Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees Game 3 Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Houston Astros will travel to take on the New York Yankees for Game 3 of the ALCS on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 5:07 PM ET at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York and can be viewed on TBS.  

Updated on 12/23/2024

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HOUSTON ASTROS vs. NEW YORK YANKEES BETTING PREDICTION

Houston will head to New York with a 2-0 series lead after a 3-2 win over the Yankees on Thursday night. The long ball was once again the key in this matchup as Alex Bregman hit a 3-run shot in the bottom of the third inning and the bullpen took care of the rest. The Astros offense finished with eight hits, three runs, and went 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position (RISP). The bullpen was dominant again with starter Framber Valdez going seven innings and holding the Yankees to four hits and two runs. The other two pitchers used did not allow a hit or run in their combined two innings of work. RHP Lance McCullers Jr (Postseason: 6.0 IP, 0.0 ERA) is expected to start Game 3.  

The Yankees find themselves in a borderline must-win situation headed into Game 3 of the ALCS. New York struggled in the first two games to say the least, batting 9-for-65 (.138) at the plate with 30 strikeouts. The offense finished Game 2 with only four hits, two runs, and went 1-for-4 (.250) RISP. Give credit to the Astros bullpen, but offensive production has been a problem for this team throughout the postseason. Starting pitcher Luis Severino gave up five hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. The other two pitchers used gave up a combined three hits and zero runs in 2 2/3 innings. RHP Gerrit Cole (Postseason: 2-0, 2.03 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound Saturday.  

Although the Yankees will have the home crowd for a crucial Game 3, I think the Astros are worth backing as underdogs here. The pitching has simply been incredible for Houston and the Yankees offense has not been the juggernaut they were throughout the regular season. Back the Astros money-line as I expect New York to be in serious trouble after Saturday’s game.  

Score Prediction: Astros 4, Yankees 3
Best Bet: Astros ML (+124)

HOUSTON ASTROS vs. NEW YORK YANKEES BETTING ODDS

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HOUSTON ASTROS vs. NEW YORK YANKEES BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
• Matchup: AL West vs. AL East
• Venue: Yankee Park
• Location: New York, New York
• Time-TV: 5:07 p.m. ET – TBS
• Expert Picks

HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Astros are 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS this postseason. The total has gone under in eight of their last 10 games. Following this trend, the total has gone under in six of their last eight games against the Yankees. Houston is 7-2 SU in its past nine games against New York went 2-2 SU when playing in at Yankee Stadium this season.  

If it weren’t for the bullpen this team would be in serious trouble as the offense has been way down in the postseason. In fact, they have more postseason wins than they do postseason hits with RISP (4-for-32). It feels like at any moment the offense will explode but that moment has yet to come. The Jose Altuve drought continues as he went 0-for-4 in Game 2, and he is 0-for-23 in these playoffs. As a team the Astros have a postseason batting average of .229, on-base percentage of .296, slugging percentage of .426, 10 home runs, and 20 total runs.  

The Astros bullpen has been dominant this postseason with a team ERA of 1.83. Valdez could have held the Yankees scoreless in Game 2 had it not been for his error in the fourth inning, but a solid outing, nonetheless. McCullers Jr will take the mound in front of what should be a rowdy home crowd. In his one postseason start against the Mariners on October 15th, McCullers Jr gave up two hits and no runs in six innings. This will be his first matchup of the season against the Yankees. 

NEW YORK YANKEES BETTING ANALYSIS

The Yankees are 3-4 SU and 4-3 ATS in these playoffs. The total has gone under in seven of New York’s last nine games. Following this trend, the total has gone under in four of its last five games played at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees went 2-2 SU when playing the Astros at home this season and have struggled as of late against Houston with a 1-7 SU record in their past eight matchups.  

New York’s offensive struggles continued in Game 2 of the ALCS with just four hits and another 13 strikeouts. If there was anything positive to take away from the game, it is that Aaron Judge got his first hit of this series and was so close to a huge hit in the top of the eighth but was robbed by Kyle Tucker. Aaron Boone made a few adjustments to the lineup, but it honestly made no difference. Throughout these playoffs the Yankees have a batting average of .169, on-base percentage of .252, slugging percentage of .338, 11 home runs, and 24 runs. It's quite the downfall from their regular season average of 4.98 runs scored per game.  

The Yankees bullpen pitched well down in Houston, holding the Astros to seven runs in two games. The only problem is if the offense is not going to produce, the bullpen will have to be better which is a huge ask against this Astros lineup. Cole will look to keep Houston’s bats at bay in Game 3. This will be his third start of the postseason as he took the mound twice in the ALDS against the Guardians. In his first outing, Cole gave up four hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings. In his second outing on October 16th, he went seven innings and allowed six hits and two runs.  

KEY PLAYERS

• HOU: Yordan Alvarez - OF (Game 2: 1-for-4, R, 2 K, Picked Off)
• HOU: Jose Altuve - 2B (Game 2: 0-for-4, K)
• NYY: Aaron Judge - OF (Game 2: 1-for-4, R)
• NYY: Giancarlo Stanton - OF (Game 2: 0-for-4, R, K)

PROBABLE PITCHERS

• HOU: Lance McCullers - RHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 7 K, 6 IP in 1 Postseason start)
• NYY: Gerrit Cole - RHP (2-0, 2.03 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 16 K, 13 1/3 IP in 2 Postseason start)