Tanaka Shelled As Yankees Split Sunday Doubleheader With Houston
NEW YORK (AP) — George Springer and Alex Bregman paid tribute to Derek Jeter in their own way — with memorable first-inning home runs off Masahiro Tanaka.
Springer led off with a drive run into Monument Park just after Jeter's No. 2 was retired there in a pregame ceremony, and Bregman capped a six-run first inning with a grand slam that propelled the Houston Astros to a 10-7 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday night and a doubleheader split.
Josh Reddick homered off the facing of the right-field second deck a pitch after Springer's first homer. Springer also homered leading off the second and Carlos Beltran hit an RBI double against Tanaka (5-2), who left trailing 8-0 after 1 2/3 innings and set career highs for runs and home runs allowed.
Photos: Derek Jeter Night At Yankee Stadium
Backed by a 9-0 lead, Charlie Morton (5-2) gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings, including Matt Holliday's three-run homer in a four-run fifth. Morton had 10 of the 16 strikeouts by Astros pitchers, including seven in a row, as Houston took three of four in the series and improved to a big league-best 26-12.
Astros closer Ken Giles got the final out in a three-run ninth, retiring Aaron Hicks on a comebacker with two on.
Bregman, who wears No. 2 in honor of the former Yankees captain, hit his first homer of the season. Springer raised his total to nine.
New York announced before the opener that closer Aroldis Chapman will be out at least a month because of left shoulder inflammation. The Yankees then overcame Luis Severino's poor start to rally for an 11-6 win, stopping their three-game slide and the Astros' five-game winning streak. Chase Headley, in a 1-for-24 funk, hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded triple off Chris Devenski in a six-run seventh inning that overcame a 6-4 deficit.
"It was pretty important, not only for myself but, obviously, for the team," said Headley, whose batting average had dropped from .304 on May 5 to .256.
Looking pretty in pink in special Mother's Day uniforms, the AL East leaders trailed 3-1 before Starlin Castro's tying, two-run homer off Mike Fiers in the fourth. Aaron Judge followed with his major league-leading 14th homer, a 441-foot drive off the padding above the center field restaurant behind Monument Park.
Houston took a 6-4 lead in the seventh against Adam Warren (1-0), but New York came right back in the bottom half when Holliday hit a run-scoring infield single against Will Harris (1-1) and Castro tied it with an opposite-field double to right off Devenski. Judge was intentionally walked, Didi Gregorius struck out on three pitches and Headley sent a hanging changeup rolling to the right-center wall.
"You just tell yourself to relax and try to take a deep breath and keep everything in perspective," Headley said. "When you haven't gotten a hit in a while, it feels like it's been five years since you've gotten a hit."
Chris Carter followed with an RBI double for a 10-6 lead. Brett Gardner, 6 for 9 in the doubleheader, added an eighth-inning homer off Tony Sipp.
Devenski leads big league relievers with 43 strikeouts. He had stranded all seven of his inherited runners this year and only three of 37 had scored in his big league career.
"Those definitely weren't my best changeups," Devenski said. "I didn't really execute well on that fastball to Castro."
Only a few thousand fans were at Yankee Stadium for the start of an afternoon makeup of Saturday's rainout, and more rain fell during the Yankees' two rallies.
Pitching on six days' rest, Severino got just three outs with his first 44 pitches and was chased after 77 pitches and 2 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs, six hits and a season-high three walks.
"He just had to work really hard the first two innings, and it cost him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Chad Green got Bregman to ground into his second double play of the game and threw 3 2/3 innings of one-hit relief.
Fiers, who has allowed a big league-high 16 homers, gave up four runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Both teams wore special Mother's Day uniforms, undershirts and caps with pink elements, and many players used pink bats.
LONG BALLS
Judge has a big league-high six homers of 435 feet or more. He had gone six games and 27 at-bats since his previous home run on May 3.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: 2B Jose Altuve appeared to be limping slightly before he was pinch run for in the ninth inning of the second game.
Yankees: 1B Greg Bird, who hasn't played since May 1 because of a bone bruise in his right ankle, still has not been cleared to resume baseball activities.
UP NEXT
Astros: Joe Musgrove (2-3) starts Monday's series opener at Miami. Musgrove and Dallas Keuchel planned to fly ahead of the team Sunday evening.
Yankees: After day off, CC Sabathia (2-2) starts Tuesday at Kansas City.
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