Game 124 Preview: Yankees vs. Astros

Aug 17, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees first baseman

(25) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Keys to Victory

The Yankees need to score runs to win ballgames.  The Yankee offense this season has dreadful.  The team has very little power, especially from the right side.  Only Mark Teixeira has been a consistent power source for the Yankees all season with his team leading 20 home runs.  Of course, he has spent over a month on DL and missed several other games due to various injuries over the course of the season.  The big name free agents, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann have largely failed to meet the expectations thrust upon them at their signings.  Brett Gardner, the formerly light hitting left fielder and leadoff man, is second on the team in long balls with 15.

The Yankees need to score runs early and often against a somewhat suspect pitching staff like the Astros.  The Astros starter, Scott Feldman, has an ERA approaching 5 and had yielded seven runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start against the Red Sox.  The Bombers need to be patient and take advantage of their home ball park.  The Yankees need to create some souvenirs for the fans and take the Astros pitching staff deep.

The Yankees have not been able to crack the five run plateau in their last eight games.  In fact, they have been held to four or fewer runs in 65% of their games this season for a whooping total of 80 games.  The Yankee bats need to wake up from their prolonged slumber and do some damage.  The Yankees need to score and early and often be successful today and for the rest of the season.