Anyway, let’s get into it, shall we?

• Watching the Yankees beat Houston is a lot of fun.
• Tuesday’s game wasn’t fun until the ninth inning.
• What a sloppy performance.
• But hey, they won.
• And how about Brett Gardner coming back to life.
• Usually, he starts off hot and cools down in the second half.
• This season, he had been ice cold to start and is now heating up as the weather does the same.
• And isn’t Gleyber Torres great?
• I enjoy watching him play.
• Well, when he’s not making errors in the field.
• He’s hitting well for someone his age.
• I was worried about Miguel Andujar after that collision with Yuki Gurriel during Wednesday’s game.
• Didi asked him what 1+1 equaled and Andujar laughed.
• It’s good to know that our players know basic math.
• And how about Luis Severino?
• It’s relaxing watching his starts unlike Sonny Gray’s starts while can be agonizing.
• The personal catcher thing isn’t really helping.
• Apparently, it doesn’t really matter who’s catching him.
• He works better when he’s fast.
• If he takes too long on the mound, it screws him up.
• He’s opening the series against Baltimore that starts on Thursday night.
• Bad news: Gray is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his career at Camden Yards.
• Good news: Aaron Judge really likes hitting against the Orioles.
• The Orioles are bad and the Yankees should beat them.
• Should.
• Back to Houston, can we talk about how nice it is that the Yankees can beat Dallas Keuchel?
• Remember dreading his starts against the Yankees?
• Justin Verlander is pitching out of his mind.
• And it’s not at all suspicious that a guy who is 35 and has over 2600 innings on his arm and who was plagued by injuries is suddenly pitching better than he did in his 20s.
• Not at all.
• My main reason for pointing this out is because he’s so sanctimonious when it comes to PED and I’d love nothing more than to see him get caught doing something illegal.
• The Astros are heading home to play the Red Sox this weekend.
• Hey! The Red Sox are finally playing a good team for once.
• Their schedule has been a cakewalk so far this season.
• The Yankees are now in the cakewalk part of their schedule.
• And they need to take advantage of this stretch.
• Remember when the Yankees were 9-9? It seems so long ago.
• As if it wasn’t this season.
• During that stretch, they lost three out of four to the Orioles.
• Hopefully, they can return the favor and beat up on a terrible Orioles team.
• They were able to beat the Angels two out of three this past weekend.
• The one loss was Gray’s start.
• Of course.
• I really don’t like going into Gray’s starts and assuming it will be a loss.
• CC Sabathia isn’t looking great either.
• He started off well but now he’s losing a bit of that early season magic.
• And his starts seem to go the same way.
• He’ll be great for the first few innings and then fall completely apart in the fourth or fifth inning.
• Maybe this stretch of “easier” games will help him out
• Maybe it could help Gray out as well.
• Giancarlo Stanton didn’t get hot until July of last year and then he went HAM.
• So I’m not worried about him yet.
• I’m glad that after looking dreadful at the plate on Tuesday that Gary Sanchez turned things around on Wednesday.
• Can we talk about this play?

• I mean, come on.
• It worked out perfectly.
• What a carom off the backstop.
• Jeez.
• If Chapman tried that 10 times, he wouldn’t be able to do it.
• Yankee magic!

Tanaka lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out four, but he was once again out-dueled by Astros lefthander Dallas Keuchel, who ended New York’s 2015 season last October in the wild card game. Keuchel’s seven frames of two-run ball carried Houston to a 5-3 victory.

Much like that game, the air in the Bronx was as frozen as the Yankees offense. Starlin Castro looked good, doubling home two runs in his first Yankees at-bat and adding some solid play at second base, but the offense as a whole managed just four hits.

• PREGAME NOTES: Bryan Mitchell out at least four months

Aside from Tanaka and Castro, Chasen Shreve also looked to be repaired after his wobbly walk to the finish line last year. He threw 1 1/3 near-perfect innings with two strikeouts. Those few bright spots were overshadowed by an eighth-inning controversy that turned the game.

The Play: Betances’s error in the eighth (-.207 WPA)

With one out and a runner on in the top of the eighth, Dellin Betances threw a slow Carlos Correa roller over Mark Teixeira’s head into right field, allowing Houston to take the lead for good.

What followed was a lengthy on-field appeal from manager Joe Girardi, who argued that Correa was in the baseline at the time of the play. Correa clearly ran inside the first base line, as most players are taught to do. This cut off Betances from Teixeira, and he was forced to try a touch throw over Correa, which ended miserably.

​

Not many pitchers in the big leagues have the wherewithal to know they should intentionally peg a player in the back, but that’s exactly what Betances should have done in this situation. Girardi said so, Mark Teixeira said so and heck, even crew chief Dana DeMuth said so:

Betances said he will be trying to hit the runner in the back in future scenarios, not out of malice but out of necessity.

“Next time, that’s what I’ll try to do,” he said. “If that’s what’s going to have to happen, to make them call him out, then that’s what I have to do.”

The Yankees played the rest of the game under protest, and crumbled after the play. Correa stole second, Betances walked Rasmus, and Luis Valbuena singled both runners in to break the game open.

Top Performers

Yankees: Starlin Castro (1/3, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 Assists)

Astros: Dallas Keuchel (7 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K)

The Quote(s)

• “I’ve never read a rule book. I don’t know anything about rules.” - Alex Rodriguez
• “Do it. Throw it into the runner’s back. Because then what’s happening? He is impeding.” – Crew chief Dana DeMuth

Notes

– The Yankees have now lost five straight on Opening Day.

