The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros are both fighting to make the playoffs, with the Bronx Bombers 2.5 games behind of the Blue Jays in the AL East — plus tied with the Red Sox for a Wild Card berth — and the Astros perched three games up on the Mariners for the top spot in the AL West.
The postseason hopefuls begin a three-game series in Houston on Tuesday, September 2 at 8:10 p.m. ET. The opener has the makings of a great pitching matchup, with Yankees southpaw Max Fried (14-5) facing fellow lefty Framber Valdez (12-7).
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Yankees vs. Astros Prediction, Preview for 9/2/2025
The Yankees just completed a seven-game stretch in which they faced two terrible teams in the Nationals and White Sox, grabbing six much-needed wins. Their bats led the way, scoring at least 10 runs in four of the seven contests. For the season, the Yanks have racked up the most runs in baseball, a whopping 35 more than second-plays Red Sox.
New York’s bats will be tested by the Astros’ starting rotation, as they'll face Valdez and SP Cristian Javier. Valdez has a career 3.28 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, while Javier has a career 3.59 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
Yankees
The Yankees are 41-28 at home this season, but just 35-33 on the road. They also have a 38-39 record versus teams with a winning record. On the plus side, they will have a rested lineup after a day off.
Astros
Houston is 42-30 at home this season, boasting a 37-34 mark against teams with a winning record. The return of Yordan Alvarez has provided a significant boost to their lineup — since being activated from the IL, the DH is 6-for-18 (.333) with a .519 OBP, 4 RBI, and 4 runs scored over seven games.
Yankees vs. Astros Picks & MLB DFS
- Yankees P Max Fried — 95.5 Pitches Thrown
- Astros 2B Jose Altuve — 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs
- Astros SP Framber Valdez — 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed
Yankees SP Max Fried vs. Astros Projection: 95.5 Pitches Thrown
- Fried has logged 162 innings this season, tied for the 11th-most in baseball.
- The Yankees southpaw has thrown at least 96 pitches in 16 of his 27 starts.
- For the season, Fried has averaged 96.6 pitches per start.
- The Yankees need Fried to pitch deep into games because of their deficiencies in the reliever department. Their team bullpen ERA of 4.25 is the 10th-highest mark in baseball.
Astros 2B Jose Altuve vs. Yankees Projection: 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs
- Altuve has already launched 24 home runs this season, surpassing last year's total of 20.
- The Astros’ second baseman is posting a 16.0% strikeout rate this season and a 13.0% strikeout rate for his career.
- Although right-handed pitchers have limited Altuve to a .336 wOBA and a .173 ISO this season, he has a .363 wOBA and a .235 ISO against lefties.
- Altuve has produced a .362 wOBA and a .204 ISO at home.
Astros SP Framber Valdez vs. Yankees Projection: 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed
- Valdez logged seven scoreless innings against the Rockies in his last outing. That broke a streak of four straight starts in which he gave up at least 3 earned runs.
- For the season, the lefty has allowed fewer than 3 earned runs in 17 of his 26 starts.
- Valdez has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs in 10 of his last 11 starts at home.
- His home dominance is nothing new: Valdez has a 3.00 xFIP and 1.16 WHIP in Houston for his career.
This top-flight pitching matchup between Fried and Valdez offers plenty of projections to consider on PrizePicks to win money on MLB.
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