The Yankees are off to an excellent start. The Astros are not. But after opening 7-19, Houston is slowly showing signs of getting turned around winning five of their last eight games.

Because of their slow start, I can get the Astros with Justin Verlander on the mound as an underdog today. I'll take that.

Verlander still is an elite pitcher. He's made three starts since returning from a shoulder injury and is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA. He has a rested Josh Hader to close.

The Yankees are pitching Luis Gil. I like him, but he's not a big inning guy. He's coming off a career-high 6 1/3 innings pitched against the Orioles this past Wednesday.