Christian Walker broke out with three hits, including a two run home run off Gerrit Cole, and Jeremy Peña added a solo shot as the Houston Astros defeated the New York Yankees 5-1 on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
The victory gave Houston two wins in the three-game series and moved the Astros to 67-67 on the season. Houston also maintained a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West.
Walker entered the night in an 0-for-11 slump but quickly turned things around. He singled in the second inning before launching a two run homer off Cole’s 1-0 curveball in the fifth, giving the Astros a 3-0 advantage.
Walker later doubled off Justin Topa in the eighth and came around to score Houston’s fifth run after the Yankees committed two errors on the same play.
Yainer Diaz’s grounder bounced off rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr.’s glove for his seventh error in just 20 career games. The ball then ricocheted toward third baseman José Caballero, who was charged with a throwing error when his toss to first sailed away, allowing Walker to score.
The defensive miscues added to a difficult night for Lombard. He became the first Yankees shortstop since Roger Peckinpaugh in 1915 to commit an error in six consecutive games.
Peña also made a major impact despite being hit in the hand by a pitch from Cole. He eventually scored on an Isaac Paredes single before delivering another blow in the seventh inning, when he homered off Yerry de los Santos to extend Houston’s lead.
Houston received another strong outing from Hayden Wesneski, who earned the win against the organization that originally drafted him in 2019. Wesneski was traded by New York to the Chicago Cubs in 2022 in a deal involving reliever Scott Effross.
Wesneski (4-1) allowed one run and three hits over five-plus innings. He kept the Yankees’ offense in check while Houston’s lineup provided enough support to control the game.
Cole (7-7) pitched six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one, with Daulton Varsho drawing his only free pass before Walker’s home run.
New York finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth when Ben Rice scored on Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice fly against Steven Okert.
The Yankees, now 75-58, have lost only three times in their last 10 games, but the latest defeat came at an important point in the standings. New York trails first-place Tampa Bay by four games in the AL East while holding a two game advantage over Boston for the American League’s top wild card position.
The Yankees now turn their attention to a pivotal four-game series against the rival Red Sox. Houston, meanwhile, finished off a successful road series behind Walker’s three-hit performance, Peña’s power and another strong pitching effort. Josh Hader closed out the game and completed the five-hitter.
The Astros also announced that former pitching coach Brent Strom will rejoin the organization Friday as a pitching consultant, adding another experienced voice to Houston’s pitching staff as the club continues its push in the AL West.
