Yankees keep winning against the struggling Houston Astros

NEW YORK – “Mattress Mack,’’ the Houston businessman famous for placing, and sometimes winning, monstrous bets on the Astros can potentially break the bank come October.

One sportsbook has Mack’s favorite baseball team at 20-1 to win the 2024 World Series.

That would mean taking a chance on a team that looks miles away from being a contender, with its sensational streak of seven straight AL Championship appearances in stark danger of ending.

Those odds could grow steeper before the reeling Astros exit the Bronx, and the Yankees’ chances at reversing their fortune in this rivalry have never looked better.

An early-season trend continued Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees belting three homers off the estimable Justin Verlander and sailing to a 10-3 win.

Yankees gaining the upper hand on Houston

With another sharp outing from starter Luis Gil to open a three-game set, the Yankees (24-13) have won all five games against the Astros (12-23) this year, beginning with a season-opening sweep at Houston.

Dating to last September, the Yankees have won eight straight games against Houston, the club that has tormented them over the past decade – including three ALCS meetings going the Astros’ way.

Earlier Tuesday, speaking with MLB Network’s Brian Kenny on MLB Now, Astros GM Dana Brown said he couldn’t envision a scenario where he’s selling at the deadline.

“I think we’re still built to win,’’ said Brown. “Ultimately, I think we’ll get on a run here and things will turn around.’’

The Astros’ rotation has been clobbered by injuries, and some of those starters – led by Cristian Javier – should be making their way back before long.

It might not take a wild comeback to contend in the AL West, but these Astros are a far less dynamic and fearful bunch than recent Houston teams, and these Yanks are developing a swagger.

Yankees club three homers off Justin Verlander

Alex Verdugo admired his first inning three-run homer to right off Verlander, wiping out a 1-0 deficit and pausing dramatically before flipping away his bat.

In a 3-for-27 rut, Anthony Volpe belted a two-run homer to right off Verlander in the fourth, following two solid at-bats against the future Hall-of-Famer.

And in the fifth, Giancarlo Stanton delivered a unique solo shot – a low liner that kept rising like a ball struck off a golf tee.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he predicted a Stanton homer to bench coach Brad Ausmus before the pitch.

“I didn’t know it was going to be the two-iron variety, where it’s (looking like a) base hit to left, oops into the bullpen,’’ said Boone. “He’s a unicorn that way.’’

Stanton’s seventh homer of the year, registered at 118-mph off the bat, gave the Yanks a 7-1 lead off Verlander, who exited after five innings and 97 pitches.

Luis Gil making a difference in the Yankees' rotation

Gil’s 97-pitch outing was aided by a couple of quick innings, including a six-pitch fifth inning that ended with a strikeout of Jose Altuve, now batting .336.

But the Astros’ lineup isn’t a bullying group these days, with Alex Bregman batting .195 with one homer in 32 games, Yordan Alvarez with an OPS (.769) lower than Verdugo (.812) and the .099-hitting Jose Abreu trying to find his swing at the Astros’ player development complex.

Meanwhile, Gil “keeps on growing, he’s got a really high ceiling,’’ said Boone, who watched the right-hander adjust after yielding Kyle Tucker’s solo homer in the first.

That was the only hit allowed through six innings by Gil, who walked four batters and “struggled at times with his delivery,’’ Boone said.

Gil’s electric fastball was “not where I wanted it,’’ he said through an interpreter, causing him to rely on his solid change-up and secondary pitches more often.

Between innings, Gil (3-1, 2.92 ERA) said that injured ace Gerrit Cole provided some pointers on how to get the Astros out.

But the fastball was still plenty good, which Volpe could tell “just by the reactions to his pitches from the hitters…like the fastball is 110 (mph).’’

Cole, who threw off a mound again Tuesday, might not be back in the Yankees rotation until roughly late June, making Gil’s presence that much more important.

“He’s just got a lot of weapons. He’s hard to hit,’’ said Boone. “To give us six really good (innings), on a night that it wasn’t necessarily all clicking for him, just speaks to how capable he is.’’

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Yankees are undefeated against Houston Astros this season