Why Yankees see incoming Astros as measuring stick

The Yankees will face the Astros in a three-game series starting Monday at Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK — The memory is still fresh for most of the Yankees. Losing to the Astros Game 7 of the American League Championship Series — a win away from the World Series — last season will stick with them for years.

Though Aaron Boone wasn’t there for the crushing loss, the first-year manager gets it. And with Houston returning to the Bronx for a three-game set starting Monday, Boone was asked if he sees it as a stick against which to measure his own club.

“I guess any time you’re up against a team like that, that’s throwing the ball ball the way they are, it’s a little bit of barometer,” he said after the Yankees’ 3-1 home win over the Angels on Sunday.

“But we look forward to that challenge. We look forward to playing in those kinds of games and I look forward in seeing our guys go out there and hopefully doing what we’ve done most of the year and that’s at least making it very tough on those opposing starters.”

Torres: A little banged up

The last time the Yankees faced the Astros, they won three of four games. It was part of a larger stretch of 17 wins in 18 games that fueled the Yankees race back toward the top of the American League East, where they sit a game behind the Red Sox.

“I thought we played really well at their place a few weeks ago,” left fielder Brett Gardner said. “Look forward to facing those guys and hopefully playing some good baseball.”

While the Astros’ offense is formidable — its third in the league in runs scored, behidn the first-place Yankees and second-place Boston — it’s the starting pitching that worries Boone.

Understandable.

Houston’s starting pitching ERA is 2.44 — a whole half-run better than the second-place Nationals.

Meanwhile, even after the Yankees got six one-run innings from Masahiro Tanaka, the ERA of the Yankees’ starting staff sits at 4.12 — No. 13 in baseball.

Outside of ace Luis Severino, who will pitch in Wednesday’s series finale vs. Dallas Keuchel, the Yankees don’t have a single starting pitcher they can count on to match up with the Astros’ unit.

“I look at them as a great team,” Boone said. “Obviously, what they’re doing from a starting pitching standpoint, you can’t help but take notice and we know these next few days, we’re going to face some great pitching. We’re going to have to be at our best offensively to just try and generate some offense against them. I thought for the most part we had a lot of success over in Houston a few weeks ago with guys, just really giving I thought really quality at-bats up and down the lineup against a team that, when they’re on it, they’re going to have their innings where they’re shutting us down.”

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.