ALCS Schedule 2017: Updated Astros vs. Yankees TV Coverage and Predictions

The New York Yankees are breathing easier following their 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, and they are now in a position to show their opponents that they are ready to turn this series into a dogfight.

Sonny Gray gets the starting assignment Tuesday at 5:08 p.m. ET for the Yankees, and he will be opposed by Lance McCullers of the Astros. The game will be televised by FS1.

Both pitchers have had recent issues, as Gray takes the mound with an 0-1 record and an 8.10 earned-run average in the postseason. McCullers is 0-3 with an 8.63 ERA in his last eight starts.

Todd Frazier and Aaron Judge belted home runs for the Yankees Monday night, while the Houston offense had a difficult time producing against CC Sabathia. Earlier in the playoffs, Houston was getting production up and down the lineup, but the Astros have suffered a downturn in the ALCS.

Elsa/Getty Images

After hitting the ball hard in four ALDS games against the Boston Red Sox, the Astros are hitting just .169 against the Yankees. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa continue to hit the ball well for Houston, but George Springer (1-for-11) and Josh Reddick (0-for-10) have suddenly gone into a cold spell.

Reddick had the game-winning hit in the series-clinching Game 4 against the Red Sox, but he looks lost at the plate. Springer was perhaps the team's second-best player during the season behind Altuve, but he is no longer making hard contact at this point. 

Reddick said the team can't worry about one loss and has to concentrate on Tuesday's assignment. 

"We need to put this game behind us," Reddick said, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. "We got our butts whipped tonight. That's the only way to put it. We didn’t come out and do our jobs. But it could be worse. We could be down 1-2. At least we've got a little bit of a lead now."

Springer believes the Astros don't have to do anything different as the series progresses because some of the offensive production problems are due to bad hitting luck. 

"The scoreboard doesn't always show how hard you hit the ball," Springer said. "I thought we hit some balls hard tonight that didn't fall. We're not going to change our approach just because we fly out to the track. We have a plan and an approach, and we stick to it."

Confidence is fairly high among the Yankees, and manager Joe Girardi pointed out that the team knows how to play its best baseball at Yankee Stadium.

"We're somewhat built for this ballpark, number one," Girardi said, per Stats TSX. "No. 2, you're familiar with it. You're familiar with everything that you do on a daily basis. You have your routine and you're able to be in your routine."

Game 5 of the series is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. If the Yankees can extend the series, Game 6 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday at Minute Maid Park, and Game 7 will be played at 8 p.m. Saturday in Houston.

Prediction

The Yankees surprised a lot of observers with the success they had in the regular season, then shocked the baseball world by coming back from an 0-2 deficit to take down the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS.

The Indians were largely considered to be the best team in baseball, and that victory has given the Yankees confidence they can compete with the Astros.

Look for the Yankees to have the advantage as they take the field Tuesday. They play well at home, and if Gray can make a couple of adjustments, he will be able to get the job done.

The Yankees should add a couple of more home runs against McCullers, and they will square the series with a convincing win in Game 4.