Houston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2019 ) Houston 8, NY Yankees 3

The Houston Astros attempt to reach the World Series for the second time in three seasons when they visit the New York Yankees on Friday for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. After losing the opener, Houston has strung together three straight wins, including Thursday's dominant 8-3 victory, for a commanding 3-1 series lead.

George Springer and Carlos Correa each belted a three-run homer in the Game 4 victory, but no one on the Astros is ready to proclaim the series is over. "We just have to go play our game," Springer, who holds the franchise record of 13 career postseason blasts, said during a postgame television interview. "We're going to hand the ball to JV (Justin Verlander) and we'll see what happens." New York recorded nearly as many errors (four) as hits (five) and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in a sloppy performance on Thursday. "We played poorly, there is no other way to explain it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in his postgame press conference. "We need to flush this immediately. We talked about this as a team, we need to get over this in a hurry and put our best foot forward (in Game 5). Stranger things have certainly happened, a lot stranger. We need to play a cleaner game if we are going to beat a team like that."

TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (1-1, 3.12 ERA) vs. Yankees LH James Paxton (0-0, 5.14)

Verlander settled for a no-decision in Game 2 after allowing two runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings. The 36-year-old went 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two regular-season starts against the Yankees and indicated he has a lot of respect for the team's lineup. "I think 1 through 9 can hurt you with a homer. If you make mistakes, they punish you," Verlander said in his press conference. "It's just kind of one of those lineups that you have to go out there and understand that it's going to be a grind. You're going to find yourself in moments where you need to make pitches."

Paxton was pulled after just 2 1/3 innings when matched against Verlander in Game 2 despite allowing just one run and four hits. The 30-year-old, who went 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in two regular-season outings against Houston, is pitching in the postseason for the first time in his career. "There's a higher intensity, but overall, it's the same game," Paxton said during his press conference. "You have to treat it the same way. It's just being able to mentally treat it the same way, even though there is that extra intensity,"

WALK-OFFS

1. Retiring Yankees LHP CC Sabathia (shoulder) departed Game 4 in the eighth inning and is done for the postseason as Boone termed the injury "not good."

2. Astros 2B Jose Altuve (12) and Correa (10) also are in double digits when it comes to postseason homers.

3. New York OF Giancarlo Stanton (quadriceps) has missed the last three games but could serve as DH in Game 5.

PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Astros 4