come as a shock to see them bounce back in their return to the Bronx.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe love playing here. It\u2019s electric,\u201d said first baseman Greg Bird, who doubled and scored the first of five runs in the fourth inning that broke the game open.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re somewhat built for this park,\u201d said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. \u201cOur players are used to this field. They know how to hit here, and our fans. Our fans are great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It also helped that starting pitcher CC Sabathia held the Astros scoreless on three hits through six innings to get the win and cut the Astros\u2019 lead in the series.<\/span><\/p>\n

The home fans can be even more encouraged by recent history. Five of the last 10 teams to face a 2-1 deficit in a postseason series have come back to win it.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Judge comes alive<\/span><\/p>\n

After leading the American League with 128 runs and setting a rookie record with 52 homers, Aaron Judge entered Game 3 mired in a deep postseason slump.<\/span><\/p>\n

He went 1-for-7 in the two games in Houston and was hitting just .127 in eight playoff games \u2013 with 19 strikeouts in 31 at-bats.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to take the ups with the downs,\u201d Judge said as he kept trying to prepare for each game the same way. \u201cIt works during the regular season, and why would I come into the postseason and try to change something, even though I\u2019m struggling for three or four games, five, six games?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In Game 3, he turned things around almost as quickly as he turned around a Will Harris fastball on the inside part of the plate. Judge ripped a line drive just over the left-field wall for a three-run homer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite his October hitting woes, Judge never slumped on defense. He made a pair of outstanding catches \u2013 one going back as he crashed into the right field wall and another coming in to make a diving grab in shallow right.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Where has the Astros offense gone?<\/span><\/p>\n

Houston led the majors during the regular season in scoring, on-base percentage and slugging. Yet the Astros have only scored five runs in three games in the ALCS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting clutch hits and winning both games in Houston has a way of smoothing out the rough edges, but the offensive woes loomed large when compared to the Yankees\u2019 eight-run explosion in Game 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Houston managed just four hits in Game 3 and is batting .169 as a team in the series.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur whole lineup\u2019s not hitting,\u201d said outfielder Josh Reddick. \u201cWe\u2019re relying on (Jose) Altuve and (Carlos) Correa a little too much in the first two games. We\u2019ve just got to come together as a team \u2026 like we were doing in the Boston series.<\/span><\/p>\n

Altuve and Correa have nine of the Astros\u2019 15 hits through three games. Everyone else in the lineup is 6-for-66 (.091).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe scoreboard doesn\u2019t always show how hard you hit the ball,\u201d outfielder George Springer said. \u201cI thought we hit some balls hard tonight. Just didn\u2019t fall. That\u2019s the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to change our plan or our approach just because we fly out to the track. We\u2019re going to keep doing what we\u2019ve been doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Bullpens will matter<\/span><\/p>\n

The run of three games in three days in New York will take a toll on both teams\u2019 bullpens. That\u2019s why it was important for the Astros to get four shutout innings from Collin McHugh after the outcome was most certainly decided.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Lance McCullers set to start Game 4 for Houston, manager A.J. Hinch has just about everyone fully rested thanks to McHugh\u2019s efforts on Monday and Justin Verlander\u2019s complete game victory in Game 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees, meanwhile, should have been able to cruise through the late innings of Game 3 with their big lead. However with an eight-run lead, Dellin Betances walked the only two batters he faced in the ninth inning, forcing Yankees manager Joe Girardi to bring in Tommy Kahnle and even warm up closer Aroldis Chapman \u2013 despite the 8-1 final.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was hoping not to use Tommy tonight. And Greeny (Chad Green) was up a little bit,\u201d Girardi said. \u201cBut it\u2019s good. It\u2019s good to have those guys. And maybe I\u2019ll have Tommy for an inning tomorrow. We\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If the Yankees have to pull Sonny Gray early in Game 4, it could spell trouble for the Yankee bullpen, which has been so effective (2.13 ERA in 38 innings) this postseason.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. You only had one job<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees finally snapped this postseason\u2019s most mystifying streak in Game 3 when Chase Headley singled in the fourth inning. It was the first hit by a New York designated hitter in the playoffs \u2013 and the first by a Yankee DH since Raul Ibanez singled in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the 2012 ALCS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/2017\/10\/17\/alcs-5-takeaways-yankees-win-over-astros-game-3\/770904001\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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