– Houston was 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts against Brian McCann.

– Johnny Barbato made his major league debut and he looked good, tossing 1 1/3 immaculate innings with three strikeouts. He hit 95-96 with his fastball, and missed bats with his slider.

– Didi Gregorius hit the Yankees’ first home run of the season.

– Dellin Betances’s new intro song is “All the Way Up (ft. French Montana)” by Fat Joe and Remy Ma. Aaron Hicks has chosen Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement” as his at-bat music.

– Correa took Tanaka deep on a well-thrown 86 mph splitter in the seventh.  All game, Tanaka hid his fastball from the phenom:

At-bat 1

Called strike – Sinker at 90

Ball – Split at 86

Swinging strike – Slider at 83

Foul – Sinker at 91

Strike three swinging – Split at 84

At-bat 2

Ball – Sinker at 90

RBI groundout – Split at 84

At-bat 3

Swinging strike – Sinker at 90

Home Run – Split at 86

The Highlight: Alex Rodriguez steals second

​

Next Up

The Yankees will host Houston on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. Michael Pineda goes against righty Collin McHugh. That should mean Brett Gardner makes his debut in the starting lineup.

Lead photo: Anthony Gruppuso / USA Today Sports

As Opening Day is a day of hope for all those in baseball, facing Dallas Keuchel in the Bronx will be a painful reminder to Yankee fans of how 2015 ended. Let’s take a look at the Astros offseason and preview the opening series, where we get another look at Houston’s bearded lefty fresh off of the AL Cy Young and a record-setting arbitration salary.

Offseason

The Astros offseason began with Colby Rasmus becoming the first player to accept a qualifying offer, solidifying the Houston outfield. Turning to the free agent market – the ‘Stros brought back left-handed reliever Tony Sipp. The 32-year-old has posted below a 3.00 FIP each of the past two years. Additionally they added a declining Doug Fister who has seen his velocity jump back up this spring.

The focal point of the Astros’ offseason was to improve their bullpen, which failed them in the playoffs. Like the Yankees, they strengthened their bullpen by acquiring a late-inning reliever. After putting up three consecutive 60 win seasons, the Astros can give up five players and still have stocked farm system after giving up a former No. 1 overall pick. The prospect cost is reflected for five years of control of flame throwing Ken Giles.

Bullpen

Shortly after Monday’s opener was rained out, AJ Hinch declared Luke Gregerson the team’s closer. Gregerson, who closed last year, has been dealing with an intercostal strain. In 2015 the Houston skipper used the most number of lineup combinations in the major leagues, totaling over 160 combinations, and never used the same lineup twice. This flexibility will likely permeate Hinch’s bullpen usage of Giles, Gregerson and Pat Neshek, all of which have closing experience. Nonetheless, Giles is the power arm that general manager Jeff Lunhow sought out to eventually be the team’s closer after failing to acquire Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman.

Offense

Much of Astros talk has been centered around their 21-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa, and rightfully so. Paired with the Astros version of peak Dustin Pedroia in Jose Altuve, Houston is built up the middle. In addition to their 21-year-old budding star, and 5’5″ second baseman, Houston boasts a well-rounded team at most of their positions, namely the outfield.

The Astros outfield is 5 deep with an emerging star in George Springer and great depth in Colby Rasmus, Jake Marisnick and Preston Tucker. Springer continues to blossom through excellent defense to his increasing double and triple totals. As his game adds season, I anticipate his strikeout rate to dip making his health as the only impediment to a 30/30 season. The University of Connecticut product is one Yankees fans should be aware of as a star in the American League. A more mainstream name, Carlos Gomez performed poorly in 2015, is primed for some positive regression in ’16 unless you believe his overall ability has declined. Gomez can start with hitting the breaking ball better.

Springer and Gomez round out the Astros’ core four, which rivals some of the games best groups of four with the Cubs, Royals, and Blue Jays.

Weakness: First base

A (projected) weak spot for the Astros is first base, which is generally an easy spot to fill with much of the focus being on offensive production. Their 2015 first baseman Chris Carter was non-tendered for numerous deficiencies in his game. Choosing to forgo the expensive FA market or explore the available trade options. The battle came down to three guys: former top prospect Jon Singleton, current top prospect A.J. Reed, and the little known Tyler White.

White beat out top prospect A.J. Reed this spring. Reed’s demotion is much more than service time management. White, who posted more walks to strikeouts in Double-A and Triple-A, provides a contrast to Singleton’s 65% contact rate. A high-walk, moderate-power player, the Astros will give the 33rd-round pick a chance to continue his minor league production in Houston. Coming off six minor league promotions in three seasons, he slashed .348/.446/.543 this spring. White could carve out a long-term role if he produces and now full time DH Evan Gattis struggles upon his return from the DL.

*****

The Yankees won’t have to face Lance McCullers, who hits 94 mph with a hard hammer and produces a ton of swing and miss. The promising young righty will be the Astros’ number 2 starter when he recovers from a shoulder ailment. That leaves the Yankees to face breaking ball guru Collin McHugh and Mike Fiers.

Yankees fans should pay close attention to the Astros as a model for patience and the value of having large bonus pools and draft picks. Whether it is Chapman, McCullers, Reed, or others, if either the Yanks or ‘Stros meet their fan’s expectations, will be many new faces to if they are to play in October again.

Lead photo: Adam Hunger / USA Today Sports