Yanks pushed to brink after G4 loss to Astros

NEW YORK -- Minutes after Gleyber Torres' fly ball was secured for the final out in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, the Yankees trudged into their clubhouse and embraced a new reality. They must win three consecutive games to avoid zipping their suitcases for the offseason, but after a season in which this “Next Man Up” squad has overcome so much, they are ready for that challenge.

• ALCS presented by GEICO, Game 5: Tonight, 7 p.m. ET on FS1

In a brief meeting, manager Aaron Boone urged his players to produce a tighter effort than their four-error performance on Thursday night. The Astros’ George Springer and Carlos Correa notched the game-changing hits that the home team could not, slugging a pair of three-run homers that pushed the Yankees to the brink of elimination with an 8-3 loss at Yankee Stadium.

• Box score

“We’ve had our backs against the wall all year long with injuries and setbacks, things kind of not rolling our way,” Aaron Judge said. “This is nothing new to this team. Stranger things have happened in baseball.”

Game	Date	Result	Highlights
Gm 1	Oct. 12	NYY 7, HOU 0	Watch
Gm 2	Oct. 13	HOU 3, NYY 2 (11)	Watch
Gm 3	Oct. 15	HOU 4, NYY 1	Watch
Gm 4	Oct. 17	HOU 8, NYY 3	Watch
Gm 5	Oct. 18	NYY 4, HOU 1	Watch
Gm 6	Oct. 19	HOU 6, NYY 4	Watch

Shop for postseason gear: Astros | Yankees
• Postseason schedule and bracket

The Yankees now trail the best-of-seven ALCS three games to one, and their path includes a pair of substantial stumbling blocks in leading AL Cy Young Award contenders Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, needing to defeat both if they are to advance and face the Nationals in the World Series.

• Down, not out: Here's how Yanks can defy odds

“We need to flush this immediately,” Boone said. “We talked about it as a team. We need to get over this in a hurry and come put our best foot forward tomorrow. We need to play a cleaner game, obviously, if we're going to beat a team like that.”

Springer’s third-inning homer was hit off Masahiro Tanaka, who was charged with four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks over five-plus innings. Tanaka lamented that splitter that stayed up in the strike zone, but the onus must be placed upon the offense -- a recurring theme during this ALCS, in which the Yanks have gone 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position, leaving 33 men on base.

• Tanaka off his game in second go at Astros

“We haven’t been able to get that good hit,” DJ LeMahieu said. “I think it’s a combination of their pitching and the ball not going our way. Their pitching has done a pretty good job so far. Hopefully we can turn the tables.”

• High RISP, no reward for Yanks: K is the culprit

The Yankees were unable to convert several of those tantalizing opportunities in Game 4, including a big first-inning spot that would have knocked starter Zack Greinke out of the game. Greinke appeared to be rattled by the boisterous crowd of 49,067 as he walked three, including a bases-loaded free pass to Brett Gardner that provided the Yanks with their first lead since the fifth inning of Game 2.

With Brad Peacock hurriedly tossing in the visiting bullpen, Greinke recovered to strike out the struggling Gary Sánchez on three pitches to end the inning. The Yankees were finally able to chase Greinke four innings later behind a LeMahieu single and a Judge walk, prompting Houston to call upon Ryan Pressly, who walked Aaron Hicks to load the bases with one out.

Pressly recovered to strand all three men aboard, striking out Torres -- rung up on a check-swing by first-base umpire Mark Carlson -- and then fanning Edwin Encarnación, who is 1-for-15 in the ALCS. Greinke survived the shaky four-walk effort, charged with a run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings.

“I missed the opportunity, but it's part of the game,” Torres said. “Tomorrow, I guess I've got another opportunity. I’ll make some good contact and try to make runs.”

Correa provided the Astros with a healthy cushion in the sixth inning, clearing the left-field wall off Chad Green for the shortstop’s second homer of the ALCS. Sánchez reclaimed two of those runs with a sixth-inning homer off Josh James, having been 2-for-23 with 11 strikeouts this postseason at the time.

• Sánchez hopes 2-run blast is start of something

“All these at-bats, I’ve been battling, trying to find my way,” Sánchez said. “I never put my head down, never lost confidence in myself, and I was able to put a good swing on that ball. I’m hoping this is it, this is what gets me back on track.”

Adam Ottavino made another ineffective appearance in the eighth, as both batters he faced reached base -- one on an error by LeMahieu at first base. It was Ottavino’s fourth appearance of the postseason in which he did not record an out, establishing a dubious Major League record.

In what could be the final appearance of his 19-year Major League career, CC Sabathia faced four batters and retired two before leaving with a left shoulder injury, seeing Houston’s seventh run score on a Torres error.

“It was tough, man,” Hicks said. “He's a great person, a great player, obviously. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. He means a lot to this team, to this organization. For him to go out like that is not something you want.”

• 'Warrior' CC's likely final outing ends abruptly

In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams taking a 3-1 lead have gone on to win 73 of 86 times (85%). Under the current 2-3-2 format, those ahead 3-1 and holding home-field advantage in the series have gone on to win 39 of 46 times (also 85%).

However, the Yankees can look to a recent example in the 2016 Cubs, who were down 3-1 to the Indians in the World Series before winning three straight -- including Games 6 and 7 on the road.

• These teams came back from 3-1 deficits

“One pitch at a time. That’s how it starts,” Judge said. “You can’t be thinking about [Games] 6 and 7. You’ve got to be thinking about the next game. You’ve got to slow the game down, taking it one pitch at a time. If we go down early or we get an early lead, you’ve got to treat it like a 0-0 ballgame. If we try to win every single pitch, we’ll be in a good place.”