MLB Roundup 10/18: The Astros are a win away from the pennant

Astros take Game Four

After Wednesday’s game was rained out and pushed back to Thursday, the Yankees had to be feeling a little better about themselves. They were still down 2-1, of course, but they got to turn back to Masahiro Tanaka on full rest while also getting an extra day for their bullpen. That’s huge for this Yankee team, particularly that first part as Tanaka has been money his entire career in the postseason. The flip side of that, though, was Houston being able to send out Zack Greinke, and that ended up being enough for the Astros to get the win. The Yankees actually struck first in this one with Greinke struggling early. New York only managed a single run in that first inning, though, which felt like a missed opportunity at the time. That ended up holding true, as Greinke settled down in a big way after that and didn’t allow another run through his next 3 ¹⁄₃ innings. New York did have some chances against him, and most notably in the fifth they loaded the bases with one out as Ryan Pressly came into the game. They couldn’t get one run across, and that felt like the game. Houston was up 3-1 at that point thanks to a George Springer homer, and Carlos Correa hit a three-run shot of his own in the sixth to pretty much seal this one. The Yankees got back to within three later in the night, but the end result was an 8-3 Astros win.

Sox Spin: Pretty simple stuff here: The Yankees are on the verge of being eliminated. As someone rooting extremely hard for the Nationals in the World Series it’s better for them if this series goes on longer, but I certainly won’t be complaining if Houston ends this in the Bronx on Friday.