Yankees Power Past Astros Behind Chisholm and Grisham

The New York Yankees opened their three-game set in Houston with authority on Tuesday night, riding a pair of homers from Jazz Chisholm Jr., a Trent Grisham grand slam, and a sharp outing from Max Fried to a 7-1 win over the Astros. The Yankees (77-61) have now won eight of their last nine games but failed to gain ground in the American League East as both the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and the rival Boston Red Sox also won. New York and Boston remain 2 1/2 games back of Toronto.

Chisholm got the Yankees started early, blasting a two-run shot to right in the second inning off left-hander Framber Valdez (12-8). The 392-foot drive, his 27th of the season, gave New York a 2-0 lead and was just the second home run Valdez has allowed to a left-handed hitter this year. Three innings later, Grisham broke the game open.

After Valdez loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, he seemed poised to escape after striking out Giancarlo Stanton. But Grisham turned on a 1-0 sinker and sent it the opposite way for his 29th homer of the season, extending the lead to 6-0. It was the eighth grand slam of the year for the Yankees, and Grisham has hit the last three, following slams against Atlanta on July 19 and the White Sox last Friday. Valdez finished with six runs allowed on eight hits and one walk, striking out eight across five innings, and has now dropped four of his last six decisions.

On the mound, Fried (15-5) kept the Astros (76-63) in check, carrying a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The left-hander worked out of early trouble in the third by inducing three straight groundouts after issuing a walk and hitting a batter. Houston’s Cam Smith broke up the no-hit bid with a single in the fifth, but Fried struck out three in a row to squash the rally. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks while fanning five across seven innings.

Chisholm added his 28th home run in the eighth off reliever Steven Okert to cap the scoring, finishing a multi-homer night that, paired with Grisham’s slam, carried the Yankees to another key late-season victory.