Houston Astros at New York Yankees

This was the kind of response the Astros needed coming off last week’s disappointing homestand in which they lost series against the Mariners, Angels and A’s, leading into general manager Dana Brown losing his job in what the team said was a mutual decision. Simply put, the Astros were in a bit of turmoil at a crucial juncture of the season and were searching for a way to get off the mat. They did so at Yankee Stadium, taking two of three games from the Yankees, capped by Thursday night’s 5-1 win in the series finale. Christian Walker and Jeremy Peña clubbed home runs, and Hayden Wesneski allowed one run in five innings to outduel Gerrit Cole. The first-place Astros (67-67) moved one game ahead of the Rangers in the American League West standings with 28 games remaining. “I thought it was something we needed to do after our homestand \[when\