That would match their longest winning streak from all of last year (September 20-28, to end the season). Winning streaks can disappear quickly over a long season, but right now, New York is playing with confidence, getting production throughout the lineup, and stacking wins against rivals on the road.Before first pitch, the Yankees officially reinstated Ryan Weathers from the paternity list. The left-hander returns after welcoming a healthy baby boy and will take the mound looking to add another chapter to an already strong start in pinstripes.

In a corresponding move, right-hander Angel Chivilli was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 23, with right shoulder discomfort. Jake Bird had been recalled to take Weathers’ spot on the roster and will remain in the bullpen. So the ’pen will be a situation worth monitoring as the Yankees continue this road trip.Weathers gets the ball coming off his best start of his still-young Yankees career.

The left-hander fired 7.1 scoreless innings against Kansas City in his last outing while striking out eight. He has piled up 18 K’s over his last two starts. The overall numbers have been mixed across starts thanks to some Angels homers, but the stuff passes the eye test.This outing also marks Weathers’ first start as a father.

Baseball players believe in routines, lucky charms, and hot streaks, but few forces are stronger than Dad Strength. The Yankees will hope this new chapter helps Weathers continue building toward the arm the front office believed he could become when he was acquired this offseason.Houston counters with right-hander Mike Burrows, a newer addition to the Astros after arriving from Pittsburgh in a three-way trade that sent longtime Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe to the Bucs (among other player moves). Burrows works with a four-pitch mix built around his changeup, but he enters this start searching for better results after allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10.2 innings.The Astros’ pitching staff as a whole has been one of baseball’s strangest groups so far.

Houston enters tonight last in Major League Baseball with a 5.97 ERA and has walked 22 more batters than the second-worst Angels. Yet Houston also ranks top three in strikeouts, meaning the raw stuff can still dominate if opponents lose patience. That makes the Yankees’ offensive approach especially important tonight.

If New York forces deep counts, accepts free passes, and avoids chasing, there should be opportunities to create traffic and keep pressure on Houston pitching.Houston’s larger issue is simply health. The Astros currently have 16 players on the big-league injured list, including notable names such as Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, Cristian Javier, Jeremy Peña, Ronel Blanco, Jake Meyers, and others. It is a bruised roster, particularly on the pitching side, and one that has been forced to patch together innings throughout the opening month.

Even with those absences, the Astros still bring a dangerous lineup for Weathers to navigate. Houston leans on veteran bats and middle-order power, so the Yankees’ southpaw will need sharp command from the opening inning.The Yankees lineup card has a slightly different look tonight, and it starts with Trent Grisham at the top. Grisham leads off ahead of Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, giving New York two left-handed bats before its superstar slugger.

Cody Bellinger slots cleanup, followed by the red-hot Jazz Chisholm Jr. and tonight’s designated hitter, Amed Rosario.This alignment gives Aaron Boone a balanced mix of speed, on-base ability, and power with a fun lefty-lefty-righty split. Grisham and Rice can set the table, Judge remains the centerpiece, and Bellinger protects in the spot behind Judge. With Jazz and Rosario hitting behind them, there should be traffic throughout the order if the Yankees stay patient.Austin Wells catches, while Ryan McMahon and José Caballero round out the lower third of the lineup.

One major storyline is Giancarlo Stanton, who exited Friday’s game with an injury and is absent from tonight’s lineup. He will not be going on the IL yet as the club continues to evaluate the severity of the injury and what makes sense from a roster logistics perspective (mostly unsaid in all this is that Anthony Volpe is expec